Welcome to our 2025 Annual Report. To learn more about any of the topics below, simply click the links. To find the PDF version of the printed report, click here.
OUR YEAR IN REVIEW
Our year in review
Our 31st year was jam-packed with initiatives, events and community connection that includes:
- Getting to know new Fundholders at our get-together in April and launching the Fundholder Handbook,
- Learning and building relationships with other community foundations at the Illuminate Conference in Halifax,
- Donating $10,000 from the Urban Tree Fund to support the planting of 400 trees with Oakvillegreen Conservation Association,
- Supporting 20 students with the Oakville Youth Education Award and celebrating them at our first-ever Student Award Celebration (ice cream truck included!),
- Connecting with community members at a number of local fairs throughout the summer and events like the Santa Claus Parade,
- Hosting a philanthropy, wine and pizza pairing event for local professional advisors,
- Launching three new research reports that looked at wealth and poverty, youth not in education, employment or training and community generosity,
- Winning AFP Golden Horseshoe’s Outstanding Fundraising Event Award for GIVEOakville LIVE!,
- Raising nearly $920,000 for local charities through GIVEOakville, and
- Presenting awards to our Fundholders, including Bonnie Jackson, The Kenny Family and Michael Whitcombe!
2025 also marked the successful conclusion of our four-year strategic plan to Build Community Through Philanthropy. In that time, we were able to serve more than 4,000 students through the Community Education Awards Hub, welcome more than 60 new Fundholders, reduce our top admin fees to 1.125% during a period of high inflation, plant hundreds of trees in Oakville and raise more than $3 million through GIVEOakville, among so many other things!
Investment Pool returns were 5.8% and while the one-year returns trailed some traditional balances benchmarks, we have achieved higher than our long-term return target of 7.8% with 8.2% over the last 10 years. The Foundation has also invested $1.5 million in Impact Investments which returned 2.3% in 2025 while providing impact in climate, gender equity, children and youth, health and wellness and housing. In total, $8.8 million was granted throughout 2025 to charities.
Thank you to our generous family of Fundholders, donors, volunteers, sponsors and local charity partners for all the work you do, and help us do, in Oakville. We wouldn’t be able to accomplish so much without you.
FINANCE & INVESTMENTS
The Foundation provides careful stewardship of the monies given over to our care. These charts and graphs are a way of providing a clear and concise snapshot of our Fund positions for the past year, as well as demonstrating our historical data.
Our Audited Financial Statements are available here.
Our Year at a Glance
Community Education Awards Hub
Recipients of the Oakville Youth Education Award and their families were invited to the first ever Student Awards Celebration in June. With support from our Fundholders and a match from the Miller Family Foundation, 20 students received a $2,000 education award for $40,000 total. Other awards presented at the Celebration include the Kopriva-Robinson Family Foundation Award, the Pehar Family Mental Health Scholarship and the Kickstart Your Education Award.
Supporting Community Priorities.
We identified four community priorities as areas of urgent and high need in Oakville and thanks to our Fundholders and donors during the 2024 GIVEOakville campaign.
Urban Tree Fund.
We made a $10,000 grant to the Oakvillegreen Conservation Association from the Oakville Urban Tree Fund to plant 400 trees in 2025. This followed The Foundation’s 30th Anniversary celebration tree planting and the launch of the Oakville Urban Tree Initiative which pledged to plant trees in Oakville with donations from Fundholders and donors!
Research.
Are Oakville Youth Going to Post-Secondary or Finding Jobs?
Nearly 8% of Oakville youth 15-24 are not in school, completing an apprenticeship or working. Our report Are The Kids Alright? delved into the Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) statistic originally explored in 2018.
Are We Wealthy?
Most recent estimates put the median household income of $145,000 nearly 50% above Ontario’s median household income. However, Oakville’s low income rate of 8.6% is the highest among the municipalities in Halton Region.
Are We Generous?
In 2023, 21.2% of Oakville tax filers donated a total of $115 million. Faced with less disposable income and increasing costs for basic necessities, those who are able to give are being relied on to give more.
GIVEOakville.
Almost $920,000 was raised for more than 65 local charities during the 2025 GIVEOakville campaign, thanks to our many generous Fundholders and donors! Our award-winning GIVEOakville LIVE! event was a hit and a perfect launch to the campaign. Thank you to all of the participating charities and everyone who attended.
Did you see us around Town during the campaign? This year we introduced our new GIVEOakville lawn signs which can be reused for future campaigns. You also might have seen our Foundation staff at the Oakville Santa Claus Parade!
Impact Investments.
Impact investments are a flexible financing tool that allow for investments into solutions to social, cultural and environmental issues, and earn a return for future granting. Recently completed investments include:
- Food For Life Canada: $75,000 5-year impact investment loan supported expanded capacity and accessibility upgrades.
- Windmill Microlending: $50,000, 5-year investment helped 141 Halton newcomers meet Canadian professional certification requirements. We renewed this impact investment for $250,000
RECOGNITION
In Memoriam
We recognize and honour the following individuals who, as Fundholders, Friends and Volunteers, we have lost in 2025.
- Tom Hierlihy
- Pat Hutchison
- John Gandy
- Lesley Mansfield
- Diana Saulez
- Ann Marie Tyrrell
20+ Year Funds
We recognize the following Funds that have been building community through their philanthropy in Oakville for more than 20 years.
- Athena Scholarship Fund
- Aubrey and Marsha Baillie Family Fund
- Birlo Management Inc.
- Conservation Halton Foundation – Douglas Cockburn Fund
- Daphne and William Cockwell Hospital Fund II
- Russ and Sonja Buckland Fund
- United Way of Oakville Tomorrow Fund
Our Committees
Community Legacy Building Committee
Andrew Tyrrell (Chair), Les Ross (Vice-Chair), Andy Aicklen, Sharmila Ali, Julie Cordeiro, Bindu Cudjoe, Binu Dhas, Josh Engelbrecht, Geraldine Esemezie, Julie Pehar, Shefali Rajaputra, Jen Zhou
GIVEOakville Leadership Council
Andy Aicklen (Co-Chair), Jen Zhou (Co-Chair), Josh Engelbrecht, Jessie Nairn, Faiza Sandhu, Gordon Vuong, Jeff Zhu
Oakville Youth Education Award Selection Committee
Geraldine Esemezie (Chair), Oyinkan Sanni, Julie Pehar
Governance & Nominating Committee
Binu Dhas (Chair), Andrew Tyrrell (Vice-Chair), Bindu Cudjoe, Julie Cordeiro, Lisa Kohler, Mike Miller, Ameeta Vijay
Finance, Risk & Audit Committee
Kevin Tremblay (Chair), Christine Langevin (Vice-Chair), Kirby Alguire, Rashpal Brar-Grewal, Stephen Credico, Kishan Dial, Michael Langlais, Mike Miller, Grant Redpath, Ronan Ryan, Sukhwinder Randhawa, Jen Zhou
Investment Committee
Lindsay Patrick (Chair), David Wong (Vice-Chair), Sarah Bewley, Martha Hill, Tasleem Jamal, Xavier Labrecque St-Vincent, Mike Miller, Fred Pinto
Impact Investment Committee
Ronan Ryan (Chair), Samantha Cheung (Vice-Chair), Rob Budhwa, Lisa Kohler (Climate Advisor), Muska Frackowiak, Ercole Perrone, Valerie Scott, Ameeta Vijay
