A Community Foundation is an independent, volunteer driven, charitable organization that helps facilitate community philanthropy, by working with both donors and local charities and providing leadership on issues of community concern.

A Community Foundation is collection of charitable funds established by people from all walks of life who have one thing in common - the desire to make a difference in their community – forever. A Community Foundation is an organization that invests for the future.

Donations to endowment funds are pooled together and invested. The income from these investments is then used to make grants to support local registered charities, while the capital remains untouched. Donations made today will generate gifts in perpetuity.

Community Foundation’s are amongst the fastest – growing forms of philanthropy in Canada today and they all share three special features:

1) Endowment Building and personalized service
2) Local grantmaking expertise
3) Community Leadership


Gifts may include any of the following:

• Cash, cheque or credit card
• Securities(stocks, bonds, mutual funds, stock option shares)
• Life Insurance
• Bequest
• Appreciated Property (Real Estate, Artwork, Jewellery)
• Charitable Remainder of Trust


Types of Endowment Funds offered:

Community Fund
A donation to this fund provides the donor with the greatest amount of flexibility for their contribution. This type of fund is not tied to any specific charity or area of interest. This allows the Community Foundation to respond to the immediate and changing needs of the community.

Field of Interest Fund
Allows the donor to designate a specific area of interest in which charitable grants can be made: Arts and Culture, Health and Wellness, Social Welfare or the Environment, while entrusting the Foundation to select specific projects for support.

Designated Fund
Gives donors the opportunity to specify which charities they would like to support in perpetuity.

Donor Advised Fund
Enables donors to have on going participation in the selection of charities that will benefit from their gift.


Charitable Agency Endowment
Allows registered charities to set up a fund without the responsibility of investment management. Once established, the charity can encourage donors to contribute to the fund.

Memorial Funds
Allows family or friends to remember a love one forever, by establishing a fund in their name.
Can be established in the form of any of the above fund types in memory of a family or individual. The grants awarded may be unrestricted to adapt to the community’s needs, advised by one or more people or designated to the donor’s favourite charity. Often, these funds are established with large gifts coupled with smaller donations in response to obituary notices.


Managed Fund
A charitable organization or foundation entrusts the Community Foundation with the long-term management of its endowment fund, while retaining ownership of the fund.