The Oak Tree 10 Finale was on January 29 and it saw an incredible 200+ community members and supporters all coming together to celebrate Oaktree’s 10th anniversary and award Wyndham House as the finalist winner. This year’s applications were focused on building stronger and more resilient charities in Guelph-Wellington, with the goal of small but meaningful supports that would strengthen the organization’s capacity in the face of growing challenges. This year saw a record number of applications and resulted in five incredible finalists.
Congratulations to the 5 Finalists, who had $60,000 in donations distributed amongst them.
- Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington
- Guelph Humane Society
- Learning Disabilities Association of Wellington County – Reading Rocks
- Skov Park Neighbourhood Group
- Wyndham House – the OakTree 10 Winner!
While Wyndham House received the largest gift, the new scoring system distributed funds proportionate to each finalist’s total score across the initial application, follow up interview, and votes received at the finale. Plus, more than 20 additional applying charities received a donation for participating!
A group photo from the event, including representatives from OakTree and Richardson Wealth Team, the United Way GWD and the Guelph Community Foundation
The Grand Finale is almost here!
Join us for this free event on Thursday, Jan. 29, 7pm, at Cutten Fields, and hear from the Oaktree non-profit applicants. Feel inspired and vote on which pitch is your pick to win. The grand prize pool of over $50,000 will be split between the 5 finalist charities. Donations to the prize pool will be welcomed. We can’t wait to get together and connect with the amazing nonprofit organizations in this community!
What is Oak Tree?
The Oak Tree Project’s Oak Tree 10 is here. This is the 10th anniversary edition of this incredible Guelph-Wellington charitable initiative, and you won’t want to miss its Grand Finale!
As a community giving program supporting local charities, this year’s program focuses on capacity building by offering practical support to help charities do more with what they already have. Local nonprofits were invited to submit proposals for upgrades that make their work easier, more sustainable, or more connected. Whether it’s a new tool, a better process, or a strategic collaboration, Oak Tree 10 is designed to support meaningful improvements without requiring the creation of new projects.
- Simplified Application Process: Just a few straightforward questions.
- Guaranteed Support for Finalists: Each of the five selected finalists will receive a share of $50,000+ in funding with a $2,500 base prize.
- Free Learning Lab: All charities in Guelph-Wellington are invited to participate in a three-part virtual workshop series on mental health, team resilience, and AI tools—no application required.
The Guelph Community Foundation proudly supports the Charitable Administration for the Oak Tree Project.
New this year! The Oak Tree Learning Lab
Whether you applied to Oak Tree or not, all charities in Guelph-Wellington were invited to join the Oak Tree Learning Lab, a free professional development series designed to help you work smarter, not harder. Session facilitation and training brought to you by Four Simple Words.
This three-part virtual workshop series helped strengthen organizations by exploring two essential themes: building your team’s mental health and resilience, and embracing AI tools with confidence. The dates of this series were as follows:
- October 15, 10-11m – Setting the Stage – Why mental health and AI matter for your team
- October 22, 10-11am – Mental Health & Team Resilience – Practical tools from Compass Community Services
- October 29, 10-11am – AI Made Simple – Streamline your work without the overwhelm
All sessions are virtual, recorded for registrants who can’t attend live, and designed for real people doing real work in today’s challenging charity environment.