As 2024 winds down, I am pleased to share that ECF is celebrating a major milestone — one that reflects the generosity that has shaped our city into the caring, connected and vibrant place that it is today.
ECF has surpassed $400 million in cumulative grants and scholarships to thousands of charities and students, locally and around the world.
$403 million, to be exact! It’s the culmination of 35 years spent making a difference in our city by acting as a bridge between thoughtful community donors and agencies doing great community work. We have supported every sector from health and human services to arts and the environment. And as the largest non-governmental funder in the capital region, we’ve created a legacy of caring that touches all of us; it’s in the winter coats that warm our most vulnerable; the snacks for children who go to school hungry; the academic scholarships for the next generation of community leaders; and the artistic talents that stir audiences on Gallagher Hill each summer.
As we celebrate this $400 million milestone, we express our profound gratitude to three local families who made major initial investments in our foundation. John and Barbara Poole, George and Rae Poole, and Bob and Shirley Stollery shared a vision. They didn’t invest in ECF because they thought it was the best place to manage their money (though we like to think we have done pretty well!). They invested in ECF because they saw it as way to grow and support philanthropy and community development in our city, not just for Edmontonians in 1989, but for generations to come. They also believed in the power of long-term investments in people, opportunities and organizations. Their early leadership inspired other well-known philanthropists such as Francis and Harriet Winspear, Alison B. Rice and Eldon and Anne Foote to contribute to an organization that was created by Edmontonians and for Edmonton.
While we recognize the generous contributions of these well-known philanthropists, our recent $400 million milestone was also made possible thanks to the support of many everyday Edmontonians, businesses and charities such as:
- Winnie Yiu-Young and other dedicated volunteers with the Anne Burrows Music Foundation who have been supporting Edmonton youth to become world-class musicians for four decades;
- Sisters Liuting, Liuyoon, Liushien, Eleanor and Jacqui Goon, and Siauping Goon Yeung who created the Goonchen Family Fund to honor their parent’s philanthropic example and help support social services needs in Edmonton;
- Tammy and Vaughn Beakhouse, who have committed their time and financial resources to support adult literacy in our city;
- Orval Belcourt, Dr. Herb Belcourt and Georges Brosseau who have invested in educating Métis youth, providing more than $11 million in scholarships to 2,800 students across Alberta over the past 20 years;
- The Edmonton Area Land Trust, which has 30 funds (and growing) to ensure that land acquired for conservation has long-term funding to maintain it; and
- Recent fund founder and board member Sam Narayan, who is using his business and connections to raise funds for a variety of worthy local causes.
This legacy speaks to the very essence of what our foundation believes: our city is at its strongest when we all contribute and grow together. In fact, 50 per cent of ECF’s funds are less than $50,000. ECF’s success is not only because of large philanthropists. It’s also because of Edmontonians like the ones listed above.
We are proud of what we’ve accomplished.
But we’re just getting started.
Over the past year we’ve been speaking with donors, community partners and other community builders to help us reimagine our purpose, vision, mission and values and shape our new brand.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. We are YOUR community foundation.
Together, we truly do thrive.
Tina Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
Edmonton Community Foundation
