Author: Daniel Bradbury

Application Process

Applications accepted:
September 20 – October 29, 2021

To apply for funding from the Dara’s Fund download and complete this application and send to .  Click here to download an application.

We will acknowledge that we’ve received your application, and we will contact you if we need additional information.

By signing this application the applicant expressly acknowledges and consents to release of information as required by MCF regarding applications received, decisions made and other matters relating to the granting process and in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

All successful applicants will be asked to publicly acknowledge MCF’s support of their initiative and partner with MCF in sharing the good news about their grant and initiative with the community of Muskoka.

Approval of a grant does not commit MCF to future funding.

All decisions by the Muskoka Community Foundation board are final and not subject to review.

Introduction

Each year the Muskoka Community Foundation invites registered charities in the District of Muskoka to apply for a grant from our Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund.

The Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund is a community fund created by MCF in November 2012 as a response to Governor General David C. Johnston’s challenge to Canadians to come together and build a smarter, more caring nation that holds promise for all.

This page will be updated with the grant application, the process details and the closing date as they become available. If you have any questions about grants, please contact Lynn DeCaro, Executive Director at 705-646-1220 or

Conditions

You must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a grant from MCF:

  1. A registered charity as defined by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), located in and providing services in the District of Muskoka.
  2. The proposed work must qualify as charitable and benefit a community or communities in Muskoka.
  3. The granted funds must be used to provide for the betterment of Muskoka.
  4. Projects must have a well-defined purpose and cover a specific time period.
  5. All successful applicants will be required to provide a written summary of the grant’s impact at the conclusion of their initiative.

Grants from the Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund will not be given:

  • to cover operating deficits or retire debts
  • to provide endowment funds
  • for sectarian, religious, or political purposes
  • to individuals

Approval of a grant does not commit MCF to future funding.

All successful applicants will be asked to publicly acknowledge MCF’s support of their initiative and partner with MCF in sharing the good news about their grant and initiative with the community of Muskoka.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted from To Be Announced

Please complete and sign your application in the space provided and email your completed application to
Application PDF File

Application Word File

Please include the following with your submission:

  1. The completed and signed application form
  2. A copy of your charity’s last annual financial statements (audited or unaudited)
  3. A list of your current Board of Directors and their roles

We will acknowledge that we’ve received your application, and we will contact you if we need additional information.

By signing this application the applicant expressly acknowledges and consents to release of information as required by MCF regarding applications received, decisions made and other matters relating to the granting process and in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.

All decisions by the Muskoka Community Foundation board are final and not subject to review.

Resources for Professional Advisors

By partnering with Muskoka Community Foundation, professional advisors like you – accountants, lawyers, life insurance agents, financial planners and others – can assist your clients in fulfilling their financial, family, and philanthropic goals. We can help you connect your clients to the causes they care about.

When your clients give through their community foundation, they:

Receive personalized service: We work closely with you and your clients to develop a giving approach that matches their personal interests and tax planning needs. We can help integrate charitable giving within estate and financial plans, establish Donor Advised or other funds named for your clients, facilitate anonymous giving, and assist with even the most complex gift instruments.

Gain local grantmaking expertise: Our staff and volunteers monitor all areas of community need – including social services, education, the environment, VPXL health care, youth, seniors and the arts. We can help your clients learn more about local organizations and programs that make a difference in the areas they care about most

Support community leadership: Because community foundations support all kinds of charities, we are well positioned to bring people and organizations together, convening diverse voices to address local issues and opportunities. Our business is building community.

How Our Funds Are Managed

Our Endowment Funds are deposited with the Toronto Foundation for investment and management.

Responsibility for managing the Toronto Foundation’s investment portfolio is vested in their Board of Directors with the guidance of the Investment Committee.

Toronto Foundation’s investment strategy aims to generate an investment return which:

  • Achieves granting requirements,
  • Preserves the purchasing power of the capital,
  • Establishes a reserve in the event of future market declines, and
  • Recovers the cost of administering the Funds.

Their portfolio is structured and managed to achieve the targeted rate of investment return while assuming the lowest possible risk.

Click here to review the Toronto Foundation’s investment policy.

Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund

Our Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund is an unrestricted community development fund, allowing us to grant to a wide range of registered charitable organizations in our community. We use this fund to help local charities create opportunities to improve Muskoka and collaborate with our community partners to tackle our region’s most pressing issues.

Every August the Muskoka Community Foundation’s Board of Directors sets the Granting Priority for the Fund to address the current concerns which require our time and attention. Grants are awarded each November during National Philanthropy Week.

Click here to apply for a grant from the Smart & Caring Muskoka Fund.

Dara’s Fund

This unique Fund was created by Olympic Gold Medalist Dara Howell to build a legacy, as well as provide resources and opportunities for Muskoka’s female athletes who excel in any sport to pursue their dreams of competing at a higher level.

Funding can be used for:

  • Coaching fees
  • Team fees
  • Travel expenses
  • Equipment

Click here to apply for a grant from the Dara’s Fund.

Commitment to reconciliation

As a Community Foundation operating on the traditional lands of the Ojibway, the Chippewa, the Algonquin and the Odawa, and home to three sovereign nations – Wahta Mohawks First Nations, Moose Deer Point First Nation and the Moon River Métis – we cannot walk in a good way if we do not honour all our relations in our communities, and actively work to address the impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples on these lands, both past and present. Read More

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