Waterloo Region Community Foundation: Focused on Doing More Good3 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutesAround the Region shares the work of community partners. For October 2022, learn how Waterloo Region Community Foundation is collaborating with individuals and organizations to seize opportunities to meet current and future needs in our community.
Written by: Lynne Short, Vice President, Waterloo Region Community Foundation
On July 1, 2022, Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation (CNDCF) and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation (KWCF) unified to become Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF).
Then, on September 13, 2022, the Board of Directors of WRCF announced the appointment of Eric Avner as the inaugural President & CEO of Waterloo Region Community Foundation “to integrate the organizations effectively, and also to set an engaging, energizing and equity-based path for the future”. (Lori Payne, Board Chair, Waterloo Region Community Foundation)
“I’m excited to continue building on the work that has already been done by amplifying more voices, maximizing more resources and co-creating more solutions particularly in the areas of focus identified by WRCF’s Board including affordable housing and equity. Collaboratively, we’ll explore the role of our community foundation in these rapidly changing times.” (Eric Avner, President & CEO, Waterloo Region Community Foundation)
It’s about Doing More Good
By connecting regionally and locally, working with the three cities and four townships – WRCF includes the people and places across our region, using a trust-based approach, to work together to tackle issues that matter today and in the future.
At the heart of our work, WRCF has three great tools in our toolkit to make measurable impact – Granting, Impact Investing and Convening. And, we are focused on making philanthropy easy for individuals and companies to support organizations and causes they care about.
In partnership with our Fundholders and Donors, we Grant. When you donate to WRCF, we invest that gift into a permanent endowment fund which generates income that is then distributed to support a broad range of charitable causes within our community. In 2021, through CNDCF and KWCF, we provided grants of over $5.2 Million to local charities and non-profits. Since inception in 1984, we’ve granted over $67 Million across Waterloo Region.
We also participate through Impact Investing. A portion of our assets are used to make investments in organizations that are specifically focused on making social and/or environmental impact. Our remaining assets are invested in the market and we are in the process of transitioning to an overall 100% mission-aligned portfolio. As of December 31, 2021, we had over $6 Million committed to impact investments.
And, we Convene conversations across the community, bringing people together to amplify voices, share knowledge and discuss issues that matter, which hopefully leads people towards action. This includes supporting research led by others, or research we initiate to bring data forward to help spur conversation and generate ideas. Recently, we published the 2021 Vital Signs Report that focused on Affordable Housing, and in 2022 created an Engagement Toolkit to assist others in engaging those with lived experience in designing affordable housing. Both can be accessed and downloaded here, along with other reports we’ve recently published.
Want to get involved? It’s easy
- Organizations interested in applying to WRCF for funding through a grant or impact investment, can visit our website anytime to see what funding options are available.
- Individuals or organizations that want to set up a fund, or donate to WRCF to support the work we do across the region, can visit the Giving section of our website – or contact dan@wrcf.ca.
To learn more, visit www.wrcf.ca .