Hamilton Community Foundation


Hamilton Community Foundation is a Community Foundation that pools donations and Financial endowments into a coordinated investment and grant-making facility dedicated primarily to the social improvement of Hamilton, Ontario. Its current President and CEO is Terry Cooke, the former Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth regional chair and Hamilton Spectator columnist.
HCF is the oldest community foundation in Ontario. It was founded in 1954 and modeled after , the first Community foundation in Canada. The concept of a permanent endowment that issued grants was unfamiliar to Hamiltonians at first, and HCF secured just $100 in gifts in its first year. However, its gifts and endowments grew steadily and it reached $10 million in assets by the Foundation's 40th anniversary in 1995. Today, the Foundation’s assets stand at some $193 million.
HCF is governed by a board of directors who are selected by a nominating committee that consists of the Mayor, Chief of Police, President of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, President of the , and Chair of the United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton and up to two members at large.

Historical Timeline

1954
1982
1995
2000
2003
2004 – 50th Anniversary
2005
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014 –
2015
2016
2017
HCF has disbursed over $96 million in grants since its formation in 1954. The grants are distributed across all charitable sectors in the community: arts, education, environment, health and human services and recreation.
The foundation has long been known for its community leadership in addressing priority issues that affect Hamiltonians. Addressing the city's high poverty rate, it launched a multi-year commitment to poverty reduction in 2002, with a focus on strengthening low-income neighbourhoods, engaging and supporting residents to take a leadership and have a voice in the changes needed. This strategy was later adopted by the City of Hamilton in creating the office in 2010. HCF was a co-founder of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction with the City of Hamilton and other community stakeholders. "HRPR" has earned national attention for its innovative approach to poverty reduction.
Community leadership projects include:
In October 2010, HCF's board of directors established the $5 million enabling the foundation to put more of its assets to work locally. The fund enables the foundation to invest directly some of its assets into the community, or social/environmental enterprises, rather than into the stock market. The investments can take the form of direct investment into charitable or non-profit ventures, or as loans to qualified organizations for purposes which further the foundation’s mission.
In 2013, HCF moved on a number of investment strategies targeting financial returns coupled with social impact, using the majority of The Young Fund – HCF’s largest donor-advised fund – as a pilot for selecting socially responsible investments in the public markets. The balance of The Young Fund is being used for directly investing in funds and organizations that seek both social and financial returns.
Impact investing at HCF follows two streams:
In 2015, HCF also established a "20 by 2020" impact investing target. The proposed goal is to have 20% of HCF assets represented by impact investments by the year 2020. To date, HCF has committed some $18 million to impact investments.

Hamilton's Vital Signs Reports

On October 4, 2012, HCF published the third edition of , an update on its two previous reports which examine various aspects of community health, in co-operation with the Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton's Vital Signs looks at such aspects as the gap between rich and poor, environment, belonging and leadership, economy, learning, health, housing, transportation, arts, safety and education. The reports have supported the findings of wide neighbourhood disparity brought to public attention by the Spectator's Code Red series.
The takes a critical look at the socio-economic landscape of Hamilton, acknowledging that not every Hamiltonian or neighbourhood shares in the prosperity. The report shows that basic needs such as affordable housing, secure jobs and living wage continue to be a priority for many residents.

Hamilton Vital Signs TV

A monthly series on local station Cable 14 hosted by HCF CEO & President Terry Cooke. Each episode features guests discussing a variety of topics. The show aims to stimulate community awareness, conversation and action on the issues that affect quality of life for all Hamiltonians.
EpisodeAir dateGuests
June 6, 2017Tony Valeri
May 7, 2017Hugh Tye and Lyndon George
April 4, 2017Sarah Stern and Adam Watson
March 7, 2017Fred Fuchs and Jeremy Freiburger
February 7, 2017Beth Gibson and Kevin Browne
January 3, 2017Alyssa Lai and Jeffrey Martin
December 2016Sara Mayo and Steve Buist
November 1, 2016Lisa Dalia and Charles Criminisi
October 1, 2016Jason Thorne
September 2016Claire Calnan, Nea Reid, Carol Kehoe
June 20, 2016Denise Arkell and Nick Saul
May 16, 2016Pat Reid and Adam Watson
April 18, 2016Colette Murphy and Paul Johnson
March 21, 2016Duane Dahl and Leo Johnson
February 22, 2016Rob MacIsaac,
January 18, 2016David Galbraith and Jen Baker
November 16, 2015Chris Farias, Sarah Murphy,, Dr. Ninh Tran
October 26, 2016Sara Mayo and Howard Elliott
September 21, 2015Keith Monrose and Ines Rios