CANADA Community foundations Current situation: Facts and figures from the 2010 CF-GSR survey Number of community foundations at the end of 2009. 171 Number of community foundations established in 2008-2009. 6 became members of CFC; more may have been established by not yet in membership Total sum of assets, including endowments, at the end of 2009. US$2.73 billion Total sum of grants made by community foundations in 2009 US$144 million Total sum of the income/donations in 2009. US$192 million in new gifts Percentage of population that has access to a community 90% foundation. Community foundation with the largest assets, including Vancouver Community endowments, at the end of 2009, and the size of its assets. Foundation; US$700 million Complete list of community foundations A complete list is at http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/who_we_are/finder.cfm Community foundation staffing The movement in Canada is primarily made up of small foundations with assets under CAD$1 million. Those community foundations are generally not staffed by paid staff. All foundations with assets over CAD$2 million have some kind of paid staffing with the largest foundation having fifty staff members. Legal environment The legal environment in Canada is very favourable for community foundations. There are tax incentives to donors for a range of gifts: securities, land and property, art, and cash, among others. Key trends affecting community foundation development 1. Word of mouth - one community hears about the next community having a community foundation and they want one too! 2. Recognition that community foundations are leadership organizations that can contribute to quality of life in various ways, especially financially 3. Economic instability for a few communities and the contribution community foundations can make to sustainability
4. Leadership prepared to step forward and create something new as all else seems to be not working 5. Community foundations being increasingly called on to provide leadership/ fill leadership gap 6. Community foundations seen as trusted and an organization one can count on for the long term 7. Community foundations increasingly seen as knowledge centres on local community 8. Being part of a strong national network. Community foundation activity and impact The following table shows the changes that community foundations in Canada are bringing to the community through grantmaking and other programmes: citizens more involved in people-led development less poverty/more equal society improvement in the position of marginalised groups more responsive authorities increased awareness of environmental issues support to arts and culture activities more trust within the community greater transparency/accountability stronger linkages across different parts of the community increased charitable giving through the community foundation Remarkably positive changes Positive changes Slightly positive changes No changes Some negative changes Comment: Every one of the "changes" noted above take a long time to effect and feel. In some communities there is remarkable change as they have been at this longer. In some there is less change, in part a function of time. In no case have there been slippage and negative outcomes. The author has answered for the network as a whole so the high and low ends find themselves in the middle somewhere. If the same question was asked in another ten years, the needle would likely have moved to a higher ranking. Examples: 1. Through Vital Signs several communities have become more inclusive. 2. Through collaborative granting several communities have built partnerships among themselves and with others to tackle watershed issues. 3. Through a community foundation bringing all its assets (money through grants, relationships, influence, knowledge and more), a community-wide poverty reduction strategy is gaining traction.
Community involvement The table below shows how community foundations in Canada involve the community in their work: Are community activists involved on boards/committees? Do community foundations promote the use of volunteers from the community? Do community foundations participate in community issues and discussions led by others in the community? Do community foundations promote information about the community (e.g. through Vital Signs or similar research and sharing of information)? Do community foundations convene or lead discussions on issues of community importance? Are community foundation Boards or governance structures reflective of the diversity of the community? Yes SomewhatNo Giving voice to local people 1. On Boards but more often on committees; 2. Through an element of Vital Signs that invites the community to comment on issues - thousands and thousands of Canadians have taken part locally; and 3. Through community-wide convenings on themes that matter to rural communities such as transportation for seniors and people living with disabilities, youth related issues, economic issues. Community foundations doing more than making grants 1. Vital Signs (over twenty community foundations in Canada in program though not all issue a report each year) 2. Lake Winnipeg Watershed - an effort to raise awareness of the watershed's precarious state...a newly released powerful video and guide for community foundations to use as they convene their local community 3. Working collaboratively to support the efforts of a provincial government in addressing poverty in their region by convening, providing information to government, and adding their voice to province-wide discussions. The importance of small grants Many community foundations are small and exist in small communities where a little money goes a long way. Often a small grant is all that is needed to spark awareness of an issue or mobilize action. Small grants can be great leverage for others who feel they have the capacity to match or who can be invited to give. Community foundation income Types of funds most frequently supported by donors 1. Unrestricted funds 2. Donor-advised funds
