Did you happen to catch the recent National Philanthropy Day supplement in Toronto’s The Star?
It’s a terrific salute to philanthropy, including the efforts of two Community Foundations of Canada members!
There’s a great piece about Toronto Community Foundation’s use of Vital Signs to direct strategic investing, and another about Hamilton Community Foundation’s strides in impact investing.
Well worth a read!
There’s much talk these days about community investment, and Hamilton Community Foundation is putting its money where its mouth is.
Canadian charities have historically had difficulty finding financing for expanding services and facilities, and this lack of funding for core operations, growth and diversification inhibits what they can accomplish.
That’s why the Community Foundation has launched the Community Investment Fund, putting aside $5 million from its unrestricted fund to invest in local charitable projects – instead of the stock market. . This amount includes $2 million available as loans to the non-profit sector, through a partnership with the Community Forward Fund, an innovative loan and investment fund that provides loans to nonprofits and charities.
The new Hamilton Artists Inc. facility was completed with help from a loan by HCF's Community Investment Fund
“We expect community investment to go beyond traditional granting and fill an important gap and go a long way to strengthening the charitable sector and the city,” says Terry Cooke, President & CEO.
The first loan was issued this summer to Hamilton Artists Inc., a long-standing artist-run centre that supports and reflects the diverse environment of the community. It means the group can complete a building project that will contribute significantly to downtown revitalization and a burgeoning arts scene.
“It’s a stunning transformation at one of Hamilton’s most visible corners,” says Cooke. “They will be able to complete their project on time while awaiting the promised financing that has been delayed.
“I’m thrilled that HCF is able to use more of its assets in unique ways to support positive change in the community.”
By Sharon Charters
I had the pleasure of participating as a Senior Fellow with the City University of New York (CUNY), Center of Philanthropy and Civil Society fellowship program, from Oct. 18 to Nov. 12.
The centre offers fellowships to both international “emerging leaders” and “senior fellows.” Our group of four brought the total to 151 people from 54 countries who have participated in the fellowship program and who are working in the fields of philanthropy and civil society.
The process of being awarded a fellowship requires the submission of a proposal for an area of study which will benefit the field of philanthropy, specifically as it relates to community foundations.
For me personally, this was a chance to take some time to reflect on Hamilton Community Foundation’s work in poverty reduction at a neighbourhood level, and to learn about the experiences of both my fellow “fellows,” as well as from guests from the private and community foundation world. And I must confess that the idea of doing this in the “city that never sleeps” was certainly an added enticement.
My colleagues were Inna from Russia, Patrick from South Africa and Nurah, who is originally from Trinidad-Tobago and currently working in the Bronx. We were able to meet with representatives from the Mott Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation, the Council on Foundations, the Brazil Foundation, the Long Island Foundation, Ashoka, the Brooklyn Foundation, the Wallace Foundation, and others.
We have each produced a position paper based on our original proposal and made a presentation to the fellows, along with the wonderfully supportive CUNY staff of Professor Kathleen McCarthy, Barbara Leopold, and Amal Muhammad.
It was truly eye-opening to hear about how community foundations can be a tool for change in such different environments. For Inna, this is an environment where the culture of organized philanthropy is being resurrected. For Patrick, his context is how a community foundation can work in a small, rural South African community building on current customs of giving. For Nurah, the question is whether a community foundation is the right vehicle for sustaining the work within a geographic area that is part of a larger philanthropic environment. We each take home a better understanding not only of our own foundations, but of the incredible diversity and flexibility within the community foundation movement.
Sharon Charters is Manager of Grants with Hamilton Community Foundation
By Melissa Ricci
Belonging to the Hamilton Community Foundation‘s YAC (Youth Advisory Council) has really given me a unique insight into the meaning of the word “community.”
It’s not a secret that Hamilton has its fair share of problems involving poverty. When I was younger, I would try to avoid going downtown because I thought it was scary – it was not the sheltered suburb I was used to playing dolls in. People used food banks, asked for spare change, and stayed overnight at shelters. I was terrified because it was all unknown to me and I thought I would get hurt.
