Hamilton Community Foundation (HCF) is seeking consulting services to assist the board in recruiting its next President & CEO.

We are looking for a President & CEO who can lead the Foundation to fulfill both its strategic objectives and its organizational needs. The Request for Proposal below outlines the expectations and timeline for the scope of work. We are looking for a firm who has capacity and competencies including:

We look forward to working with the firm to attract a qualified and diverse set of candidates. Proposals are due January 15, 2024, with a preferred start date of February 12, 2024.

Download a copy of the RFP.

About HCF

Hamilton Community Foundation was established in 1954 as Ontario’s first community foundation. Like most community foundations, we have three roles:

Our vision: A vibrant, diverse and inclusive Hamilton

Our mission: To drive positive change by connecting diverse people, ideas and resources

We recently adopted new values that describe what we care about, what guides our decision making, the behaviours people can expect from us and what guides us in fulfilling our mandate. These values are equity, Reconciliation, courage, relevance, accountability and collaboration. You can read more here.

HCF has grown to over $260 million in endowed assets, and grants over $10 million a year to the community. Guided by a board of 14 directors and supported by a staff of 20, the Foundation is a well-respected community leader in Hamilton. We are in the second year of an ambitious five-year strategic plan that includes major initiatives in education, affordable housing, impact investing, equity, diversity and inclusion and relationships with Indigenous communities. More information is available on our website.

Scope of work 

The selected firm will advise and work with HCF’s Board of Directors to create and execute all aspects of an inclusive and equitable recruitment and selection process. We are looking for the selected firm to:



RFP submission requirements

Proposals should include the following:

  1. Organization description: Brief history and summary of your firm and past experience that demonstrates your capabilities to do this work. Please be sure to note any experience in Hamilton.
  2. Recruitment approach: Please tell us about your process to find the successful candidate. Detail how you will accomplish the above scope of work, including a clear delineation of what we should expect the firm to be responsible for and what you expect from HCF. Include networks you are able to access on behalf of this search, and please identify, if possible, any unique aspects of the community foundation model that may inform your approach.
  3. Current challenges: Please describe any current challenges that may exist in the current and/or local context to hiring senior leaders, and the strategies you would use to address them.
  4. Staff assigned to the project: Provide a brief profile of the firm member(s) who would lead the search and any other staff who would be involved.
  5. Proposed timeline: Estimate the start and end dates for each phase of the search process and your ability to meet the end date. Please include proposed deadlines for key deliverables. Our goal is to be able to complete interviews and possibly announce the new President & CEO by June 24, 2024.
  6. Budget: Please provide your fee proposal along with narrative description of what is included as necessary. For instance if “search-related expenses” are a line item, please define what those expenses might be.
  7. EDI commitments: Please tell us how EDI commitments and practices are ingrained in your own firm and, specifically, how EDI principles will be built into each step of the recruitment process including:
    • Job posting
    • Sourcing candidates (e.g. networks and reach)
    • Review and screening of applicants
    • The interview process
    • Offers
    • Communication with unsuccessful applicants and interviewees
    • Transition/onboarding

      Please also comment on advice/recommendations or support you may be able to give to the board in preparing for/executing its role in this search using an EDI lens.

  1. References: Provide two references from searches that you would view as comparable to this assignment, and tell us why you believe they are comparable.

A short-list of candidate firms may be invited to meet with the board to expand on their proposal and answer questions.

Evaluation criteria

All proposals will be evaluated based on the following key criteria:

The selected consultant and HCF will then mutually discuss and refine the scope of work for the project and shall negotiate final conditions, compensation, and performance schedule for the contract to be executed.

Consultant selection timeline

RFP issuedDecember 11, 2023 After this date, firms may express their interest in proposing on this assignment so that they may receive any updates or clarifications, if needed, to the process. Please note that it is not mandatory for you to provide this expression of interest, but will ensure you have complete and current information.  
Proposals dueJanuary 15, 2024
Notify firms to be interviewedWeek of January 22, 2024
Interviews to take placeWeek of January 29, 2024
Successful firm to be notifiedWeek of February 5, 2024
Preferred start dateFebruary 12, 2024 pending mutual agreement on contract

All requests for clarification should be directed to Mary Anne Grant at m.grant@hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca; no other contact should be made by the proposing firm to any member (board or staff) of HCF. Responses to questions from any firms may be shared by HCF to all firms, provided they have expressed their interest in proposing to HCF. To do so, please notify Mary Anne Grant by email, with the subject line “Expression of Interest” and provide a contact name and email address to whom any notifications may be directed.

By submitting a proposal, the firm authorizes HCF to contact references to evaluate the firm’s qualifications for this project.

In addition, the following terms apply:

Proposal submission

Please submit your proposal no later than January 15, 2024 by 5:00 p.m. and must be sent electronically to m.grant@hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca with the subject line:  Response to RFP, President & CEO search.