3. Flow-through or Pass-through funds Types of donors who give to community foundations 1. Individuals 2. Charitable organizations 3. Government 4. Companies/ Corporations Strategies for engaging and servicing donors 1. Site visits to community organizations for donors. 2. Online and print tools/ resources outlining community needs and issues, including those of specific organizations. 3. Events hosted for donors so they meet each other. Trends in donor engagement 1. Use of social media and online tools; and 2. Programs like "Engage" which reach out to younger adults just entering the work force - where the emphasis is on learning about the community and finding your passion, rather than giving, as a first step. Assessing and communicating impact Assessing impact is difficult. Most of it is done: By showcasing stories through various media Through websites, growing use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook Through donor and community events Networks Community foundations in Canada benefit very much from national and international networks, and have very good relations amongst themselves. Examples of successful national and international collaborations: 1. The Transatlantic Community Foundation Network 2. A growing focus in Canada on learning from and with each other about the whole area of Responsible Investing that goes well beyond managing financial investments. Here the collaboration is based on learning. 3. Some local community foundations have active relationships with community foundations in other countries and invite those community foundations to come to Canada and vice versa.
Sources of support for community foundations Support organizations, infrastructure bodies, etc. 1. Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) 2. IMAGINE - a Canadian organization supporting all non-profits 3. Some affinity groups such as Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network 4. Some college and university programs 5. A couple of journals/ trade newspapers Availability of other types of support 1. Technical assistance very available 2. Peer visits and networking support very available 3. Skills training very available 4. Information, knowledge management, and research support very available Advocacy in public policy Vital Signs has identified needs in various communities around housing and homelessness, social inclusion, etc. community foundations and CFC do not so much advocate on their on but see their role as drawing attention to issues and proposing with others that public policy responses are needed. CFC and its members have actively advocated for tax and legislative changes that affect the work of the sector. History of community foundations in Canada 1 Canada s first community foundation, the Winnipeg Foundation, was founded in 1921. Following a period of slow growth through the following decades, the pace picked up in the 1980s-90s and continues today. All major Canadian cities have community foundations the new growth is primarily rural or regional in nature, encompassing an area of multiple communities. Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) is instrumental in coaching new community foundations, promoting the concept, and building visibility, but it does not proactively begin community foundations. Today community foundations begin for different reasons than in the past. In earlier days professionals such as bankers and lawyers played a leading role in community foundation formation as a way to serve their clients. Today, while these are still important players, the impetus for start-up often comes from the grassroots: a community in distress, a community that has some new money, for example assets from the sale of public utilities, or community leaders who have observed community foundation success in neighboring communities and want to replicate that success for their community. In the early stages the emphasis tends to be on community building rather than on endowment building. Current situation Recent community foundation development in Canada has emphasized regional approaches. Neighboring communities are establishing community funds within an established community foundation. In British Columbia there are efforts to support and encourage regional approaches so that a group of smaller 1 2008 Community Foundation Global Status Report. Researched and written by Eleanor W. Sacks. Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support. (Updated by Ms. Monica Patten, CFC President and CEO, for the 2010 GSR)
communities can come together to form one community foundation and share operating and overhead expenses. The growth of the last few years has been wonderful, but will slow down, partly because of the new emphasis on partnering with existing community foundations. The goal is to ensure that all Canadians are served by a community foundation, recognizing that this means that not all Canadian communities will have their own community foundation. Canada s community foundations are deeply involved in international exchanges, some formally through the Transatlantic Community Foundation Network (TCFN) and some less formally. CFC and its members have developed a range of resources to assist in grantmaking, fund development, and community leadership. Most interesting developments recently are: the participation of community foundations in Vital Signs - an annual community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our cities; continued focus on social justice granting which involves resource materials for all community foundations, particularly with regard to poverty reduction; a strong focus on environmental philanthropy; and an increased awareness of the leadership role community foundations play. Of special interest this year is a movement-wide exercise in branding. CFC and its members are developing new ways to raise the profile of community philanthropy and its role in building strong communities. In 2009, combined assets of Canadian community foundations reached US$2.78 billion.
