Niagara Community Foundation

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

What exactly is a community foundation?
Community foundations are one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic networks dedicated to building and strengthening communities in Canada.

Community foundations:

pool the charitable gifts of many donors into permanent, income-earning endowment funds that benefit local communities
make grants from the earnings of these funds to support a wide range of local initiatives - from health, education and social services to arts and culture and the environment
provide leadership to their communities by bringing people together from all sectors to identify and address local issues

In Canada today, there are over 150 community foundations with combined assets of more than $2.3 billion. In 2005, they made grants of over $115 million to support local priorities across the country.

Who gives to community foundations?
All kinds of people. Many types of gifts - cash, real estate, stock, artwork and insurance - are contributed to community foundations. Donors can choose to support their hometown broadly or designate a favorite cause or charity. Flexibility is the key. Community foundations provide many services to donors to help them make the most of their charitable gifts. Many charities also place their endowment funds with community foundations in order to benefit from greater returns on their investments.

How are community foundations structured?
Winnipeg established the first community foundation in Canada in 1921. Today, community foundations span the country from Vancouver Island to Prince Edward Island, serving large and small urban centres and rural communities. Their endowment funds are professionally invested in diverse portfolios to ensure that they are managed wisely and profitably. Each community foundation is autonomous and governed by a volunteer board of local leaders. Yet they are linked and supported by Community Foundations of Canada's strong national network.

How was the Niagara Community Foundation started?
Once Niagara Falls philanthropist Frank Branscombe raised the idea for a community foundation, Regional Chair Debbie Zimmerman brought together a group of leaders from across the region for a meeting to discuss the formation of a community foundation as a millennium project of the Region. This meeting took place in March of 1999. Representatives from the four United Ways, hospital foundations, educational institutions, various charities, political leaders and the private sector participated in this meeting. As a result of the interest shown, a Steering Committee was formed in September to lay the groundwork for the Niagara Community Foundation. Through the efforts of the Committee, the Foundation was incorporated in April 2000 and received charitable status in June 2000. The initial Foundation Directors worked with the Steering Committee to hire the first Executive Director in October 2000. The Foundation was officially launched to the public on November 16, 2000 where the inaugural Board of Directors was elected.

What are the plans for the Niagara Community Foundation?
The Niagara Community Foundation serves the people of the Niagara peninsula by building permanently endowed charitable funds for the changing needs and opportunities of the community, making grants, and providing leadership that contributes to the health and vitality of the community.

We do this by:

working with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals and potential
providing financial support, technical assistance and other resources to charitable organizations
promoting effective leadership in the community by encouraging and participating in community initiatives and partnerships
fostering a climate for community involvement and discussion, problem solving and planning
managing responsibly the foundation's assets
building awareness of the role of philanthropy in responding to community needs and opportunities

Click here for information on our current granting program.

Click here to view our board of directors.