Pandemic response

In mid-March, HCF’s Board established its Pandemic Response Fund with an initial $2 million commitment, underpinned by a strategy that would enable:

Flexibility to meet changing and uncertain conditions

Transparency and accountability to our stakeholders

Ongoing communication with agencies, other funders and government to determine and respond to emerging needs

Immediate emergency granting focused on Hamiltonians most affected by the pandemic, including people experiencing homelessness and lacking food security, those who are immuno-compromised, isolated seniors, newcomers and Indigenous people. Before the end of March, proactive grants totalling $305,000 were made to 16 Hamilton organizations to help address these immediate needs.

This work formed the starting point for the three ongoing streams of the fund:

Meeting basic needs (Short-term)

Providing basic needs related to food security, shelter, hygiene.

Stabilization (Short- to medium-term)

Supporting charities to deliver frontline, critical services to vulnerable populations affected by quarantine, closures, shortages, access to services, loss of income, or other economic factors. This stream aims to maintain or expand local capacity to address all aspects of the outbreak as efficiently as possible, and help close gaps where services are not covered by government relief funding.

Recovery and rebuilding (Medium- to long-term)

Recognizing that the recovery from this crisis will extend far into the foreseeable future, this stream will enable the Foundation’s continued flexibility and responsiveness to Hamilton’s evolving needs, with the goal of strengthening its long-term resilience.

Ongoing leadership

Beyond our direct support through the Pandemic Response Fund, we are shaping our existing leadership priorities to the city’s new and emerging realities in multiple ways, including:

Education

Increasing the likelihood that young Hamiltonians will participate in university, college or the trades is a critical community investment that can have a positive impact on people, neighbourhoods and our city. HCF supports education in numerous ways, through our ABACUS initiative and beyond.

HCF is supporting its ABACUS grantees and other education organizations in Hamilton to best serve their communities through the pandemic. We surveyed our 23 ABACUS grantees to understand how they are responding to COVID-19, physical distancing measures and online schooling. Based on their responses HCF has been working with them to:

Redirect a portion of their ABACUS funds, where appropriate, to respond to imminent and pressing needs due to COVID-19

Use the remainder of their 2019-20 funds to move their current ABACUS program online

Retain the remainder of their 2019-20 funds until in-person programming can resume

We continue to listen and learn from our grantees to be flexible in supporting middle-school-aged youth and their broader community.

Neighbourhoods

The Foundation’s longstanding commitment to neighbourhoods has focused in recent years on small grants that promote health equity and leadership development. Over the last year, HCF conducted a pilot on new ways of delivery that would expand the reach of its grants. We also conducted a community scan to understand better, what residents would like to learn more about to support their community work. While both these projects are temporarily paused, the research will help to inform how the Foundation continues to support healthy, inclusive neighbourhoods in a post-pandemic reality.

Engaging, learning from and working with Indigenous communities

In October 2019, HCF’s Board of Directors made a commitment to strengthen the Foundation’s relationship with Indigenous communities as part of its work towards truth and reconciliation. We recognize that the Foundation’s history and current operations are connected to Canada’s colonial history and current context. To be partners, the Foundation must start, at all levels of our organization, by working alongside Indigenous communities and organizations to explore how we grant, invest and convene across our community.

HCF has strong relationships with several local Indigenous organizations and leaders, and supports multiple Indigenous-led initiatives through granting and impact investing. HCF is now working to build our response both to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action and to the unique needs of this community, especially as a result of COVID-19.