Driving positive change by connecting diverse people, ideas and resources.

Driving positive change by connecting diverse people, ideas and resources.

News and events

More than $800,000 in grants distributed to community

More than $800,000 in grants distributed to community

More than $800,000 in grants distributed to community Hamilton Community Foundation recently made 64 grants totalling $811,411 to charitable and non-profit organizations in Hamilton. The funding supports a wide variety of programming including access to nature, safe spaces for LGBTQ+…

Vital Signs: Climate action in Hamilton

Vital Signs: Climate action in Hamilton

Michael Parente13 Dec 2024

Vital Signs: Climate action in Hamilton Climate change and environmental degradation can seem like they happen at a macro level, far removed from our everyday lives. However, their effects are felt locally by communities and individuals in very real ways…

Working together to support affordable housing in Hamilton

Working together to support affordable housing in Hamilton

Yulena Wan20 Nov 2024

Working together to support affordable housing in Hamilton The following remarks were delivered by Yulena Wan, Vice President, Finance & Operations, to the City of Hamilton General Issues Committee on November 20, 2024. Good morning, Thank you for the opportunity…

Vital Signs TV: Saving lives and fighting stigma

Vital Signs TV: Saving lives and fighting stigma

Michael Parente18 Nov 2024

Vital Signs TV: Saving lives and fighting stigma There’s no way around the fact that supervised consumption sites and safe drug spaces are contentious in communities. However, they are, by all accounts, life-saving. This past summer, the provincial government ordered…

Celebrating philanthropy includes recognizing injustice

Celebrating philanthropy includes recognizing injustice

Andrea Buttars15 Nov 2024

Celebrating philanthropy includes recognizing injustice Today is National Philanthropy Day, a day to recognize all the ways we love and care for each other and our world. The roots of the word philanthropy mean “love of humankind” — a message…

A Foundation for the Future: 2024 Annual Report

Read some inspiring grant and donor stories, our financial highlights and meet HCF staff members along the way! View the full report here.

Creating a vibrant, diverse and inclusive Hamilton

SCAFFOLD is a $50 million commitment to affordable housing that brings together resources based on research, consultation and the advice of policy experts.

The Community Fund — HCF’s original fund — is the fuel for responding to Hamilton’s most pressing needs and our leadership initiatives which address pervasive issues.

ABACUS focuses on the transitions to and through the middle-school years to increase the likelihood that young Hamiltonians graduate high school and access post-secondary opportunities.


Hamilton Community Foundation land acknowledgement

The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Today, the City of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners and caretakers.

Actions

HCF has approved a draft Declaration of Action to contribute and implement its response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, as well as to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. We are also undertaking board and staff education to deepen our knowledge and understanding of colonialism’s history and ongoing impact. 

Read about our Impact

Salad days

Healthcare providers at Compass Community Health have been writing a different kind of prescription since 2022. A recent grant fro…

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Aging naturally

The benefits of being out in nature are well documented — lower blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease and better mental he…

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All the right moves

Three things often prevent those experiencing intimate partner violence from transitioning to a better, safer life: logistics, cos…

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ABACUS: Creating a generational impact

In 2015, Hamilton Community Foundation launched ABACUS, a commitment to increase the likelihood that young people facing multiple …

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Co-ordinating efforts to support housing

When the City of Hamilton recently announced $8.2 million in funding to local non-profits to build more than 800 affordable housin…

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Supporting the greater good

While the generosity of donors over the decades supports all our work, the Community Fund — HCF’s original fund — is the fue…

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Building for community

Trinity Lutheran Church’s gift helps address affordable housing in Hamilton This is a story about honouring the past. And buildi…

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Home for good

Program helps urban Indigenous tenants maintain their housing for the long term It’s one thing to have housing. It’s another t…

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