Blog: A Season of Momentum: Data, Dialogue, and Doing More Good

I hope you’re enjoying this summer, whether it means time with family, a time for a change of scenery, or time to reflect. At Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF), we’ve been using this time to deepen our commitment to building social infrastructure, those spaces, experiences, and platforms that foster meaningful connection and trust. Earlier this summer, we proudly awarded $1.7 million in grants to 84 local organizations through our Community Grants, Arts Grants, and Racial Equity Grants streams. You may have heard about these grants on CBC’s The Morning Edition with Craig Norris, CambridgeToday.ca, or through our own communications. These investments reflect our commitment to activating hubs, havens, and hangouts across our communities, creating opportunities for engagement, learning, belonging, and joy.

These investments are especially timely in light of national trends. The 2025 CanadaHelps Giving Report reveals a complex national picture for philanthropy. While total charitable giving reached a record $12.8 billion, the number of Canadians donating continues to decline. The donor base is aging, and younger Canadians are giving less frequently. When younger Canadians do give, they prioritize local impact, digital engagement, and trust-based philanthropy. The report also indicates a rise in regional giving, with donors increasingly supporting causes close to home. This shift underscores the importance of community foundations like WRCF, which offer transparent, flexible, and deeply local ways to give.

We’re seeing data that reveal a similarly complex regional picture for our social infrastructure. The data compiled for Waterloo Region's 2025 Vital Signs® Report will highlight many assets to celebrate and many challenges to face. To explore the trends and their local implications, and to hear about the many paths forward, I hope you’ll tune in on Wednesday, September 10, when we’ll host a webinar launch of the report with our lead researcher, Steven Ayer. All attendees will receive a link to the full report after the session.

We’ve been busy planning for our major fall Do More Good Dialogue. On Thursday, September 18, we’re excited to welcome Pete Bombaci, Founder & CEO of GenWell: The Human Connection Movement, for an in-person conversation on the power of connection to build healthy and resilient communities. We will also celebrate community with the presentation of several WRCF Community Awards. Advance registration is required, but free.

While summer is often a time to slow down, at WRCF it’s been a season of momentum. From grantmaking to data analysis to event planning, we’ve been working hard to ensure our community continues to thrive. We hope you’ll join us in September—first for the Vital Signs® webinar on September 10, and then for our Do More Good Dialogue on September 18. These events are more than dates on a calendar. We hope they are opportunities to connect, reflect, and shape the future of Waterloo Region together.

Eric Avner
WRCF President & CEO
eric@wrcf.ca