Grants Impact

Anishnabeg Outreach received a 2024 Community Grant to support their Guelph Spirit Bundle Program. This is an initiative that offers culturally informed food support, seasonal resources, and community connection for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) families in Guelph. Thanks to this funding, Anishnabeg Outreach was able to expand their program, which provides bi-weekly food…

Silence Guelph received a 2024 Musagetes Fund to support its year round programs and day to day operations. This funding helped the organization continue offering inclusive and accessible arts experiences, and to flourish as a creative gathering space in downtown Guelph! Silence is known for its focus on experimental sound, music, and art. It acts…

Stonehenge Therapeutic Community received a 2024 Community Grant to support the well-being of people living at 10 Shelldale Crescent, an affordable housing community in Guelph for individuals who have faced long-term homelessness, poverty, and addiction. The project aimed to reduce isolation and improve wellness by creating space for movement and connection. Thanks to the grant,…

Art Not Shame (ANS) received a 2024 Musagetes Fund grant during an important time of growth. The grant helped them open a new and fully accessible Community Arts Hub in downtown Guelph and expand their inclusive, creative programs across the region! The Musagetes grant also helped bring vibrant, community-led programs to life. Projects like their…

Congratulations to the 30 Community Grants 2025 Recipients! The Guelph Community Foundation’s board and staff are pleased to announce the Community Grants Program grant recipients for 2025. This year will cheerfully conclude with 30 local charities receiving a total of $145,887.70 in funding! The Community Grants application process takes place each fall, when local charities…

Guelph Arts Council (GAC) received a 2024 Musagetes Fund operational grant to help them achieve their mission of making the arts more accessible for underrepresented communities in Guelph and Wellington County. The project focused on supporting BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ artists and audiences, creating more space for connection, and inclusion in the local arts scene. This…

With support from the Musagetes Fund, the Art Gallery of Guelph (AGG) launched the art exhibition, Entrelazados, by Guatemala-Mexican-American artist Justin Favela in 2024. This was Favela’s first solo show in Canada and it included additional artist and curator led-programing. The exhibition featured Favela’s iconic bright, piñata-style artworks in AGG’s main exhibition space in their first…

Ed Video Media Arts Centre received a 2024 Musagetes Fund Art Grant which provided operational support which helped the organization during a big time of change. As Guelph’s only artist-run media arts centre, Ed Video is an important place where local artists can create, share their work, and connect with others. Thanks to the grant,…

Guelph Dance received a 2024 Musagetes Fund grant to help cover its operating costs for the year. This support allowed the organization to grow its team and continue offering exciting dance programs across the community Guelph and Wellington. Guelph Dance has a small but hardworking team, and runs programs all year with three part-time staff…

The Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition (GNSC), along with the Community Resilience Coalition of Guelph and Wellington (CRC), received a 2024 Community Grant to launch Fostering Resilience Champions, a youth leadership program that helps local young people build life skills and stronger connections in their community. The grant helped create a youth leadership group with ten…

The Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS) received a 2024 Community Grant to launch a free public education project focused on substance use and overdose response. This education project was designed to help address the drug crisis by helping people in Guelph learn how to take action in emergencies and to care for one another with…

The Nightingale Centre received a 2024 Community Grant to support its Through Loss to Compassion Leadership program. This program helps children, teens, and young adults who have lost someone close to them by teaching about grief, offering peer support, and building leadership skills. Thanks to the grant, Nightingale expanded its peer-led approach and updated their…

West Village Community Development Co-operative received a 2024 Community Grant to support their Village Food Hub, a program led by the community that helps families in Guelph’s west end access healthy food and other support services. Located at Westwood Public School, the Food Hub offers weekly food pickups where families can choose the items that…

Living Lakes Canada (LLC) received a their second grant from the Sleeman Better Water Fund to support its work protecting freshwater in Canada. Their approach brings together community science, Indigenous knowledge, and research to help keep Canadian lakes and watersheds healthy, especially as climate change has increased pressure on these fragile ecosystems. As climate-related events…

The YMCA of Three Rivers received a 2024 Community Grant to support their program, Safe Sisters. This is program is a free, weekly drop-in program for girls and female-identifying youth that builds belonging, confidence, and life skills through meaningful conversation, shared meals, and creative activities. The program ran in three locations: The Guelph Y, The…

Quebec based charity, Fondation Rivières, received $35,000 from the Sleeman Better Water Fund in early 2025 to strengthen its work on improving water quality in the Rivière du Nord. Since this time they have been working closely with the mayors of 28 municipalities to reduce wastewater pollution and improve water quality in the river so…

The Guelph Film Festival (GFF) received a 2024 Musagetes Grant to support its annual celebration of documentary film and community dialogue. This funding helped cover operational costs, especially supporting the work of staff who bring the festival’s vision to life. In November 2024, GFF hosted its 27th edition with nine days of screenings, talkbacks, and…

Small Change Fund, in partnership with The Guelph Outdoor School, received a 2024 Community Grant to support their project Next Child in the Woods, an initiative focused on expanding access to green spaces and inclusive outdoor mentorship programs for children and youth in Guelph. This grant helped the program grow to meet the community’s need…

The Elora Centre for the Arts received a 2024 Community Grant to support their Community Connections Through Art program, which offers visual arts education to students with (dis)abilities across schools in Centre Wellington. Led by artist and educator Eileen MacArthur, the program brings inclusive, accessible art sessions directly into classrooms at schools including Elora Public…

United for Literacy received a grant from our 2024 Community Grants program to support their Free Literacy Programming for Guelph and Wellington Children and Youth. This program offers free tutoring and literacy support to children and youth who may not otherwise have access to extra help outside of school. It is part of United for…

Chalmers Community Services Centre received a 2024 Community Grant to support their Café Gatherings, a warm and welcoming program that helps people feel included and connected. This program is more than just a place for locals to grab a snack. Chalmers Community Services Centre offers a friendly space where individuals and families facing food insecurity,…

Easter Seals Ontario’s Equipment Funding Program received a grant from our 2024 Community Grants program to support their work with children and youth in Guelph living with physical disabilities. The Funding Program helps families purchase vital mobility and accessibility equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, ramps, lifts, and specialized seating. These items are often not fully…

Accepting Applications: Monday September 29 – November 3, 2025 On behalf of Sleeman Breweries, the Guelph Community Foundation is proud to be able to administer this grant application process for and distributes funds from the Sleeman Better Water Fund. Sleeman Breweries selects successful applicants and awards funds to those selected. The Sleeman Better Water Fund supports non-profit…

The Guelph Community Foundation and our fundholders are proud to announce our 2025 scholarship and bursary recipients. Eighteen outstanding Guelph and Wellington County graduating students have been recently awarded scholarships and bursaries set up by generous community fundholders to help these local students achieve their academic goals. Many of these scholarships and bursaries support students…