The Yellowknife Community Foundation and the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society are excited to announce the establishment of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund, a new endowment fund at the Yellowknife Community Foundation that will provide a grant every single year to the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society. Starting in 2026, the fund will grant at least $6,000 per year, and that is expected to increase each year as the fund grows through investment income and with further donations from community members.
What is an endowment fund?
An endowment fund is a permanent fund where donations are invested, and the annual earnings are distributed as grants. The original donations (the capital) are generally not spent, allowing the fund to grow over time and provide a stable, sustainable source of support year after year. This makes it a great solution to the challenge many charities face of not having reliable, long-term operating funds. As endowment funds grow, so do the annual grants.
How was the fund established?
Funds at the Yellowknife Community Foundation are established by generous donors. The Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund was created with an initial donation from Wendy Bisaro. Wendy was an active Yellowknifer, having spent time as a city counsellor, an MLA, and president of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society during her over 50 years in Yellowknife. Having recently moved South to be closer to family, Wendy has made this donation to make a lasting impact for seniors in Yellowknife.
Wendy shared: “I am so very happy that my donation can have an impact for years to come. As I have aged the realization of the importance of the YKSS as an organization, and the programs it offers, has become apparent. This new fund will allow the YKSS to continue to serve YK seniors for many, many years to come.
The work of YKCF in assisting charitable organizations like YKSS is invaluable and I am grateful to them for the work they do.
Thanks to them for ensuring any donation has a maximum impact.”
Anyone can contribute to the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society Fund at any time. Every donation helps the fund grow, and the bigger it gets, the more support it can provide to seniors in our community each year. You can even leave a gift in your will, creating a lasting legacy that will continue to support seniors for generations to come. Connect with the Yellowknife Community Foundation to discuss. To give today, head to: https://yellowknifecf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1693
How will this fund support the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society?
Quote from John Soderberg, President of the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society: “We are very grateful for the creation of this fund and our thanks go out to Wendy Bisaro for having the insight to initiate this opportunity. It is important to find ways to provide long-term sustainability for our work with seniors. Having a reliable source of annual funding helps us to focus on programs and services that improve the lives of older adults in Yellowknife. We encourage community members to consider donating, knowing that every contribution helps ensure seniors are supported for generations to come.”
Quote from Sara Brown, Chair of the Yellowknife Community Foundation: “We are thrilled to support the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society by establishing this fund which provides a permanent and sustainable source of funding for seniors in Yellowknife. By building and investing in endowment funds like this, we can ensure organizations have reliable support year after year.”
More about the Yellowknife Community Foundation
The Yellowknife Community Foundation works to inspire and support community connections, projects, and organizations that make Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories a better place to live. They build permanent endowment funds, invest them wisely, and use the income to provide financial support for charitable activities across the NWT which includes student awards for Northern students, and grants to organizations.
The Foundation is also excited to announce that until the end of 2026, if a Yellowknife-based charity establishes an endowment fund with the Foundation, it will receive a matching contribution for any donation made into the fund by the charity itself or by community members. The Foundation will match:
- $1,000 for the first $1,000 raised
- $2,500 for the next $5,000, repeated four times, until the fund reaches $32,000
To connect with the Yellowknife Seniors’ Society, call 867-446-9475 or email ykseniorsociety@gmail.com.
To connect with the Yellowknife Community Foundation, call 867-446-4527 or email information@ykcf.ca.
