Donor Stories

Build Your Community, Build Your Resume is an interactive High School Student assembly that demonstrates how youth can make a difference in their community while gaining valuable workplace experiences. This project, a recipient of a $5,000 Community Grant in 2012, addresses volunteer needs and emerging employment opportunities in our community. Over the past year, the Career…

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,…

The Child Witness Centre provides support, education and advocacy for children and youth who are or may become victims or witnesses of abuse or crime. In 2020 Child Witness Centre got a golden retriever dog named Monet to work with their clients. While ideally Monet could be present with every client, this is just not…

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…

The Community Services Recovery Fund is open for applications between January 06 – February 21, 2023 for community service organizations. The Community Services Recovery Fund is a $400 million investment from the Government of Canada to support charities and non-profits as they focus on how to adapt their organizations for pandemic recovery.

Next up in our #GCFGrantStories series is Community Grant recipient Guelph Neighbourhood Support Coalition (GNSC), which received funding for its Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program. 100% of the received funds went towards books for local children 0 to five years old. For $45 per child per year, each child received a high-quality, age-appropriate book in…

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…

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,…

Last fall the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival brought together readers, writers, and families for a three day celebration of Canadian literature. Attendance reached 1,797 people, including more than 1,000 on Sunday, marking a 55% increase from the previous year! The 2025 festival featured 51 Canadian authors, expanded children’s programming, and a marketplace with over 40…

The first #GCFGrantStories of the year comes from Community Grant recipient The Elliott Community , who received funding for their ‘In Tune’ Ukulele – Music Therapy for Seniors program. This popular music program was designed for local seniors at risk of social isolation during the COVID pandemic. The program helped these seniors gain social connections…

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…

Today in our #GCFGrantStories series is Community Grant recipient Elora Centre for the Arts (ECFTA), which received funding for The Nest! Community Outreach Program. The Nest! is designed to support local youth ages 10+ seeking to re-engage and reconnect with their peers in a safe, creative, and nurturing space. It is an open-flow, gender-diverse space…