SCF works with donors to meet community needs through a combination of permanent and flow through funds. Donors can choose to donate any amount to an existing fund at SCF or choose to establish a fund on their own.
Established in 1983, The Community Fund is the primary source of funds for annual community grants. Most donations to the fund are modest but some families have chosen to contribute enough to have a named fund and provide SCF with advice on granting .
These donors have donated a larger amount. They can advise the Foundation Board which organizations should receive a grant and may choose the recipient from grant applications received by the Foundation, give direction for continuing disbursements to a charity or charities, or work with the Foundation staff to make a grant decision on an annual basis.
The donor directs earnings from this fund to a named charitable organization, to a specific cause, to scholarships or bursaries, or to other specific charitable undertakings. A minimum level of donation is required.
A municipal agency or town works with the Foundation to begin its own Community Fund. SCF becomes the asset manager and assists with fund raising but all decisions regarding grants and spending of the income generated would be in the hands of the local community. Within the Community Endowment Fund any of the other types of funds could be established, meaning that the donors would be able to direct donations and individual endowed funds to the community they reside in.
Petrolia Community Fund:
Brooke Alvinston Community Fund
Many charitable organizations establish their own endowment with us because we are “in the business of endowment”; we make it easy and efficient for them and they trust us as stewards of their fund. These funds support specific organizations, allowing them to benefit from the Foundation’s prudent investment expertise and donor relations. Some donors opt to have a fund within one of these funds to support a specific aspect of the organization’s work
The Foundation is honoured to be the recipient of a number of planned legacy gifts from donors who intend to leave a portion of their estate to the community causes that inspired them during their life time. Many donors have opted to add to an existing fund or make gifts to a number of already established funds. Some donors have chosen to establish their fund now so that they can shepherd the gifts during their lifetime and experience the joy of giving back to their community and some have made provision with the SCF to support their favorite cause through their estate.
These folks are part of a group known as The Lambton Circle (TLC) as their generosity and planning will allow them to care for the community for years to come. It doesn’t take a lot of money to be part of this group… just a little planning. SCF is able to help individuals, their families and their advisors make a gift that will really last forever.
We acknowledge that we live and work within the ancestral, traditional, territories of the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi First Nations. These three individual Nations, make up the Three Fires Confederacy. On behalf of the Sarnia Community Foundation, we acknowledge the welcome they have offered to our community.
109 Durand Street,
Sarnia Ontario, N7T 5A1
