A Smart & Caring Community

The Challenge

In 2017 we reached out to our supporters to ask for their help in achieving a goal with a very special one-time fundraising initiative created from a challenge by former Governor General David Johnston. In celebration of Canada’s 150th, he challenged community foundations across Canada to make this country a nation of Smart & Caring communities.

“Join me in imagining our country as it could be… a smart and caring nation, where all Canadians can succeed, contribute, and develop their talents in their fullest potential.”

– The Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada

Our Response
Thanks to our generous contributing funders, CFKA was able to create a new fund called the Smart & Caring Community Fund. This flexible, unrestricted fund allows us to respond quickly to emerging community needs and give more money, more quickly, to projects and programs where it is needed the most. The Smart & Caring Community Fund directly supports our Community Grants Program, our broadest and largest granting program. In 2022 alone, The Community Grants program granted $1,022,045 to 79 projects. 

Thank you to our Founding Contributors

We are very pleased with the over $1,260,000 that was raised for the Smart & Caring Fund as a result of this challenge. We would like to thank all of the Founding Contributors for their support and generosity.

❱ Community Reports

❱ Community Grants

❱ Speaker Series

❱ Small Business Loan Program

❱ Smart & Caring Community

❱ Community Builder Award