This is a story about honouring the past. And building for the future.
It starts in the 1950s, when there were so many Lutherans in Hamilton — many arriving in the city as immigrants and refugees following WWII, with growing families — that one church became four. Today, shrinking numbers mean the four congregations are again one, united under the name Trinity Lutheran. Trinity has properties it no longer needs. And a dream to share its good fortune with the city that gave its members so much.
One of the surplus churches, located on King Street East on a main bus route across from a grocery store, is an excellent candidate for affordable housing. “Our members see the tents. They understand the huge community need,” says Michael Schuster, chair of Trinity’s redevelopment committee. “Offering the property at a reduced rate to a community partner is a legacy for us.”
Trinity’s committee approached HCF to play matchmaker: to use the Foundation’s affordable housing networks and resources to facilitate the church’s goals. This included the potential for HCF to help an affordable housing development partner hold the property to keep it out of the private market.
“The road to affordable housing isn’t straight,” says Yulena Wan, Vice-President, Finance & Operations at HCF. “We explored many options and a couple of detours arose during the many months it took to find the right match.”
That match was local supportive housing provider, Indwell. They agreed to purchase the property, with HCF providing bridge financing until government funding becomes available, with the goal of building supportive housing units on the site.
HCF has been previously outbid by private developers when trying to secure property for affordable housing. “We’re so grateful to Trinity for not putting such a desirable property on the open market,” Yulena says. “Making projects a reality is complicated. Our role is to connect people, ideas and resources so housing is built.”
“I don’t think this could have happened without HCF coming forward with an innovative financial proposal,” Michael says. “We looked outside our congregation for examples of what to do with our property. Now maybe we can be an example to others.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
It’s one thing to have housing. It’s another thing to keep it.
For those who have been couch surfing, living in a shelter or who are re-integrating after spending time in a facility, the list of needs once they have housing can be long. Budgeting, credit recovery, job search help, food, financial aid, addiction supports, tenant rights, medical care — Hamilton Regional Indian Centre (HRIC) helps with all of these and more.
“Anyone can give you money to get your foot in the door,” says Sarah Cameron, housing and homelessness supports and services manager for HRIC. “To maintain housing requires in-depth, intense support. Everyone’s needs and timelines are different.”
Demand for HRIC’s housing programs is high, with waiting lists of between 100 and 300 people at any time. Thanks to a grant from Hamilton Community Foundation, a new housing stability worker will provide ongoing, culturally appropriate services and eviction prevention support to existing clients so staff can continue to support other community members who are still working through their housing journeys.
“I want to thank you all for giving my life back.”
Eviction-prevention grants are one way HCF’s SCAFFOLD initiative addresses the housing crisis. By supporting direct service delivery to vulnerable tenants with diverse needs, these grants enable early intervention to prevent homelessness.
HRIC’s clients can access all the centre’s resources and receive referrals to other supports. One senior suffering from advanced COPD received a rental supplement and weekly food delivery; another successfully applied for priority non-profit housing and received tax help, a housing supplement, furniture and funding for his electric scooter.
The thank you cards and emails are proof of the impact. “Everybody is only two paycheques away from losing everything,” wrote one woman. “I want to thank you all for giving my life back to me,” wrote another.
“A lot of the people we see aren’t connected to their culture,” says HRIC’s Chantel Johnson, who has been doing double duty as a housing intake and stability worker for the past two years. “Our cultural programming, teachings and traditional medicines help them figure out who they are and get in touch with what they lost. The message is they matter.”
This bridge to culture is critical to staying housed, Sarah says. “Once people have new meaning in their lives it creates change in their homes, their behaviour and their decisions. That’s when people start to really do better.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
The room is remarkably quiet, considering its four walls contain the energy of 45 Grade 1 to 10 students.
On paper, they’re refugees from Somalia, Sudan, Chad and Syria from low-income families in the lower city. In reality, they’re young people who spend Monday to Thursday after school at Stepping Stones — a program run by Munar Learning Centre — practising social skills, proudly showing their work to trusted adults, quietly listening to instructors and working one on-one with tutors.
“This is an investment in the future.”
Their reward — in addition to improved report cards and new friends — is Friday’s program, when they get to trade academics for soccer and other games.
It’s not just the children who learn at Stepping Stones. Next door are their moms, who drink coffee and chat. Before Stepping Stones, these women were strangers. Now they’re friends. The program helps them understand how school works in Canada. Workshops cover everything from parent rights and responsibilities to how to communicate with teachers; program volunteers offer help with letters, forms and in-the moment questions; a YWCA settlement worker provides newcomer resources; and program staff accompany parents to teacher meetings.
