OUR MISSION

The Small Donations Committee receives and reviews funding requests, up to $10,000, from registered charitable organizations in Calgary and its surrounding areas. Funds are primarily provided for projects and programs that support children, youth at risk, seniors, literacy, mental health, poverty reduction and other needs that may be identified from time to time. The committee supports organizations that benefit the community without requiring ongoing financing from the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown.

 

 

CHAIR'S MESSAGE

"A small donation can make a real difference in the ability of our community partners to help people in need."

 

"By working together, we take action to create lasting change in our communities, and in ourselves.”

 

Michael Pierson, Chair Small Donations Committee
Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown

 

 

FUNDING REQUESTS

Over the past ten years, we have provided more than $350,000 to over one hundred organizations.

Donations are generally less than $5,000, but in exceptional circumstances, a donation can be as much as $10,000. Our board sets a small donations budget each year, and funding requests generally exceed available funding. The Small Donations Committee meets monthly to review and prioritize all requests and respond to each applicant.

 

 

WHAT WE FUND

We have funded projects ranging from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars. We provided start-up costs of a few hundred dollars to a grief counselling program that included a therapy dog to help grieving children and youth. And we provided several thousand dollars to a women’s emergency shelter so they could buy a commercial dishwasher to clean dishes from over 50,000 meals they prepare each year.

 

A Small Donation helped a small grassroots charity that collected donated bicycles, had volunteers service them and then gave them to children in need. Funds were used to buy a bike helmet for each child to meet safety requirements.

We donated to a mother’s group that helps mothers with young children in need because of illness, adversity, or crisis in the family. This group started years ago as a mothers’ meet-up group and now has over 500 volunteers providing meals, baby essentials, in-home support, birthday celebrations and beds.

 

FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS

The Small Donations Committee considers several factors in its review, including

  • Nature of the need in the community
  • Whether the funding builds a sense of community
  • Whether the applicant serves a broad cross-section of the community
  • Outcomes expected as a direct result of the donation
  • Other funding available to the applicant
  • An expectation that funding will be non-recurring
  • Whether the donation promotes excellence in a field of learning
  • Whether the donation will purchase capital assets with a long life span

Please complete the Small Donations Application for Funding and forward your application to the Small Donations Committee.