About Us
We’re better together.
By building continuous community connections at all levels, we create a better North Okanagan for us all.
We connect regionally and locally, working here in the North Okanagan and across the entire Okanagan Valley to foster and leverage relationships with people and places. Together, we develop forward-thinking innovative solutions and seize opportunities to meet the current and future needs of our community.
About Us
Who we are
Community Foundation North Okanagan was created in 1975 as a 360-degree funder and continues to support Arts & Culture, Education, Environment, Health & Recreation, and Social Services.
Today, we are one of Canada’s two hundred+ community foundations, which are charitable organizations dedicated to improving communities in specific geographic areas. We primarily do this by pooling the charitable gifts of donors to create endowment funds and using the investment income to make grants. We also flow through funding (or facilitate funding) to make an immediate impact where needed. Community Foundations also provide leadership – monitoring our area’s quality of life and convening people, ideas, and resources to help build stronger and more resilient communities.
Our Vision: Enhancing the quality of life in the communities of North Okanagan.
Our mission: Community Foundation North Okanagan is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the region by distributing the earnings from a permanent, ever-growing pool of funds and embracing innovative grantmaking opportunities.
To meet our mission, we prioritize community building, donor relations, and grantmaking.
Our total assets have grown to $19.5 million. In 2023, we provided 362 grants, totalling $1.5 million. Since our inception, the Community Foundation has granted $13.5 million to charities working to make our region a better place to live, work, and play.
Learn about the Community Foundation Movement
“Calls for greater equality and for a just and equitable future are gaining traction. Community Foundations are engaging with women's movements across the country, turning to black and indigenous leaders, and listening to voices that have been kept in the margins for most of Canada’s history. And as a result, Community Foundations have begun to examine who holds power, to decolonize their work, and to challenge how resources are mobilized.”
How we got here
Community Foundation North Okanagan, originally known as the Vernon Benevolent Society, was created in 1975 when a number of members of the Vernon Rotary Club got together to discuss the need for a charitable society which focused on supporting the needs of the community. We began with an original donation of $1000 and have grown significantly over the years through donations from caring individuals, families and businesses in the North Okanagan region.
In 1984, our name was formally changed to the Vernon and District Foundation to better describe our objectives and mode of operation. In the early 1990s, we saw significant growth which has continued - reaching $19 million in assets today. The majority of our assets are invested to provide perpetual income for use by charitable organizations in the North Okanagan region.
In the year 2000, our 25th year, the Board of Directors decided once again to rename the Foundation to better describe our geographic focus. Our new name, Community Foundation North Okanagan, better expresses the scope of our operations.
The Board of Directors is proud of the impact the Community Foundation has had on our communities. Successful investment of the capital assets has allowed us to distribute income in excess of $12 million over the past 48+ years. These distributions have supported a broad range of charitable organizations in our region.
We’re here to help.
Questions or concerns? Reach out to us for any additional support.
Leanne Hammond
Executive Director
leanne@cfno.org
250-542-8655
