Community Foundations of Canada
We are Canada's Community FDN. Community vitality has been our purpose, promise, and passion since 1921, when we started connecting individuals and organizations to community needs and opportunities.
We are the Canadian movement for community vitality, with more than 191 Community FDN across the country. We are connected by our national network, Community Foundation of Canada, and together, we help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work and play.
Find a Community Foundation in Canada by connecting to the link below - http://communityfoundations.ca/
About CFC
Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for Canada’s 191 community foundations. Together we help Canadians invest in making our communities better places to live, work and play. More than 85% of Canadian communities have access to a community foundation – from our largest cities to our smallest towns. Collectively we hold combined assets of more than $4.6 billion and we’ve put hundreds of millions back into communities over our 94-year history.
We put the strength of our philanthropic network to the best possible use for our communities and our country. We’re championing the issues that matter to Canadians with an eye on the change we can make, now and for future generations. We’re exploring new ways to make a collective impact hand-in-hand with partners who share our vision.
What is a community foundation?
Community foundations contribute time, leadership and financial support to local initiatives, helping people give back where their communities need it most.
With an intimate knowledge of local priorities, community foundations champion what matters most by directing grants, expertise, leadership, and other investments towards everything from shelter, education, and care for those in need, to the arts, environment and recreation.
How do community foundations work?
Community foundations play a crucial role in how people give back where communities need it most. We connect people, families and companies with causes that inspire them. We pool resources, knowledge and expertise, working with others for even greater impact. And we help donors realize their philanthropic goals by matching their interests with community needs and finding innovative ways to make every donation count.
Get involved to help us make a bigger, broader impact on Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast.
Prince Albert & Area Community Foundation Inc.
The Prince Albert and Area Community Foundation became official on March 10th, 1999.
An extraordinary feature of the foundation concept is the way it enables people of modest means to engage in large-scale philanthropy by pooling their contributions.
Canada’s first community foundation was established in Winnipeg in 1921.
A community fund is defined as a growing capital fund, the earnings from which are used to meet the whole wide range of local charitable needs and interests. Technically a community foundation is an incorporated non-profit organization, which is officially registered with Canada Revenue Agency as a tax exempt “public foundation” and as such is allotted a charitable registration number.
The Prince Albert and Area Community Foundation exists to encourage philanthropy and to fund charitable activities that will contribute to an improved quality of life in our region.
A community foundation serves three distinct constituencies:
- Donors
- Nonprofit, charitable organizations and
- The community at large
A unique aspect of the PAAC Foundation is that all donations will be held in perpetuity. The original donation is never spent, it is invested and the income earned is used to support local initiatives.
Government funding is becoming more restrictive and financial restraints have resulted in some funding for worthwhile causes, drying up altogether. The foundation is sometimes able to provide funding to assist in such circumstances as well as offer an opportunity to initiate new activities in the community.
The earnings from donations will support projects in one or more of the following areas, depending on the needs of the community:
- Children and Youth - Family and Community
- Arts and Culture - Health and Welfare
- Education - Research
We also collaborate with the P.A. Community Scholarships, the Collin LaRoche Scholarship and the Gail Hartsook Scholarships as well as several private funds. Scholarships totaled $ 4300.00 + a special grant of $7000.00 provided to P.A. Children's Haven from the Hartsook Fund.
A major part of our work is to manage the distribution of grants from the Moffat Foundation, which in 2021 saw $103,402.50 awarded to local charities. We also manage funds from the United Way - Saskatoon for the Prince Albert branch, which are awarded to community projects as annual grants.
In 2020, we also participated in the "RBC Youth Future Launch Community Challenge", the Gender Equality Program and the Investment Readiness Program. We were able to do extensive work with the Emergency Community Support Program as well. These programs were all completed by early 2021.