The Gary Robinson Memorial Fund was established in 2005 to support search and rescue/recovery, emergency response activities and outdoor skills and/or survival training in the Yellowknife area. Gary was a young man, born in Yellowknife, who loved the outdoors for both recreation and work and took pride in his self-sufficiency andpreparedness with both skills and equipment for any situation either might present. Gary was always happy to assist others in need yet made little of the deed. Through this fund it is hoped that Gary will continue to protect and help others in the place he loved.

The George Cleary Memorial Scholarship Fund was created by the Cleary family. The scholarship is intended to encourage Indigenous residents and Sahtu beneficiaries of the Northwest Territories to pursue a post-secondary or trades educations, giving them the opportunity to help their communities grow and prosper.

Established in 2024.

Established in 2014, the Haylee Carlson Memorial Legislative Assembly Fund (formerly known as the Legislative Assembly of the NWT Fund)’s purpose is to support residents of the Northwest Territories who are pursuing post-secondary education in political science or a related field. The Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly and the Yellowknife Community Foundation announced a name change to the Fund on October 3rd, 2023 to memorialize Haylee Carlson, who was integral in establishing the Fund in 2014. Haylee believed that education was life long and was on her own education journey before she passed away from breast cancer in 2020 at the young age of 37. Haylee was a compassionate, courageous, selfless warrior who always thought of other before herself even at the last stages of her life.

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.

Established by the Foster Family Coalition of the NWT with help from BHP and other generous donors, The Helping Children Soar Scholarship assists residents of the Northwest Territories (NWT) who have grown up in foster care to further their education.