Poverty Reduction Key to Canada’s Economic Recovery

Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000. Jacquie Maund is the Coordinator for the Ontario Campaign 2000.


Canada’s economic recovery hinges on federal leadership to pull recession victims out of the poor house and prevent Canadians from plunging into deeper poverty, hunger and homelessness, says Campaign 2000’s new report card on child and family poverty.

Keep the Promise: Make Canada Poverty-Free looks at the nation’s most recent child and family after-tax poverty rate compared to 20 years ago, when Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty by 2000, and finds today’s after-tax rate is 9.5 per cent, a slight budge from 11.9 per cent in 1989.

“If Canada were a student, she would be in danger of dropping out,” says Campaign 2000’s Laurel Rothman. “Following an unprecedented period of growth since 1998, the small change in the rate of child and family poverty is shocking.

“As Canada develops strategies to foster economic growth and recovery, the most strategic decision the federal government could make would be to take leadership and set a target to lower the poverty rate.”

The report card’s key findings, available at www.campaign2000.ca, show Canada has far to go to prevent and reduce poverty:

·         One in 10 children still live in poverty in Canada today. It’s worse for children living in First Nation’s communities: one in four grow up in poverty;

• There are more working poor: 40 per cent of low-income children live in families where at least one parent works full-time year round, up dramatically from 33 per cent in the 1990s;
• Child poverty is persistent across Canada: rates of child and family poverty (LICO before-tax) are in the double digits in most provinces.
• The gap between rich and poor has widened:  On average, for every dollar the families in the poorest 10 per cent had, families in the richest 10 per cent had almost 12 times as much ($11.84) in 2007.

“Canada could succeed if our federal government used public policy resources to improve labour market options and make our tax system more progressive,” says Ed Broadbent, the former New Democratic Party leader who moved the 1989 motion to end child poverty by the year 2000.

“All Canadians will benefit from less poverty,” says Peggy Taillon, President of the Canadian Council on Social Development. “As a society we either share the collective responsibility to prevent child and family poverty or we face rising costs in health care services, criminal justice and education.”

“Now that seven out of 10 provinces have committed to poverty reduction, it’s time for the federal government to exercise leadership and develop a clear plan with targets and timetables,” says Sid Frankel, Social Planning Council of Winnipeg.

Making Guelph a better place

Jim Reid recently joined the Guelph Community Foundation as a volunteer. This piece was published in the Nov 13, 2009 edition of the Guelph Tribune.

Is Guelph “the most caring community in Canada”? Last year Maclean’s magazine gave our city this honour because we have more community volunteers per capita than any other city in the country.

I was surprised by this news, and then thankful that I live in a community where volunteers, churches, foundations and unsung heroes work to make Guelph a better place. 
 
Guelph Community Foundation is one of these groups. Since its inception in 2000, the foundation has directed $1.3 million to community organizations that are working to make Guelph a better place to live. The foundation’s current assets are $6.4 million.

The Tribune reported in August that the foundation helped out to the tune of $127,000 in 2009. The Guelph Community Foundation provided these grants to 47 local charitable organizations in our city and Wellington County. The grants ranged from $500 to $40,961. The foundation also awarded an additional $50,000 as part of its Building Vital Communities, and poverty-related grants in September.

The Guelph Community Foundation is one of many community foundations across Canada that disburse hundreds of millions of dollars to worthy causes in the communities they serve.

The advantage of a community foundation is that it centralizes the administration, management, awarding and receipting of multiple grants from multiple donors to multiple recipients. The foundation’s board of directors in each community is drawn from community leaders and volunteers. The grants committee of the Guelph Community Foundation reviews and recommends the awarding of local grants. The grants are primarily awarded in these general categories: Arts and Culture, Children and Youth, Education, Environment, Health, Social Services, and Research and Development.

Guelph Community Foundation grants this year have helped out familiar groups such as Wyndham House and the Guelph Humane Society. They also assisted environmental organizations such as the Guelph Field Naturalists and the Grand River Conservation Foundation. The foundation placed grants from anonymous donors with the charity of their choice.

The Guelph Community Foundation also regularly circulates an online Vital Signs questionnaire to hundreds of Guelph and Wellington residents. The questions concern approximately 11 local issues such as poverty, education, crime and health.

The answers are collated into a report card format to provide a snapshot of the quality of life in Guelph, and the areas for improvement.

In conjunction with other charitable organizations, the foundation works toward making Guelph a better place over the course of the next year.

Late last month, the Canadian government declared Nov. 15 to be National Philanthropy Day. Locally, philanthropy means giving to make Guelph and Wellington a better place.