“These parents need someone to hold their hand,” says Madina Wasuge, chair of Munar. “This is a place where they feel their children are okay and they’re okay.”
Programming for the middle school students has been supported by HCF’s ABACUS initiative since 2022. Stepping Stones uses a whole-child approach — focusing on family, community and school — which HCF has learned is critical to increasing the likelihood that young people who face multiple barriers will graduate high school and access post-secondary education.
The moms, speaking through an interpreter, are vocal about their appreciation for the program. “Before my children were getting lower grades,” says one. “Now they’re getting Bs instead of Cs and As instead of Bs.” Another shared the importance of having an interpreter accompany her to teacher meetings. “At first I was discouraged. I felt like I just had to accept what they told me,” she says. “Now I have someone who speaks the language and I can share my opinion. That’s when things changed.” “I never have to tell my children to hurry up and get ready,” a third mom says. “Everyone has their backpack and shoes on and are saying ‘let’s go!’”
“Continuity is what makes the program a success,” Madina says. “Students come almost every day for three or four years and we see the improvement. Teachers are asking parents, ‘What are you doing with this kid? Where are you getting help from?’ Because they’ve seen the change.”
“This is an investment in the future,” she says. “If these students finish high school and go to higher education, we all benefit.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
Sisters continue their parents’ legacy of philanthropy
The late Mark Nimigan never lost his commitment to Hamilton’s north end. He was born and raised there, and throughout a long career in Hamilton’s legal arena as a court reporter and official examiner, and then on Hamilton’s police service board, he volunteered with organizations serving north-end youth. In 1999, he and his wife launched the Mark and Barbara Nimigan Fund. It has provided support to north-end organizations and other priority needs in Hamilton ever since.
Several years before his death in 2023, Mark started the process of passing the torch, bringing his two daughters into the fund’s administration. Margaret and Nancy sat in on discussions with HCF, as Mark was presented with granting possibilities and updates on community challenges.
“Our father was a passionate giver,” says Nancy. “He believed you didn’t have to be a millionaire to make a difference. You could give within your means and have an impact.”
“He believe you didn’t have to be a millionaire to make a difference.”
Hamilton Community Foundation has made the logistics of that giving easy, and the Nimigan daughters appreciate the care HCF staff showed Mark in his later years. “As he declined, they continued to visit and discuss his fund with him,” says Nancy. “It made a big difference.”
“Dad had such strong feelings about what he was supporting, and a good focus,” Margaret says. “We feel good about what he and our mother created, and we are happy to continue it.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
It’s been said that music is medicine — and now there’s proof, thanks to research by McMaster PhD student Rachael Finnerty and her supervisor, Dr. Laurel Trainor.
In two studies — one conducted online and the second in-person — undergraduate students met in supportive small groups with a music therapist every week for six weeks to listen to music, write songs, participate in music improvisation, and explore the connection between music and coping.
“We need innovative, cost-effective ways to help young people. it’s exciting to see two universities collaborating.“
The students showed a significant decrease in stress and anxiety, with results comparable to talk therapy but without the stigma, cost and waiting lists associated with traditional one on-one therapy models. Another group of research participants, who didn’t receive any therapy, showed no decrease in stress levels.
The findings are important, given that university students have higher rates of mental health problems — everything from depression and anxiety to addictions and risk of suicide — than the general population.
The latest study focuses on students in Brock University’s teacher education program and will begin later this year.
“There’s a need for 21st-century strategies,” says Carolyn Milne, whose fund with husband Paul supports the research. “We need innovative, cost-effective ways to help young people. It’s exciting to see two universities collaborating.”
The Brock study will include a new “narrative inquiry” component, where some participants will be invited to share their life experiences with researchers to provide a deeper understanding of their stories and the impact of music therapy.
“We couldn’t do this important research without the support of HCF,” says Dr. Trainor. “This is the evidence that campus wellness centres need to offer more choices to students.”
“Proactive mental health is the future,” Rachael says. “We want people to think of taking care of their mental health through everyday, positive activities like music to be the equivalent of going to the gym.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
New fund supports families of people living with disabilities
Marcia Marcaccio believed in the power of community. In a long life, she experienced both segregation as a woman with Down Syndrome, and an integrated life with the support of family, church, work and community. She chose her own path, defying expectations, and had a fulfilling and valuable career as an educational assistant.
