Donor Stories

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…

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…

In 2011, the United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin, the City of Guelph, and the Guelph Community Foundation teamed up to provide partial tuition scholarships for Conestoga College’s Certificate in Senior Leadership and Management in the Not-for-Profit Sector.  Due to the success of the program, it was repeated in 2012. This program provides learners with increased knowledge, skills, and attitudes…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

Good things have been growing this year as the West Village Community Development Co-operative Inc.’s community garden was able to expand with 20 additional garden plots. This means in total garden has 34 plots, each 10×20′, where families can use to grow their plants and their community ties. The number of families in the 2021…

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…

With a grant given through our Musagetes grant program, The Guelph Black Heritage Society has been creating a historical video series, Change Starts Now: Our Stories. Our History. Our Heritage. This project features five short videos that highlight the stories, struggles and triumphs of Black community members from the 1800s and early 1900s. The drive…

For the final story in our 2023 #GCFGrantStories series, we spotlight Community Grant recipient Wyndham House, which received funding for its Youth Transportation Program. 100% of the youth Wyndham House serves live in poverty, are mainly isolated, and cannot afford day-to-day transportation. Their needs continue to grow substantially, so staff buy an additional 100+ bus…