The Philanthropy Day celebration falls on Sunday this weekend. Wherever you are this Sunday, whether with friends, family or with someone you are helping through a difficult time, it may be a good day to be thankful.

Thankful that we live in Guelph, one of many caring communities in Canada.

Charitable donations dropped 5.3% in 2008: StatsCan

The Canadian Press

Reported charitable donations surpassed $8.1 billion in 2008, down 5.3% from 2007. But Statistics Canada says, based on tax returns, the number of donors increased 1.7% to just under 5.8 million.


The agency says the median donation was $250 in 2008, meaning half of the donors gave more and half less -- unchanged from 2007.


Donors in Nunavut reported a median donation of $500, tops in the nation for the ninth straight year.

Donors in Prince Edward Island had the second highest median at $370, followed by those in Alberta with $360.

Donors in Abbotsford-Mission, B.C., had by far the highest median donation among cities at $600, the sixth straight year they have led the way.

Kelowna, B.C., followed with a median of $380, slightly ahead of Calgary with $360.

Community foundations launch toolkit to encourage advisors to ‘Ask the Giving Question’

OTTAWA (Nov. 12, 2009) – As National Philanthropy Day approaches on November 15, Community Foundations of Canada is launching an online toolkit to encourage financial, investment and legal advisors to ‘ask the giving question’ in their discussions with clients over the coming year.

“We know that 21% of Canadians account for 82% of the donations to charity in this country,” said Monica Patten, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. “We also know individuals are three times more likely to include charity in their will when the issue is raised by a lawyer, accountant or an investment or financial advisor. We developed this toolkit to share our experience with advisors, in the hopes that it can lead to more giving.”

“Many advisors are eager to start discussing philanthropy with their clients, but it can feel like a daunting exercise when you’re not an expert, said Mathieu Paradis, Certified Financial Planner, Wealth Strategies, Investment and Financial Planning. “This new toolkit provides an easy way for advisors to access the information they need to get started.”

Professional Advisors eResource
The online toolkit, called Professional Advisors eResource, offers advisors a wide range of basic and more technical information about charitable giving including:

•    Adding giving to your practice
•    Talking about charitable giving
•    Detailed information on six common gift options
•    Handouts that advisors can personalize and to share with clients
•    Donor stories that illustrate how giving can be used to help clients meet their financial and personal goals

The toolkit can be found at http://www.cfc-fcc.ca/pa-eresource/. Advisors can also sign up for the site’s RSS feed to keep up to date on the latest news about charitable giving.

Vital Signs determines key priorities in Waterloo Region

CFC's Vital Signs Canada blog is featuring guest bloggers who are experts on various aspects of community vitality. Today's contributor is Rosemary Smith, CEO of The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation


 What are the people of Waterloo Region most concerned about?  Where do we need to improve and what are we doing well?  Where should we, as a community, devote time and energy if we want to ensure that our Region is a healthy, vital place to live, work, play, and grow?
 
These are some of the questions that The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation (KWCF) in partnership with the Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation attempt to answer with the third Waterloo Region’s Vital Signs report.  Providing us with reliable and valid data, this learning tool has helped us identify key priorities important to the overall health of our Region.

For instance; low literacy and learning findings from the first two reports were behind The KWCF’s decision to make a $100,000 four-year commitment to the Pathways to Education program.  They were also behind this year’s strategic grant of supporting intergenerational family literacy with Project READ’s Get Set Learn 2 program.  In fact, in 2008, the largest grants made by The KWCF’s Community Fund went to support the top four priority areas outlined in the 2007 Vital Signs report: Arts & Culture, Housing, Health & Wellness, and Learning.
 
As community foundations, it is essential that we have a good understanding of the needs and trends of the communities we serve.  Whether it’s connecting donors to opportunities, making impactful grants, or providing leadership on issues of importance, we need to know what makes our community tick.
 
With each Vital Signs report we have gained a better understanding of the every day enjoyment and satisfaction experienced by those living in the Region of Waterloo.  In addition, each report has shown us that many of the quality of life issues being faced by our communities are interrelated.  For example: finding affordable housing can impact the number of people being forced to move further away and therefore effects both transportation and the environment by the number of cars on the road.  Having a vibrant arts community entices people to move to a city and directly impacts the health of the local economy.  Helping those less fortunate can lead to a decrease in health concerns and provide a stronger sense of belonging. 
 