Marcia, who passed away in March 2021, was a tireless advocate for equality, services and resources to help families and communities surround and support their members who live with disabilities. She and her sister Donna travelled and lectured on the importance of inclusion and belonging for people with all kinds of challenges.
“My aunt wanted everyone to have the kind of support she had from family and community.”
Donna and her daughter Joselin are furthering that extraordinary legacy through the Marcia Marcaccio Trust Fund at HCF. The fund will focus especially on respite care — an essential support for both family and individual — that is often hard to access.
“My aunt wanted everyone to have the kind of support she had from family and community,” says Joselin. “This fund is something she would have loved.”
Setting up the fund in honour of Marcia was simple, Donna says. Her career in community services has given her a “great admiration for the role and value of Hamilton Community Foundation,” so HCF was a natural fit, and the donor-advised fund option gives her family the ongoing participation she wants in the fund’s decisions.
While providing practical help to families, carrying on Marcia’s message of designing support that honours the affected person’s wishes, inclusion, and meaningful life in community is also a key goal of the fund.
“We deeply miss Marcia,” says Donna, “and I hope that we continue to hear what she was trying to teach us.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
Dr. Juliet Daniel’s giving enables flexibility to address changing needs
Dr. Juliet Daniel is a world-renowned cancer biologist at McMaster University. Her discovery of the Kaiso gene is advancing understanding of how cancer grows and how cancer cells function. She is internationally recognized for her cancer research, teaching and community engagement.
Originally from Barbados, Professor Daniel has made Hamilton home since joining McMaster’s Faculty of Science in 1999. She is a committed supporter of Hamilton Community Foundation, directing her contributions to the unrestricted Community Fund.
Dr. Daniel first learned about HCF when she joined the Board of Directors in 2014, and in six years as a board member, she developed a respect and admiration for the Foundation’s research, ongoing learning, and best practices approach. “Hamilton Community Foundation does phenomenal work,” she says, and wishes that more people knew about the role and value HCF brings to the community. “The money stays here and benefits Hamilton in ways most people don’t realize.”
“The money stays here and benefits Hamilton in ways most people don’t realize.”
Though passionate about many charitable causes — like youth and STEM education, climate change, social justice, and gender issues — Dr. Daniel directs her financial support to the Community Fund, where it is most flexible. “Through my work in the community, I know that life and society are constantly changing. The Community Fund provides the capacity to respond to those changes and capitalize on emerging opportunities to help.”
HCF’s Vice-President of Philanthropic Services, Andrea Buttars, agrees. “From an internal perspective, Community Fund donations are like gold,” she says. “They allow the Foundation to be agile in the community.”
With her busy schedule, Dr. Daniel has found it easiest to support the Foundation as a monthly donor “so I don’t have to think about it,” she says. “But I do try to remember to increase my monthly donation every two or three years.”
Excerpt from 2023-24 annual report
Sometimes trying something different can reveal new possibilities and strengthen relationships. A participatory granting pilot at Hamilton Community Foundation aims to achieve just that.
Participatory granting is a form of trust-based philanthropy that shifts decision-making power to those most affected by the funding. It is based on the philosophy that foundations should share power to produce more equitable outcomes.
Data suggests that traditional philanthropy has underfunded historically marginalized communities. For example, a report called Unfunded: Black Communities Overlooked by Canadian Philanthropy found that Black-serving organizations received only 0.7 percent of all grants distributed by community foundations in Canada in 2017 and 2018.
HCF’s participatory granting pilot invites community members to form a granting circle that determines community needs and allocates funds to support capacity-building for equity-deserving community-led organizations. This approach leverages the knowledge and expertise of these organizations to make the most positive impact on the lives and health of their communities.
The pilot targets organizations representing the following communities:
To learn more, visit: hamiltoncommunityfoundation.ca/pgp
Excerpt from 2024 Spring Legacy Newsletter
For too many members of our community, housing is precarious. Some are often one eviction notice away from losing their homes. A new series of grants at Hamilton Community Foundation is supporting frontline organizations to prevent that from happening.
Last year, the Foundation launched SCAFFOLD, a multi-year commitment to affordable housing. The strategy comprises several components, including supporting new construction, keeping affordable units out of the private market and eviction prevention.
Earlier this year, HCF made grants to several local charities working to prevent evictions, including Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, ACORN, Hamilton Housing Help Centre, St. Matthew’s House, Niwasa Kendaaswin Teg, Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, Living Rock, Hamilton Child and Family Supports (formerly Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton), and Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton.
Eviction prevention is multi-faceted, so supports vary depending on the clients being served.
