Giving

Community Fund

Support the Community Fund

Join us in creating a vibrant, diverse and inclusive Hamilton by contributing to our Community Fund, Hamilton’s community endowment.  This fund allows us to tackle Hamilton’s most pressing issues now and into the future. The Community Fund supports a variety of initiatives including ABACUS and the Pandemic Response Fund.

The Pandemic Response Fund (PRF) addresses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund supports organizations throughout Hamilton that serve high need, vulnerable people and families, including those experiencing homelessness and poverty, isolated seniors, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities. The PRF follows a three-phased approach to response: meeting basic needs, stabilization, and recovery and rebuilding.

ABACUS is a catalyst for educational transformation that aims to increase the likelihood of young Hamiltonians completing high school and going on to post-secondary education. We do this by focusing on improving the academic, community and environmental factors that most directly affect students’ likelihood of continuing their education. This increased focus on education is a natural evolution of our poverty reduction work, and a role our community has told us is tailor-made for HCF.  You can read more about ABACUS and see our research.

Within the Community Fund you also have the opportunity to support the Arts Endowment Fund and the Environment Endowment Fund. These funds support specific areas in the community, and like the Community Fund, address the most pressing issues in their area of focus.

The focus of the Arts Endowment Fund is to help ensure a strong, vibrant and sustainable arts sector in Hamilton. It does this by making grants that support community art and access, capacity building and sustainability, as well as social innovation and economic development.

The Environment Endowment Fund supports a wide range of initiatives and organizations that are important to Hamilton’s environmental well-being. The focus of grants could be on conserving our natural environment, supporting new technology and a green economy, initiatives related to air, water and food supply, education and citizen engagement and building capacity of the local environment sector.

The Community Fund is a way for all citizens of Hamilton to make a difference through their charitable giving.  Read about how one couple view the Community Fund as an important part of their giving strategy here

For more information on how to donate to the Community Fund, or to learn about exciting opportunities to have your donations to the arts or environment fund matched, contact a member of our Philanthropic Services team.