Foundation Directed Initiatives (FDIs) support high priority charitable projects in our community by offering one-to-three-year funding to selected agencies. Each of the organizations has a reputation of exemplary program delivery and is addressing a critical issue area. FDI funding ensures they can focus on the work at hand while avoiding the cycle of annual grant applications.

Agencies cannot apply for FDI funding; FDIs are chosen through a process internal to the Foundation and complement ECF’s Community Grants Program. Most FDIs support action in one of four areas: elimination of poverty, equity, the environment, and/or capacity building for the non-profit sector.

OrganizationProgramGrants
Action For Healthy Communities Society of EdmontonCommunity Initiatives$100,000
To support people in improving the social determinants of health in their communities.
Alberta Ecotrust FoundationEcoCity Grants$100,000
To address issues of climate change and sustainable energy systems.
Bissell CentreCommunity Bridge$50,000
To prevent evictions by providing a forgivable loan and to help people address the circumstances that put them at risk of eviction.
Bent Arrow Traditional Healing SocietyNew in Town $50,000
To welcome and support Indigenous people who have moved to Edmonton, helping them to navigate services in the city including employment, housing, financial services, youth services, and more.
Carold InstituteCohort X$35,000
To examine the intersection of environmental activism and gender by supporting a participant from Northern Alberta to engage in a cohort that brings together people from across Canada
Chrysalis: An Alberta Society for Citizens with DisabilitiesPan-Disability Connection$60,000
To support a collective impact initiative which aims to increase the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.
Edmonton and Area Land TrustOrganizational Capacity $75,000
To development policies, programs, and procedures that will support the organization as it continues to grow.
Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary OrganizationsBuilding the Capacity of Edmonton's Non-profit Sector $100,000
To build capacity in the non-profit sector by fostering emerging networks of organizations, with a focus on leadership, governance, collective action, and collaboration.
Edmonton Gleaners AssociationBeyond Food $50,000
To support a collaborative initiative to connect Food Bank clients with other services that will address key barriers to success, such as literacy, education, employment, mental health, and food security.
Edmonton Opera AssociationUnderstudy Program$30,000
To support an understudy program for the principal roles in Edmonton Opera productions, providing rich artistic development opportunities for emerging artists.
Edmonton Social Planning CouncilResearch Support Staffing $40,000
To support social justice research, providing the community with more resources to understand social issues in Edmonton.
Edmonton Symphony SocietyYONA-Sistema Expansion$70,000
To expand a free after school music education program offered five days a week.
YWCA EdmontonPhD Level Counselling Psychologist $75,000
To support the salary of a PhD level counselling psychologist who can supervise practicum students, significantly increasing the capacity of the counselling program.
Norwood Child & Family ResourceC5 Collaborative $100,000
To support collaboration between five large social service agencies, including pooling resources to better support clients, and advocacy on behalf of the 30,000 people the Collaborative represents.
Boys & Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area SocietySocial Inclusion of Cultural Diversity Focus
$75,000
Too support the organization's wide range of programs, with a particular focus on responding to the needs of ethnocultural populations.
United Way of the Alberta Capital RegionEmpower U - Building Confident Futures$75,000
To assist people in improving their financial circumstances through participation in a financial literacy program with a matched savings component.
Creating Hope Society of AlbertaConnect the Dots $100,000
To support a housing readiness program for families in crisis, with resources and supports to build life skills and keep their families together.
Drayton Valley Community FoundationEnvironmental Activities $120,000
To fund increased environmental grant-making in the Drayton Valley area, and to build an environmental endowment.
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human RightsBreaking Down Barriers$60,000
To break down Islamophobia and to advance disability rights.
Arts On The AvenueGrowing Operational Capacity $100,000
To support the further development of the organization as it takes on new operational endeavours.
Bissel CentreFollow-up Support Worker $60,000
To support a follow-up support worker to work with Bissell Centre's Outreach Housing Team.
Multicultural Family Resource SocietyAccess 24/7 Peer & Family Support$74,000
To provide peer support and family support for people receiving services through the Access 24/7 mental health clinic.
Multicultural Family Resource SocietySocial Inclusion of Refugees$100,000
To provide holistic integration services for Syrian refugee families, driven and informed by the specific needs of that community.
Natural Step CanadaNGO Sustainability Champions $36,000
To build capacity in the non-profit sector by providing a series of workshops on sustainability for non-profit workers.
NorQuest College FoundationElders in Residence$60,000
To enhance cultural programming accessible to all students, and to provide additional cultural supports for Indigenous students.
Policywise for Children & FamiliesAlberta Non-profit Data Strategy$50,000
To increase the capacity of the non-profit sector to use and understand data.
United Way of the Alberta Capital RegionCommunities United$100,000
To support a community development initiative in five neighbourhoods which aims to move people out of poverty.
United Way of the Alberta Capital RegionEPE Secretariat$50,000
To support a collective impact initiative aiming to end poverty in Edmonton within a generation.
United Way of the Alberta Capital RegionRed Feather Society$100,000
To build the fund development capacity of the United Way.
United Way of the Alberta Capital RegionAll in for Youth$100,000
To support a collaborative effort by school boards and community agencies, which provides social service supports in schools with a high proportion of low income students, thereby improving academic outcomes.
University of AlbertaCommunity-University Partnership $50,000
To support a collaboration between the University of Alberta and community organizations to improve the development of children, youth, families, and communities through the creation and mobilization of research.
University of AlbertaCommunity Impact Placements $35,000
To introduce students to careers in the non-profit sector by supporting summer internships at community agencies.

Total amount granted: $2,280,000