These organizations provide a broad range of services including: partnering with outreach workers at local shelters to assist in navigating interactions with the Landlord and Tenant Board, connecting seniors with professional cleaners to address hoarding, financial support for youth who are behind on rent, Indigenous food sovereignty programming, and educating tenants on their rights and how to apply to legal support programs.
“These grants respond to the growing need for support considering the housing crisis and increased homelessness risk for folks facing the daily challenges of poverty,” says Rudi Wallace, VP Grants & Community Initiatives. “We’re supporting programs that help people fight unfair evictions and also that deliver direct services to vulnerable tenants. That means fewer people at risk of becoming unhoused.”
Excerpt from 2024 Spring Legacy Newsletter
In a constantly changing world, learning never ends.
A new educational program in rural Flamborough connects seniors to helpful learning opportunities and one another.
The program is facilitated by Flamborough Information & Community Services and targets isolated, vulnerable, financially disadvantaged and disabled seniors. Holding the sessions in proximity to areas where rural seniors live is an important consideration, since many seniors are uncomfortable driving distances and look for program opportunities close to home.
The program fills a gap for rural seniors who do not have easy access to opportunities for learning and social engagement.
An HCF grant supports eight one-hour sessions, held from January to October, at locations throughout the community, and will be offered by local subject matter experts. Planned topics include wills, scams and healthy living.
Excerpt from 2024 Spring Legacy Newsletter
Donations to the Foundation are invested for the long term in public markets and in alternative investments. Investment income is then allocated annually to support granting, community leadership and operations. The summary and charts presented here provide both a financial snapshot and a history of recent activity that underlies the grants and community leadership activities represented in this annual report, made possible by remarkable donors.
Donations to the Foundation are from individuals, corporations and other charities. Donors may contribute to named endowment or flowthrough funds, to the Board-directed Community Fund, or to HCF’s community leadership projects.
The $35.1 million in donations this year is the second highest total in HCF’s history. Annual donations are influenced by the timing of the realization of donations in wills and significant one-time donations like the $27.7 million in donations of property and private equity. As illustrated in Chart 1, annual donations have ranged between $3.2 and $35.1 million over the past eight years. The five-year rolling average of donations ranges from $5.0 million to $13.3 million over the past eight years.
The five-year rolling average number of donations is 1,787 with 2019-20 at 1,853. The number of donations fluctuates based on “in memoriam” donations and the number and nature of events sponsored by donors to raise money for their funds.
Chart 1
Grants are made annually from both endowed and flowthrough funds. Because flowthrough fund balances are distributed in a shorter time period, granting from these funds can materially influence HCF’s total annual amount granted.
As illustrated in Chart 2, grants and community leadership project spending over the past eight years has ranged from $4.7 million to this year’s historic high of $11.5 million. Granting from endowment funds was reduced in 2013 as a result of the decline in investment returns in 2012 which a) lowered the asset base used for the granting calculation (currently four percent of the fund balances), and b) resulted in less income available to grant. Flowthrough granting and expenditures on community leadership projects has ranged from 22 to 56 percent of total granting in any given year and is dependent on the timing and nature of flowthrough and project activity. At 893, the number of grants for this year is 37 percent higher than the eight-year average.
Chart 2
Investments traded in active markets are reported at fair market value. Investments not actively traded are recorded at their cost less any impairment of their value.
To support our strategy of aligning our assets with our mission and to provide a more diverse and robust portfolio, HCF has committed to investing in alternative asset classes including loans to charities and not-for-profits, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and private equity. These alternatives are consistent with the Foundation’s long-term investment horizon and liquidity requirements. Since these investments are not actively traded, they are valued at cost in the investments. These alternatives total $25.8 million.
HCF invests according to policy guidelines established by the Board of Directors. Two committees of the Board oversee investments to ensure compliance with the policy:
As an endowment builder, HCF’s policy focuses on long-term investing and is supported by reserve accounts that are currently at their policy maximum.
The investment policy sets out a total portfolio target asset mix, as well as a range around these targets. The public market investment managers have mandates within this targeted asset mix and use their discretion to invest the portfolios within this range. Chart 3 reflects the current and target asset mix. Note: $25 million of private equity relates to a fund established by a donor and is not part of the asset mix or the consolidated portfolio results.
Chart 3
Two long-term portfolios are invested in the public markets with Jarislowsky Fraser, and Connor, Clark & Lunn. Chart 4 compares those portfolios against benchmarks as follows:
Benchmarks reflect the performance of each market index based on HCF’s specific target asset mix. Comparing actual results to the benchmark measures the value added by investment managers compared to the average market performance. HCF’s investment policy target is a long-term investment return in the 6.5 to 7.5 percent range.
