Community foundations are one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic networks dedicated to building and strengthening communities in Canada. The Campbell River Community Foundation has been serving the Campbell River area since 1997.

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What is a community foundation?

A community foundation is much like a private foundation; its funds, however, are derived from many donors rather than a single source, as is usually the case with private foundations.

Further, community foundations are usually classified under the tax code as public charities and therefore are subject to different rules and regulations than those which govern private foundations.

A community Foundation is a collection of charitable gifts both large and small. These gifts are pooled and invested and the investment income is distributed as grants to local charitable organizations.

The capital is never touched and continues to grow with each new gift, generating income to meet a wide range of community interests and needs for years to come.

Community foundations are registered with Revenue Canada as tax exempt "Public Foundations". They have a duty to account to the community for the use of the funds.

What are the benefits to the community?

Campbell River Community Foundation provides a means of keeping charitable donations within the community and increasing the amount of money available to all types of non-profit organizations. It offers a permanent source of funding because only the investment income of the pool of funds is dispersed.

Campbell River foundation strives to use the income from the funds entrusted to it to serve the interests of Campbell River in the areas of education, health and welfare, culture, environment and parks, youth and seniors. The foundation is governed by a board of respected and dedicated volunteers.

What do community foundations do?

-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.

Canada's 153 community foundations hold combined assets of over $2.3 billion. During 2005, they made over $115 million in grants to support local priorities across the country.