Support Organization: Community Foundations of Canada History and purpose 2 Community Foundations of Canada is the only support organization for community foundations in Canada and was founded in 1992. Our Mission To build stronger communities by enhancing the philanthropic leadership of community foundations Our Strategic Goals To support established and developing community foundations in their endowment building and donor services, grantmaking and community leadership, and as accountable stewards of community assets To promote and advance philanthropy and community foundations To model philanthropic leadership in Canada and internationally Structure and organization CFC is a membership association solely for Canadian community foundations, although it devotes a significant amount of energy and staff time into working with emerging community foundations. It is governed by a board of directors that is drawn largely from community foundation staff and volunteers across the country. To view CFC s board list, go to: http://www.cfcfcc.ca/who_we_are/board_directors.cfm CFC s core staff is located in Canada s capital, Ottawa, with additional senior staff and a group of Regional Coordinators, who assist in the delivery of services to community foundations, located in various parts of the country. CFC s work is also supported by several key consultants located across Canada. To see the staff list, go to: http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/who_we_are/staff.cfm CFC s main sources of income are member dues/fees for service and private foundations (core funding and projects). Project funding has come from various government departments at different stages in its life, and CFC has also secured smaller amounts of corporate funding, usually attached to events (for example sponsorship of national conference, regional meetings). A list of funders is in the most recent Annual Report: http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/who_we_are/annual_report.cfm Recent accomplishments Launch of the national Vital Signs initiative in 2006 with 5 participating community foundations, grown to 11 in 2007 and 16 in 2008, same in 2009. Growth of Supporting Your Communities a collaboration between CFC s network of community foundations and BMO Financial Group, a major Canadian financial institution, to create more opportunities for donors to make charitable contributions CFC and The Calgary Foundation hosted a leadership event, Looking Down the Road: Leadership for Canada's Changing Communities in October 2006 to help deepen understanding of the forces 2 Ibid.
shaping our communities and the kinds of leadership that will guide our movement. To broaden the conversation beyond the foundation movement discussion papers were produced and all of the recommendations arising from the Dialogue have been addressed. Most importantly was the recommendation that community foundations begin to look at how their assets are used, including through mechanisms of mission investing. 36 community foundations are participating in the Community Foundations and the Environment program which attracts environmental endowment funds and convenes local organizations and individuals concerned about environmental issues Support of a national Youth in Philanthropy program Launch of branding initiative for community foundations Launch of Building Community Vitality - a website on community leadership Continued leadership in initiatives such as social justice granting, including the development of a toolkit resource, focusing on poverty reduction Leadership in CFC s professional development program known as CF-LINKS, which offers peer gathering opportunities, regional meetings, training workshops and teleconferences, plus several peer listservs Preparing to host CFC Conference 2011 A World of Opportunity, May 12-14 in Vancouver an international conference for community foundations Producing CFC s Members Guide and 2009 Statistics; 2008 Compensation and Hiring Practices Survey; and updating CFC s numerous Resource Manuals and Tips and Tools. Current challenges/future developments CFC, like any strong network, faces several challenges. Serving a membership that is diverse in its needs and experience; managing internal and external expectations; keeping current in a rapidly changing environment which includes significant demographic shifts and managing its own financial security are among them. In a sense they are mirrored by the issues CFC s members face: rapidly changing communities, considering how the significant assets of a financial and non financial nature (such as community knowledge) can be offered effectively to local communities; working collaboratively with all sectors, managing sustainability and figuring out how to tackle increasingly complex issues and expectations. Earlier in the report several examples of ideas for the future have been offered: Vital Signs, collaborative and regional activity among community foundations, and environmental philanthropy are just three. Additional resources CFC Bookstore - http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/bookstore/index.cfm Youth in Philanthropy website - http://www.yipcanada.org Vital Signs - http://www.vitalsignscanada.ca/index-e.html Correspondent: Monica Patten, President and CEO, Community Foundations of Canada