Community foundations have become key components of community-building across Canada, addressing needs by channelling donor funds into a broad range of local priorities.
“Community foundations bring together assets, funds and people in communities and then distribute and utilize those assets in different ways in order to make a positive difference and build value,” explains Ian Bird, president and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), an umbrella group that provides a wide range of support services to emerging and existing community foundations.
“Our members built this network so they could benefit from each other’s experience and expertise,” he says, adding that community foundations in Canada now administer an astounding $3 billion in capital.
“CFC is also here to help build-out partnerships and cross-community initiatives that require collaboration and co-ordination, but it is also here to help community foundations do things professionally,” says Mr. Bird.
One of CFC’s primary roles is birthing new foundations in communities where there is leadership and passion, but also a need for organizational support. A good example of the kind of support CFC can offer is the Vital Signs initiative, a national program co-ordinated by CFC and led by community foundations across the country.
It involves using statistics to measure the quality of life in Canadian communities, identify trends and then share opportunities for action. More than 30 community foundations have participated in the program, and more join every year.
“Vital Signs allows communities to take stock before taking action, and that allows all charities to be more effective in their work,” says Mr. Bird.
Rahul Bhardwaj, president and CEO of the Toronto Community Foundation, says that before distributing funds to meet needs, community foundations must first understand what those needs are, and it can best identify them by implementing the Vital Signs program and convening with community leaders.
“For example, a couple of years ago we were having trouble with youth unemployment and youth violence,” he says. “We brought together people, particularly members of the Afro-Caribbean community, and asked them what we could do together to help. They told us they needed healthy alternatives for young people; pathways to employment and integration in the community that would address the alienation some were feeling.”
The solution was the Toronto Sports Leadership program, where participants acquire national certification in activities such as life guarding and coaching. In the six years since the program’s launch, more than 650 young people have received certification, many going on to find gainful employment with local and regional parks and recreation facilities.
A key strategy to success for community foundations, adds Mr. Bhardwaj, is engaging donors, leveraging their giving into community building activities that pique their interests.
“The result is that those who are engaged are very engaged,” he says.
One of the virtues of community foundations, says Faye Wightman, president and CEO of the Vancouver Foundation, the largest CF in Canada, is that they can take a holistic approach to philanthropy.
“We look at all aspects of a community instead of just one,” she explains. The Vancouver Foundation – which has a provincewide mandate – administers funds in everything from arts and culture to education, animal welfare, children and families, disability, environment, health and social development, as well as youth homelessness and youth philanthropy. It also brings a good deal of expertise to the table when it comes to choosing worthy causes to support. Before disbursing funds, she says, experts are convened who perform all the necessary due diligence.
“One of the values we bring is that we know the community, we know the agencies, and we’re able to assess if it’s a good project,” says Ms. Wightman.
An effective community foundation should also look to the long term.
