Helen & John Parker Community Fund

John H. Parker O.C., P.Eng, was Commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1979 to 1989. He also served as Mayor of Yellowknife from 1963 to 1967, and NWT Deputy Commissioner from 1968 to 1979. Mr. Parker was instrumental in the establishment of responsible government in the NWT. During their time in the north, Helen and John Parker were well known for their community work and for the development projects they undertook to help the Territory grow and prosper.

John, a geological engineer, arrived in Yellowknife in 1954 to work for N. W. Byrne, a consulting engineer, whose practice he bought in 1963. He was elected to Yellowknife Town Council in 1958. Helen Parker arrived in 1955, having just received her MSW from McGill University. She was immediately recruited as a volunteer worker with the Yellowknife Children’s Aid Society, which was the only welfare agency in the NWT caring for children in need of protection. It operated until the establishment of federal government welfare services in the early 1960’s. Her love of music and the arts drove Helen to help in the creation of the Overture Concert Society, a group that brought classical music to Yellowknife. An original trailblazer, Helen was one of the first women invited to join the Board of Directors of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Helen was the ultimate communicator, connector and networker. Together, the Parkers were active community volunteers including the building of the United Church and numerous other boards and committees.

In March of 2020, John passed away and Helen decided to work with the Yellowknife Community Foundation to establish a new fund in the family’s name. Helen and John understood the importance of strong communities. They worked together to strengthen communities, and in doing so learned that developing a community of friends was one of life’s best assets. The fund will hopefully help others learn that lesson, while filling the need for community development. Helen passed away in March of 2023 and it was her hope that the goals of the fund would resonate with other community supporters and donors. She looked forward to seeing the fund grow so that it can provide the most community support possible.

The Helen and John Parker Community Fund is eligible for charitable organizations (organizations with a registered charitable number) conducting activities in the Yellowknife, Dettah and N’Dilo areas.

If you do not have a registered charitable number, please call or email our office to discuss further: +1-867-446-4527, information@ykcf.ca.

Grants from the Helen and John Parker Community Fund are designed to complement new and/or established programming and/or community-based activities in one or more of the following priority areas:

• Fostering volunteer development and/or mentorship in the community
• Supporting collective action to address identified community needs or issues
• Building capacity for stronger, more resilient communities

Applications can be submitted to the Helen and John Parker Community Fund when the application portal opens. In 2024, the application portal opens in in early June. Please use the link on our website to apply.

Please note that application dates may vary in future years.

For our 2024 intake, grant requests can be from $1,000 – $12,000.

Please note that funding amounts vary year by year. 

Applications are reviewed by our Grants Committee and Fund Advisors.

31 July 2024 at 11.59pm MST: All applications due via grant portal found on the Yellowknife Community Foundation website.

July and August 2024: Yellowknife Community Foundation staff and Grants Committee members conduct due diligence checks on all applications and undertake a review process. As a normal part of our review process, you may hear from us with questions about your application. We appreciate your time in providing clarity.

September 2024: Applicants are notified. Every applicant will receive notification regardless of funding decision.

• All successful applicants will be required to submit a final report through our online portal.
• We want to hear from you during the lifecycle of your grant! Please reach out anytime with an impact story, picture or video, or just to say “Hi!”.

The past recipients of the Helen and John Parker Community Fund:

• 2023 Home Base YK (Going M.I.L.E.S Conference)
• 2022 YWCA NWT (Good Food Box Program for Families)
• 2022 Foster Family Coalition of the Northwest Territories (Northern Stars)
• 2022 Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB NWT Mobile Hub)