The Prince Albert and Area Community Foundation Inc. is a Canadian nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering community vitality and philanthropy within the Prince Albert region and its surrounding areas. Established in 1921, the foundation connects donors, nonprofit organizations, and the local community to address regional needs and opportunities through charitable funding and support.

Mission and Purpose

The foundation’s core mission is to encourage philanthropy by administering various charitable funds that aim to enhance the quality of life in the community. It achieves this by holding all donations in perpetuity, investing the principal amounts, and using the income earned to support local initiatives across multiple areas, including:

• Children and Youth
• Family and Community
• Arts and Culture
• Health and Welfare
• Education
• Research

The organization serves three key constituencies: donors, nonprofit charitable organizations, and the wider community, ensuring that funds are managed responsibly and used effectively to benefit local causes.

Operations and Programs

Recognizing the increasing restrictions on government funding, the Prince Albert and Area Community Foundation often provides crucial financial support where other funding sources have diminished. This support helps sustain important community programs and can also incubate new projects.

The foundation collaborates with various scholarship programs, such as the P.A. Community Scholarships, Collin LaRoche Scholarship, and Gail Hartsook Scholarships, distributing financial aid to local students. For instance, scholarships distributed have included amounts upwards of $4,300, alongside special grants like a $7,000 award to the P.A. Children’s Haven.

Additionally, the foundation manages significant grants from other entities, including the Moffat Foundation, which awarded over $100,000 to local charities in 2021, and funds from the United Way - Saskatoon branch dedicated to Prince Albert community projects.

The organization has also engaged in broader initiatives such as the RBC Youth Future Launch Community Challenge, the Gender Equality Program, the Investment Readiness Program, and the Emergency Community Support Program, completing these projects by early 2021.

Impact and Community Role

By maintaining funds in perpetuity and investing earnings to support ongoing projects, the Prince Albert and Area Community Foundation plays a vital role in sustaining and enhancing community development. It acts as a stable financial resource that addresses immediate needs and helps build a resilient, vibrant community for the long term.

Its work exemplifies the broader Canadian movement of community foundations, which collectively serve as important stewards of philanthropy and charitable giving across the country.

Note: This article is based on publicly available information from the organization's website and charity databases.