Waterloo Region’s Vital Signs is both a celebration and an important reality check. It provides us with an opportunity to keep an eye on the future. Using Vital Signs as a tool for learning, each year we highlight a few areas on which we think a closer look must be taken.  These areas help us to focus our grant making and support others in the work that they are doing.  This year’s areas included: a lack of spending from our regional, provincial, national, and private sectors in arts and culture, concerns over the fact that many of our residents do not eat the suggested five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, a declining elder poverty rate, that we have fewer child care spaces available for our families and that we lag behind the province with our investment in child care overall.
 
In conclusion, recognizing and understanding all of these connections is vital to everyone living and working in Waterloo Region.  Only by working together do we have the ability to create positive change where it’s needed most. 

Community Foundations exploring responsible investment to leverage assets

OTTAWA (Nov. 2, 2009) – Community Foundations of Canada is today launching www.responsible-investment.ca, the first phase of its new website devoted to sharing its growing collection of Responsible Investment (RI) resources with foundations and other funders.

The website is part of CFC’s Responsible Investing Pilot Project, which is assisting community foundations across the country to: start or advance their journey along the path of mission-based investing; adopt appropriate investment policies and programs; and increase the percentage of their assets that are aligned with their mission.   The pilot project is supported by the U.S.-based Ford Foundation and The Co-operators Group Ltd.

“Responsible Investment offers community foundations and other funders many opportunities to leverage our assets. We’re just beginning our journey but we’re eager to share what we’ve learned to date with others,” said Monica Patten, President and CEO of Community Foundations of Canada (CFC), the membership association for more than 160 community foundations from coast to coast.

Interest in responsible investing (also known as mission-based investing or socially responsible investing) is growing as community foundations consider ways to have an even greater impact on the issues that matter most to their communities.  Community foundations collectively hold more than $2.4 billion in assets and provided $169 million in grants in 2008.

“The market turmoil of the past year has underscored the importance of finding the most effective ways to use foundation assets. Many long-term investors – including foundations – are also re-examining their investment beliefs and philosophies to take into account environmental, social and governance factors,” said Patten.

CFC’s pilot project is guided by an advisory group of experts in the RI field, including Michael Jantzi (Jantzi Research Inc.), Robert Walker (Northwest & Ethical Investments LP ), Peter Chapman, (Shareholder Association for Research and Education), Derek Gent (VanCity Community Foundation), and Tim Draimin, Social Innovation Generation, and Eugene Ellmen (The Social Investment Organization). CFC is also working with other funders such as Philanthropic Foundations of Canada on developing and sharing specific RI resources.
 
"It's important for foundations to invest their assets in a way that respects their work in social responsibility and sustainability," said Eugene Ellmen, Executive Director of the Social Investment Organization. "Donors count on it, and local communities expect it. This new resource is the first step in a long-term process to align the investment and granting of foundation assets."

Community Foundations & Responsible Investment

Although community foundations are relatively new to the field of responsible investing, several foundations have stories to tell about their growing commitment.

Edmonton Community Foundation: The foundation’s $5-million Social Enterprise Fund, launched in partnership with the City of Edmonton and the United Way, is supporting new social enterprises and affordable housing. Its initial loans are all current, returning 5% to 6.5%, or paid in full so the foundation is now adding other financing products to its mix.   

Osprey Community Foundation: Serving the community of Nelson, British Columbia, the Osprey Community Foundation currently has 15% of its capital placed in a Socially Responsible Investment Fund, held by Vancouver Foundation. In addition, all of the foundation’s new donations will be invested in this fund. The foundation says on its home page that its plans to “gradually move all of the foundation’s endowment capital into socially responsible investments.”

Community Foundation of Ottawa: The foundation has established a task force to review their investment policy and incorporate responsible investing.  The foundation is interested in adding ESG factors as well as the potential for community investments. This process will include web-based policy development with a wider group including other community foundations and Canadian RI experts. 

Vancouver Foundation: The largest community foundation in Canada, and one of the oldest, currently has a $12-million Socially Responsible Investment Fund in which donors can opt to place their donation. The foundation is also exploring potential options around community investment funds with economic and social returns. 


Available at www.responsible-investment.ca
CFC’s RI website currently offers visitors an overview of RI approaches and a comprehensive list of RI resources including:
•    Primers on responsible investment
•    Reports on research and trends
•    Information on financial performance and fiduciary issues
•    A directory of consultants and asset managers as well as organizations and websites to follow

This is the first phase of the site’s development and CFC plans to add to it over time.

About Community Foundations
Canada’s 168 community foundations are local charitable foundations that help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work, and play. They are one of the largest supporters of Canadian charities, providing $169 million to local organizations in 2008. Find out more at www.cfc-fcc.ca.