Quality Of Life Granting Program
About Quality of Life Grants
The Foundation is interested in funding projects and on-going work in seven areas of focus.
Family and Community
Funding for projects, or ongoing work, that creates caring, safe and supportive environments for healthy social development and healthy families.
Education
Funding for projects, or on-going work, that enhances the quality and accessibility of lifelong learning and educational opportunities for all ages.
Human Development
Funding for projects, or ongoing work, that delivers programs for a particular demographic group defined by age, gender, race, disability, or income.
Health
Funding for projects, or on-going work, that promotes and advances the physical and mental well-being of individuals and families
Arts and Culture
Funding for projects, or on-going work, that fosters and supports the growth and preservation of arts and cultural activities
Environment
Funding for projects, or on-going work, that supports and encourages appreciation of the environment, or resolution to, and prevention of, environmental and wildlife issues.
Research, Strategy, and Capacity Building
Funding for projects, or on-going work, that establishes foundations for community service, develops or enhances organizational strategy, or builds capacity in our community.
Note: To meet federal regulations, the foundation considers applications from registered charities and qualified donees, as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency. A registered not for profit organization is not necessarily a registered charity. Questions about registered charity status can be answered by the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-267-2384 or www.cra-arc.gc.ca
Granting Policy
Building community capacity is a concept based on the belief that within any community there are individuals, groups and organizations with the abilities, skills and resources to respond creatively and effectively to local problems and challenges. It means looking at community as a place with many skills, talents and others assets to be nurtured and mobilized, rather than a place needing services to fix all its problems. The Saskatoon Community Foundation builds capacity with grants that strengthen charities, the charitable sector and the community.
Investment income from the unrestricted portion of the foundation’s endowment is allocated through the Quality of Life Granting Program based on the following principles:
- The foundation’s Quality of Life Granting Program must encompass its Vision Statement, Mission Statement, and Guiding Principles.
- The foundation’s Quality of Life Granting Program encourages the charitable sector to engage in activities, which strengthen its ability to serve the community.
- The foundation’s Quality of Life Granting Program empowers charities and people, while recognizing diversity within the community.
- The foundation strives to be knowledgeable about the Saskatoon community by listening to the community to identify areas of high priority and the changing nature of the community.
- The foundation believes accountability should provide incentives to encourage excellence rather than simply encouraging caution and mediocrity.
- The foundation fulfills federal regulations for community foundation by awarding grants to registered charities and qualified donees as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency.
Saskatoon Community Foundation Quality of Life Grants will:
- provide funds for activities with demonstrated benefits to Saskatoon;
- respond to community issues by awarding grants across seven fields of interest (Arts and Culture, Community, Education, Environment, Health, Human Development, and Research);
- focus on development of a healthy, sustainable community by strengthening a charity, the charitable sector, or the community;
- strengthen charities through funding activities such as strategic planning; training of staff and volunteers; developing tools like databases and volunteer manuals; updating equipment; research or evaluation; and partnering with other charities, for-profit businesses, governments and others;
- go beyond one-time project-based funding to consider requests for operating funding or multi-year funding to strengthen charities that have a business plan for sustainability;
- understand the importance of funding successful ongoing programs, in addition to new, innovative activities;
- allocate funds for capital campaigns in selected cases when the impact will be larger than the amount granted (i.e. leverage other funding);
- recognize that partnership development and evaluation require resources, both human and financial;
- make available grants of varying sizes (generally $5,000 to $10,000) with careful consideration of the impact of the amount awarded;
- involve a diversity of community volunteers, Board and non-Board members, in the grant application review process;
- rarely provide funding to the same program for longer than three years in succession;
- require grant recipients to provide public recognition about their grant and submit a final report as conditions of funding;
- request that grants be returned, if the recipient spends the funds in a different manner than approved or does not spend the money within a reasonable period of time;
- inform charities about granting requirements and decisions in an open, ethical manner.
Preference will be given to projects that:
- Encourage development of a healthy, sustainable community by strengthening a charity, the charitable sector or the community
- Empower people
- Are respectful of program users, recognize their expertise, and involve their input
- Involve community partnerships
- Mobilize financial resources by involving such funding strategies as leveraging and partnering
- Strive to be inclusive of the community’s diversity
- Avoid duplicating similar services
- Set measurable objectives, which will be evaluated
- Use what’s learned from projects to enhance future efforts
- Plan for future funding needs
The foundation does not award grants:
- to cover deficits
- in response to annual fund raising
- to retire debt
- retroactively to projects that have already taken place
- for sectarian, religious or political purposes
- to endowment funds
- to organizations that are totally government funded
- to individuals
- for marketing type sponsorships (i.e. sporting events, conferences)
Go to our contact us page to have a representative of The Foundation contact you about the Quality of Life Granting Program.