Chart 4
The effect of the global pandemic has materially affected investment returns, resulting in a -8.4 percent public market return for the year. The seven-year annualized return at 6.8 percent is within the targeted investment policy range and is 1.2 percent higher than the 5.6 percent benchmark. As noted in the financial highlights, the current 10-year annualized return of 7.0 percent is in the target range and is higher than the benchmark by 1.2 percent.
Impact investments enable donations to endowed funds to drive positive change beyond granting, because they represent investments of capital that deliver financial returns coupled with positive social and/or environmental outcomes. In addition, these investments provide a pool uncorrelated to the public markets which, in turn, buffers the portfolio from the volatility currently experienced.
More than 15 percent of our long-term assets are in impact investments. Chart 5 illustrates HCF’s impact investing progress over the past five years, with $25 million currently placed or outstanding and another $15 million committed. This brings the total commitment to $40 million, up from $34 million last year. Impact investments cover areas including affordable housing, arts, environment and sustainable development.
Chart 5
Local loans since inception total $9.7 million with $7.1 million outstanding at year end. Chart 6 shows the impact areas our loans have supported. Since the loan program’s 2012 inception, $2.6 million in loan principal has been repaid and recycled as new loans. In addition, the interest from these loans supports HCF granting.
Chart 6
IRP is a Government of Canada program being delivered nationally by partners including Community Foundations of Canada. As the first phase in the government’s long-term investment in social finance, the IRP’s goal is to make social-purpose organizations “investment ready” so they can make a difference in new and innovative ways through their participation in the social finance market. HCF has partnered with community foundations in London and Niagara, and the McMaster Innovation Park to manage the program regionally on behalf of Community Foundations of Canada. The first request for proposals for funding in January created enormous interest nationally and garnered 65 submissions to our regional partnership. Approved funding is expected to be released in June 2020. As an additional benefit, the IRP brought a growing number of potential opportunities for local loans to HCF’s attention.
These investments include private equity, private debt and real estate investments. Many of these investments are long term in nature, are maintained at cost and do not have a regular income stream. As these investments are maintained at cost, their results include interest income and realized gains, but not unrealized gains. Results for these investments are closely monitored and are reported when realized. Chart 7 identifies the investment areas, with $18.0 million placed and a total commitment of $33 million across 21 investments.
Chart 7
Operating expenses for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 total $2.5 million and were 2.5 percent higher than last year. Staffing costs related to the Foundation’s 22 employees represent 70 percent of HCF operating costs.
In addition to breaking out cost by type, operating costs are allocated to each of the Foundation’s operating areas: grants administration, community and philanthropic leadership, community relations and knowledge dissemination, development activities, and administration and governance. Examples of community and philanthropic leadership include convening around the city’s critical issues and fostering the growth of philanthropy by sharing staff time and knowledge to support other charities. Charts 8 and 9 illustrate these costs by operating area and by expense type.
Charts 8 and 9
The Foundation’s annual development expenses are not necessarily attributable to the donations received in that year. The nature of donations to the Foundation can result in costs preceding the receipt of the donation by several years (for example, donations through wills). As a result, consistent with the community foundation sector, operating costs are evaluated by a ratio of total operating expenses to average total assets. Ratios fall within a range depending on the size and stage of the community foundation’s development.
Management considers the ratio of 1.26 percent (1.25 percent in 2019), as illustrated in Chart 10, to be within an acceptable range for a foundation of HCF’s size, stage and level of community leadership, compared against benchmarks established in the community foundation sector. We continue to monitor both the actual results and the benchmarks on an ongoing basis.
Chart 10
Hamilton Community Foundation’s total assets of $201 million at March 31, 2020 include balances of HCF funds and funds held on behalf of others at $1.7 million.
Hamilton Community Foundation’s fund balances, illustrated in Chart 11, represent accumulated donations plus the net investment earnings on these donations, minus granting and operating costs. Funds include both endowed and flowthrough funds. Endowed funds are held permanently and grant from investment earnings. Flowthrough funds are fully distributed as grants over a pre-determined term.
Chart 11
The fund balances have grown 55 percent to $198 million at the year ended March 31, 2020 from $128 million in 2013. Donations of $35.1 million included $4.4 million in flowthrough donations that were largely distributed as grants in the year and, as a result, do not remain in the fund balances at year end. This results in a modest total funds balance growth of 4.8 per cent for the year. The number of funds has grown 19 percent to 377 from 318 in 2013.
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