Innisfil Community Foundation offers support beyond the cheque
One of our guiding principles here at Innisfil Community Foundation (ICF) is offering support beyond the cheque.
That’s why we decided to bring local charities together for a virtual information sharing event – an opportunity for local leaders to learn, network and do more, together.
Participants included ICF’s Board of Directors, representatives from 15 local charities that have received funding from ICF this year, and MP John Brassard, who attended in a show of support for the hard-working charities that support our community.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit close to home, ICF was just about to launch our inaugural granting stream. We knew we needed to help our community right away, so we set our launch plans aside and quickly established a COVID-19 Relief Fund. Through these grants, ICF was able to inject over $50,000 into the community to help charities though the first weeks and months of the pandemic.
A few months later, we jumped at the chance to partner with the Community Foundations of Canada to deliver the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF). We’re proud to share that ICF has granted $75,000 in ECSF funds to support important projects in Innisfil.
While working with local charities over the past six months, we discovered that, while each organization has its own specialty, they are often working toward similar goals such as health and poverty reduction. Some charities already work hand-in-hand with each other, while others are not as familiar with each other’s work. We thought it was important to take a moment and learn from each other – especially because of the impact that COVID-19 has had on the charitable sector. Resources are limited these days and collaboration is more important now than ever before.
We are grateful to everyone who took the time out of their busy day to take part in this information session. Thank you for opening up to share about your organizations and the new pressures your clients are facing as a result of COVID-19. We hope that everyone left the session feeling as inspired as we are by the incredible work being done by charities in our community, and that a few new connections have been created to help you move your missions forward.
ICF is participating in Round 2 of the ECSF, with an additional $50,000 available for our community. Applications are open until Friday, October 30. Click here to learn more or apply today!