Which celebrity foundation could be the funder of your next grant application?
Grant Connect, our funding database, provides detailed information on the giving history of thousands of funders that support Canadian charities, including famous philanthropists and beloved Canadian icons. Here are 5 famous funders that you can find on the platform.
1. The Wayne Gretzky Foundation
You miss 100% of the grant opportunities you don’t apply for, so make sure you don’t miss out on funding opportunities from top Canadian athletes who support youth recreation, like the Wayne Gretzky Foundation (Canada), The Steve Nash Foundation, the Jays Care Foundation, or the Rick Hansen Foundation. This foundation provided $134K of funding in 2018 to a handful of charities with programs providing opportunities for low-income youth to play hockey.
2. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Currently the most generous foundation in North America, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave $4.7 billion US dollars to charities supporting international development and global health in 2017. Although they primarily fund American causes, these philanthropists have supported several Canadian charities throughout the years, and they are one of the 120 American foundations listed in Grant Connect.
3. The Sarah McLachlan Foundation
Who didn’t tear up at the ASPCA advertisement featuring “Angel”? Unfortunately, McLachlan’s foundation hasn’t funded organizations other than her own music education charity for the past three years (Grant Connect doesn’t list them as a grant-making charity for this reason), but here’s to hoping they’ll fund cute animals in the future.
4. Simple Plan Foundation
The 2000’s emo-pop group has given 2.5 million dollars to Canadian charities since the foundation’s inception in 2008. Primarily supporting Montreal-based organizations, they fund charities working with young people facing typical teenage problems: drugs, depression, bullying, school dropouts, suicide, and poverty. The deadline to apply to this year’s funding program is May 31st, and they will fund charities that strongly align with their mission.
5. Céline Dion Foundation
This diva and icon hasn’t forgotten her Canadian roots. In 2017, the foundation gave $400K to health, education, and social services in Québec, her home province. Although they don’t have a formal funding program inviting grant applications from charities, fundraisers should attempt to network to meet one of the key contacts listed in Grant Connect from the foundation that are involved in their grant making process, or better yet, network to meet Celine herself.
By using the comprehensive data provided in each famous funders' Grant Connect profile, you can create strong grant proposals to apply for funding for your charity.
Have you come across any interesting funders in Grant Connect? Let us know on Twitter! If your charity isn't signed up for Grant Connect yet, sign up for a demo of the product here.
