The Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF) was formed by the Edmonton Community Foundation Act passed in 1971 and became openly active in 1989. The overall mission of ECF, which can be found on their website states, “…to attract and steward endowment funds and to make strategic investments that enhance quality of life in Edmonton.” ECF’s vision is to be trusted by donors, recognized by charities as a collaborative funder, and acknowledged by community leaders as a place of innovation and investment.
A few of the Edmonton Community Foundation’s values include maintaining relationships with the community which include donors, grantees, volunteers, and staff, as well as integrity, autonomy and independence of others, and community leadership and visionary thinking.
I have recently become involved with ECF as an ambassador/advisory committee member for the Young Edmonton Grants (YEG) Program created by the Foundation. The goal of this program, “…provides local youth with funding to turn their ideas into reality”. Essentially, the program provides funding for projects organized by young Edmonton and area residents (ages 13-24) which range from $500-$3000. The key focus of this program is to foster and demonstrate youth leadership in the organization of these projects. Youth leadership can involve many attributes which include mentorship, confidence, skill development, teamwork, taking initiative, and compassion just to name a few.
It is important to note that in creating a successful application it must be “initiated and organized” by young Edmonton and area residents who create their own projects as this granting program is not intended to provide funding or support to charities or agencies that provide programming or services for youth.
Application deadlines are three times a year, February 15 for funding after April 1, May 15 for funding after July 1, and October 15 for funding after December 1. Applications will be available one month before the deadline. Applicants need to partner with their school or a registered charity to support their applications. Funds, if awarded, will be sent to the partner charity or school. It is important to note that this is a one-time grant, meaning multi-year requests will not be considered. Lastly, all approved grants including the names of the charities/projects will be named in Edmonton Community Foundation’s publications.
If you would like to learn more about the Edmonton Community Foundation as well as this Young Edmonton Grants program, please direct yourself to the following websites where I obtained the information noted above.
Lastly, I would personally like to say that this is a great opportunity for young individuals to create a project they are passionate about and would be a wonderful experience in fostering youth leadership. So to all you young Edmonton and area residents, APPLY!
• https://www.ecfoundation.org/
• https://www.ecfoundation.org/grants/young-edmonton-grants/
