The Perth & District
Community Foundation

Facts about
The Perth & District Community Foundation

We were established in 2001 by a dedicated group of leaders who loved our community.

In 2009 we provided more than $14,000 in grants, bursaries and scholarships to a wide range of local charities. These included the Children’s Aid Society’s Snowsuit Fund, Big Brother Big Sisters of Lanark County, Rideau Valley Conservation Area, Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program, and the first annual Award of Excellence at MERA. Through the Dr. Gord Jackson Fund we supported the Bracelets of Hope Zimbabwe outreach.

Christmas Gala November 27, 2009

We wish extend a sincere thank you to all who participated, sponsored or donated in any way to make our Christmas Gala a great success.

As a result of the generous support of our Corporate Sponsors, donors and the participation of all who attended, we will be able augment our grants and increase our total grants and scholarships to more than $17,000 in 2010. A full listing of Corporate Sponsors is on our website.

Community means so many things to so many people, and the world to us. In all we do and all we say, we are all for community.

We are the Perth and District Community Foundation and community vitality has been our purpose, promise and passion since 2001 when we started connecting donors to community needs and opportunities. Together, we help build strong and resilient places to live, work and play.

Inclusive. Innovative. Forward-looking. Vital. This is our vision for our community.

In our vision, our community is able to include, and offer opportunities to, everyone. It has the knowledge and ability needed to help shape its own future. We are ready to address pressing problems like hunger, the environment and physician recruitment. And all our citizens are able to benefit from the best our community can offer: the arts, recreation, health care, education, safe and inclusive neighborhoods and a healthy environment.

Our community foundation does three key things to build community vitality:

Vitality takes long-term resources for long-term solutions—so we work with donors to build endowment and other funds that ensure vital futures for communities.

Vitality comes from all corners of a community, so we grant funds to the widest possible range of organizations and initiatives.

Vitality needs leadership, so we bring people together from all parts of our communities to stimulate new ideas, build participation and strengthen community philanthropy.

Our Foundation in Action

Ten reasons people choose community foundations.

one
We are a local organization with deep roots in the community, and part of a nationwide movement whose support we build and share.

two
We bring donors to the table as community builders, working closely with them to align their philanthropic vision with the community’s needs.

three
We identify long-term needs and opportunities and invest in solutions that let our communities guide their own future.

four
We take a broad and inclusive view of what a community is, and provide grants to the widest possible range of organizations and initiatives.

five
We provide highly personal and flexible service, accepting a wide variety of assets and offering donors maximum tax advantage.

six
We build permanent funds and those that can respond to immediate needs, helping our communities ensure vital futures.

seven
We multiply the impact of gift dollars by pooling them with other gifts.

eight
We believe that diversity is strength, so we bring the entire community together to stimulate new ideas, build participation and strengthen community philanthropy.

nine
We are transparent and reputable stewards of community resources, committed to being accountable, accessible and responsive.

ten
We build community vitality – the unique and essential spirit that flourishes when people believe their community holds possibilities for everyone.

"Thank you for the generous donation to the Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program. With only a couple of weeks left in the riding season we are writing to tell you about the great year we had and the people who have benefited from your donation. As successful as our community fundraising events are we still would not be able to run the program without support from foundations like yours. Specifically the money received from your grant was used to help decrease our waiting list. We added a session this fall in Perth allowing us to accommodate 15 more riders. Among these riders is a seven-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who was unable to sit up on her own when she started this summer. She was able to continue this fall because of the extra day supported by your grant. She is now much stronger and needs almost no assistance to sit up. Although she is non-verbal her mother says her daughter’s mood always improves when she knows she is going riding.

Another young boy with cerebral palsy was able to fit two lessons in a week at the request of his mother who told us how much her son’s walking improves after riding. Usually we cannot accept riders more than once a week but the extra session allowed us to accommodate this special request. Again thank you very much for your donation this year. It helped to make all of this possible."

Our approach

Many organizations are working for better communities, but a few important factors make our approach stand out:

We bring donors to the table as community builders
We help them formulate and realize their philanthropic goals, matching their interests and concerns with community needs and organizations. We help them find innovative and responsible ways to give their investments lasting impact.

We take the broadest view of what a community is and what it needs to succeed
That’s why our grants support everything from education, sustenance and care for those most in need, to recreation, the arts, and the environment.

We take the long-term view for our communities
We identify long-term needs and opportunities and invest in sustainable solutions, helping our communities become resilient, resourceful, and ready for the future they want.