Nunavut’s first community foundation collaborates with Community Foundations of Canada to deliver over $300,000 to community service organizations through the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund

Press Release

Community Foundations of Canada with Annauma Community Foundation

IQALUIT, NU, Nov. 15, 2023 – Annauma Community Foundation is already delivering on its mission, just a few short months after its public launch in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Annauma is the newest community foundation to join the nationwide network, and the first community foundation to be established in Nunavut. Annauma is short for Annaumakkaijiit, an Inuktitut word meaning “helping people stay ahead”. As with other community foundations, Annauma is ready to harness the power of philanthropy and create change that is meaningful for communities it serves in Nunavut, which is home to a primarily Inuit population.

Annauma is proud to have worked with Community Foundations of Canada as part of the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund.  This fund is administered collaboratively between the Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada to provide funding to Community Service Organizations.

“Community service organizations are at the heart of communities in Nunavut, creating a sense of belonging from coast to coast to coast. The Community Services Recovery Fund will enable organizations that serve our diverse communities to adapt and modernize their programs and services and to invest in the future of their organizations, staff and volunteers. Together, we can rebuild from the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more just and equitable future for those in Nunavut.”

– Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Udloriak Hanson, the President of Annauma Community Foundation, says, “The Community Services Recovery Fund provides welcome support to Nunavut charities, non-profits and Inuit Organizations to adapt and modernize their work to deliver important and diverse community services over the next year. The timing is right for Annauma to support this grantmaking, and we were happy to cooperate with Community Foundations of Canada to apply more funding into the development of Nunavut’s non-profit sector.”

As a result, the following projects are being supported in Nunavut:

• $100,000 was invested to fund the Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq/Kitikmeot Heritage Society to undertake transformational strategic planning and strengthen their capacity for Inuit-led governance;
• $100,000 was invested to fund the Arctic Children and Youth Foundation to redesign its organizational strategy and operations;
• $70,200 was invested to fund the Iqaluit Humane Society to develop an operations plan and strategy for an animal rescue and wellness center;
• $59,800 was invested to fund the Qikiqtani Inuit Association to implement a decision-making tool to serve their increased capacity and future initiatives.

With Annauma joining the network, Community Foundations of Canada now has local representation across all provinces and territories.

“A ‘nothing about us without us’ model is even more important in a post-pandemic context,” said Andrea Dicks, President of Community Foundations of Canada. “The pandemic affected communities from coast to coast to coast differently, and we know that Indigenous communities were especially impacted. We are more full as a philanthropic organization now that we have a foundation upholding Inuit voices. I am delighted to welcome Annauma to the community foundation network and am so pleased that organizations in Nunavut are participating in the Community Services Recovery Fund.”

The Community Services Recovery Fund is just one example of how program delivery in Nunavut, done by people who live and work in the territory, is important as we collectively rebuild from the pandemic. The efforts of Annauma Community Foundation will no doubt strengthen community resilience and self-determination, and support ongoing pandemic recovery.

Quick Facts:

• The Community Services Recovery Fund is a one-time investment of $400 million by the Government of Canada to help Community Service Organizations, charities, non-profits and Indigenous governing bodies located in Canada.
• Now more than ever, community service organizations play a key role in addressing complex social problems faced by many communities across Canada.
• From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, community service organizations across Canada have shown impressive stamina and creativity in their response to the diverse and increasingly challenging needs of their communities.
• The Community Services Recovery Fund responds to what community service organizations need right now and supports them as they adapt to the long-term impacts of the pandemic.
• As community service organizations across Canada work to support recovery in their communities, the CSRF will help them adapt and modernize their operations to grow their impact.
• The Government of Canada is delivering the CSRF through three National Funders (Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, United Way Centraide Canada). The Funders are distributing funding to eligible community service organizations, including charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies, providing services in communities across Canada.
• The Government of Canada supports a more inclusive model of economic growth, one that creates opportunities for everyone in Canada, as the long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Associated Links

Community Services Recovery Fund Website
About the Community Services Recovery Fund (ESDC)
Annauma Community Foundation Website

For further information: For media enquiries, please contact: Danielle Gibbie, Executive Director, Annauma Community Foundation, info@annauma.ca

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