When I was 15, a teacher invited me to go to the first YAC meeting of the year. I got my mom to drive me down to Jackson Square, in the heart of downtown Hamilton, so I could attend. Representatives explained the grant-making process and gave us a brief outline of what we would be doing over the course of the year. I met some new friends and left. I admit, I was confused as to how meeting in a boardroom would make any difference in the community.
But the longer I stayed with the YAC, the more grant proposals I read, and the more community visits I participated in, the more I learned about Hamilton. It had always been rather unknown to me: I stayed in my happy bubble and ignored everything new. Now I was learning about its thriving arts community, about church groups and youth groups organizaing breakfast programs, street hockey leagues, services for newly immigrated students.
I got involved, I met people, and I saw the true face of the “scary” city I had avoided for so long. I loved every minute of it.
I’ve lived in Hamilton my entire life. But it wasn’t until I started working with the Community Foundation that I really began to call Hamilton my home.
One of the most important things I’ve learned, and that I believe everyone should learn, is the importance of getting outside your comfort bubble. To truly make an impact on the problems in a community, to truly improve the lives of children, to eradicate poverty, to help others become involved, and to help those who may need it, you need to know your city. You need to get involved. You need to make your city your home and care for it as you would care for your own family.
Getting out of the house and simply learning is the first step to helping. Go!
Melissa Ricci served on the YAC for three years, and as co-chair in 2009-10. She now studies Arts and Science at McMaster University. She likes reading, cake decorating, volunteering, and the Hamilton Community Foundation, and hopes to one day found her own charitable organization.
By Paul Born
Vibrant Communities Canada has partnered with organizations across Canada, including many Community Foundations, on a nine-year experiment that demonstrates the positive impacts of an innovative and collaborative approach to fighting poverty that is driving individual benefits, neighbourhood changes and large-scale community poverty reductions.
For nearly a decade now, a wide range of partners, including Community Foundations, have formed leadership tables in more than a dozen communities across Canada, giving new momentum to the work of poverty reduction. More than a hope or a dream, they have made it a living, breathing reality.
Joined by the Vibrant Communities initiative, citizens of all income levels, community workers, business people and representatives from all levels of government are clarifying needs, identifying community assets and developing tangible strategies for tackling poverty.
Our experience is proving an important role for place-based strategies when it comes to reducing poverty. Community collaboration is showing promising and powerful results. Community Foundations have played a critical role in many cities, including Hamilton Community Foundation, which has played a leadership role in convening and leading the award-winning coalition in Hamilton.
The Edmonton Community Foundation sits on the leadership body and contributes broadly to the work in that city. The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation was involved with the leadership roundtable for Opportunities Waterloo Region. The Niagara Community Foundation was also involved with Opportunities Niagara.
Launched in 2002, Vibrant Communities Canada builds on learning generated by Opportunities 2000, a millennium campaign to reduce poverty in Waterloo Region to the lowest in Canada, which earned a place in the United Nations Top 40 Projects Worldwide.
The Vibrant Communities approach emphasizes collaboration and consensus building across sectors; comprehensive thinking and action; building community assets; and a commitment to long-term learning and change. It is a self-fuelling change model where progress creates greater capacity, leading to new programs and more systematic interventions. The end result is improved lives and less people living in poverty.
Together, Vibrant Communities partners have:
We invite you to read the report, read the executive summary of the report, visit the VC Evaluation webpage and learn about the Vibrant Communities experience.
Paul Born directs Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement, a ten year journey and partnership with Alan Broadbent of the Avana Capital Corporation and Maytree Foundation to advance place based solutions to entrenched problems like poverty.
Posted in Gap Between Rich and Poor, Hamilton, Vital Signs 2010, Waterloo Region
Tagged Community, community foundations, Community Foundations of Canada, Edmonton Community Foundation, Hamilton Community Foundation, Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation, Niagara Community Foundation, Opportunities 2000, Paul Born, Poverty, Tamarack, Vibrant Communities Canada, Vital Signs
