(Ottawa, Ontario) March 13, 2019 — Community Foundations of Canada is pleased to welcome Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel on board in a new, multi-year partnership that will help strengthen and grow CFC’s flagship Vital Signs program. As part of the new partnership, Leith Wheeler will support both national scale activities as well as local efforts to drive public engagement in the program starting in 2019.
Vital Signs was first launched by the Toronto Foundation in 2001. Today, it is the most extensive community-driven data program in Canada. Annual Vital Signs reports measure community vitality by showcasing a wealth of current, local data as well as citizen feedback. Last year, more than 50 community foundations across the country participated in the program, and 33 communities produced reports. Worldwide, more than 100 communities now take part, in countries including Australia, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Romania and the U.K.
With Leith Wheeler’s support and strong community engagement across Canada and abroad, the program is expected to continue growing. In 2019, Vital Signs will measure community vitality across more than 70 indicators. Leith Wheeler’s contributions will help support the 2019 International Vital Signs Gathering, an unprecedented gathering of Vital Signs participants taking place at #AllIn2019, the upcoming Community Foundations Conference from June 5–8 in Victoria, B.C. Participants will have the opportunity throughout All In 2019 to connect with peers to share engagement strategies, tools to use Vital Signs for impact and strategies to connect local Vital Signs to global agendas, including the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Quotes
“We are delighted to have Leith Wheeler join us to support our national Vital Signs program, helping Canada’s community foundations use Vital Signs as an innovative tool to mobilize community knowledge into action,” says Andrew Chunilall, CEO of Community Foundations of Canada. “Leith Wheeler’s knowledge of community philanthropy, and its thoughtful, long-view and sustainable approach make it an ideal match for this unique community-driven data program.”
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with CFC, an organization with which we share many values: the importance of community building, capacity building, and empowerment,” says Trevor Hunt, Portfolio Manager with Leith Wheeler. “Given the many proven benefits of data-driven civic research, the Vital Signs program is a particularly exciting program for us to support. We look forward to engaging with communities across Canada and witnessing the great things CFC and its member foundations can accomplish.” Jon Palfrey, Head of Private Clients & Foundations at Leith Wheeler, adds, “We are also looking forward to being a partner at this year’s CFC Conference, hosted by Victoria Foundation — an organization with which Leith Wheeler has had the privilege of working since 2001.”
About Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel
Since 1982, Leith Wheeler has been one of Canada’s leading independent investment managers, with a diverse client base of pension plans, foundations, endowments, professional organizations, Indigenous communities, and families across Canada. An early signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investment, Leith Wheeler has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector and has been a long-standing partner of the community foundation movement.
For more information about CFC partnerships, please contact:
Vice-President
Community Foundations of Canada
Tel: 416.319.8111
To learn more about how Leith Wheeler supports community, please contact:
Mike Wallberg, CFA, Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Tel: 604.677.0195
Trevor Hunt, CIM
Vice President, Portfolio Manager
Tel: 416.646.8243
