Announcing the Power of Us Micrograntees
WHAT WE DO
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Home to 960+ community-minded philanthropists
As the city’s community foundation, we exist to create a more fair and just society where everyone can thrive. Together with our fundholders we granted $33.1M in our 2022 fiscal period to organizations in Toronto and across Canada. We are committed to listening, learning and working in partnership with community organizations and we invite our fundholders to join us in addressing long-standing and worsening inequalities.
For over 100 years community foundations have been pooling donations of local philanthropists to create permanent endowment funds for the cities they love. The net investment return on the value of the original donation is then available to provide grants to charitable organizations every year in perpetuity.
Donors partner with us for the strategic investment and administrative services we offer, as well as our community insights. Toronto Foundation also offers shorter-term funds so donors can augment their granting levels by flowing charitable gifts through the Foundation directly to registered charities.
To learn more about our staff, board, policies, etc., visit our About Us section.
We work in two ways
1. DISBURSING GRANTS & IMPACT INVESTMEntS
Fundholders make their own grants
Individuals, groups, and organizations can easily set up donor advised funds and make grants to the charities they care about by leveraging our services and tools. Those include donor education opportunities, back-end administration and reporting, and advice to increase the impact of fundholder giving.
Toronto Foundation runs granting programs and makes impact investments
Some donors prefer to leave the decision-making to us. Using the smaller amount of discretionary dollars available to us, we make grants and impact investments that address persistent inequalities and seize timely opportunities. To guide our decision-making, we use the Toronto’s Vital Signs report, an equity lens and feedback of from nonprofit leaders.
Donors can support our discretionary grants by contributing their funds to the Vital Toronto Fund or the Vital Impact Investment Fund.
2. DONOR LEARNING JOURNEYS
We can help you make informed decisions to maximize the impact of your giving by offering learning events and tools on equitable granting, research and insights, as well as opportunities to connect with peers and community leaders.
We are guided by
OUR PURPOSE
To create a more fair and just society where everyone can thrive by mobilizing those with resources and the will to partner with others.
Toronto Foundation also recognizes the role of philanthropy in perpetuating discrimination and oppression, and our organization’s responsibility to address our inherent biases and strive for greater equality. Read more about our commitment to equity.
Toronto Foundation is a proud member of Community Foundations of Canada, the national membership organization for more than 191 Community Foundations across Canada.
We're a proud signatory of the Declaration of Action. Learn more about our work with local Indigenous organizations.
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Read our annual reports, financial statements, and learn about our staff, board, and policies.
Read the stories to learn more about community organizations doing important work and what our fundholders are up to.
See our research on issues in Toronto and high-impact community organizations focused on creating solutions.
THE CONNECTION E-NEWSLETTER
Read the latest news, stories and insights on the city's needs and opportunities; organizations working on solutions; and how to get involved with your philanthropy.