Seventy years ago, Doug Hawkes, Grant MacEwan, and Edward Bredin had the vision of an enduring organization that would address community needs they could not yet see and help people they would never meet. Twenty founding donors established the initial endowment for the Calgary Foundation – paving the way for an organization that would care for generations to come. Thanks to the foresight and generosity of its founders, Calgary Foundation is thrilled to announce that in April of this year the $1 Billionth dollar was granted to the Calgary and area community.
With deep knowledge of the city’s evolving needs and fueled by a permanent endowment, Calgary Foundation invests donations over the long term, allowing generosity to go further. It is the strategic partnerships with Calgary Foundation’s generous fundholders and the city’s effective charitable sector that enable it to address the current and future needs of people in our community.
From small grassroots grants that help people implement small projects in their neighbourhoods to major grants that fuel transformative initiatives for broad community impact, Calgary Foundation supports causes as myriad as the city’s population. Many of the Foundation’s first grants were to local organizations that have adapted and changed over time to address Calgary’s most pressing needs–the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured, and Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association–to name a few.
“Calgary Foundation has been able to grant $1 Billion to community because of the thousands of people over the past seven decades who have stepped up to join us on our journey. It takes visionary philanthropists and a strong charitable sector rallying around important issues to build a thriving community.” – Eva Friesen, President & CEO of Calgary Foundation