Impact Investments are made for more than financial return with a focus on supporting a solution to a social, cultural or environmental issue.
Grantmaking is not the only way community foundations can better our communities. There’s another way to make a difference—Impact Investments. These are a flexible financing tool that The Foundation is now providing that allow investment in solutions to social problems, while also recycling those dollars and earning some return for new investments.
The Foundation’s Impact Investment Guidelines state that the purpose of these investments is to amplify the strategic research and programming directions of The Foundation.
Participating in Impact Investments
With the ability to provide greater impact and generate stable returns, the Board has created a new Impact Investment Pool. In 2024, the Foundation will invest 3% of the assets from all Endowed Funds in a separate pool for impact investments (including PRI and market return) for a new pool of approximately $2 million.
Read more about The Foundations Impact Investing: Five Year Review.
Donor Advised Fundholders who are interested in contributing more than the allocated 3% to the Impact Investment Pool can contact giving@theocf.org.
Community Fundholders and Fundholders with Flow-Through Funds can choose to grant to the Impact Investment Pool by contacting giving@theocf.org.
Current Impact Investments
$275,000 Investment
This is The Foundation’s first Impact Investment, a trilateral loan alongside the Burlington Foundation and Hamilton Community Foundation. The Impact Investment loan supported the purchase of a new home for the Halton Children’s Aid Society’s Bridging the Gap program.
The home, located in Burlington, houses homeless and at-risk youth aged 16-24. It serves as transitional housing for six youth and a mentor, alongside onsite support staff. The home has so far housed 16 youth.
$250,000 Investment
In 2021, The Foundation added a fourth Impact Investment to its portfolio with the purchase of Bonds in a Canadian investment fund focused on fixed income investments in Latin America and the Caribbean in companies with missions to promote women in leadership and governance, products and services that meet the needs of women and girls, gender-sensitive value chains, and workplace equity.
Click here to see Deetken Impact 2022 Report about the investment firm behind the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund.
$200,000 Investment
The One Planet Living Real Estate Fund is committed to shifting the real estate paradigm and creating places where people can live happy, healthy lives while being mindful of the planet’s capacity. It seeks to integrate sustainability and deliver social and environmental outcomes in real estate.
Click here to learn more about the fund.
$100,000 Investment
This impact investment with Carolinian Canada will finance the habitat improvement of 250 acres of land in the Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place. The habitat renewal initiative will be focused principally on protecting the 30 designated Species-at-Risk which call the Carolinian Zone home.
Learn more about the Conservation Impact Bond (CIB), here.
$200,000 Investment
The Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario has stewarded the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft for the last 20+ years. The investment goes towards partially financing the new on-water location of the Museum as well as to outfit the Museum and cover start-up costs.
Learn more about the Canadian Canoe Museum, here.
$250,000 Investment
The VERGE Breakthrough Fund II is a local impact investing fund that provides loans to both early stage and established social enterprises throughout Southwestern Ontario. The affordable financing helps social enterprises turn unmet social, environmental and economic needs into viable business opportunities all while creating significant community impact.
Learn more about the VERGE Breakthrough Fund II, here.
$250,000 Investment
Cycle Capital’s Cycle H20 Fund targets investments in innovative solutions with the goal of restoring healthy water environments in North America. The Fund invests in and accelerates the growth of companies that are committed to the conservation, reuse and protection of water.
Learn more about the Cycle H20 Fund, here.
$250,000 Investment
The Foundation has renewed an investment in Windmill Microlending for $250,000. Windmill Microlending is an organization that supports newcomers with microloans of up to $15,000 to help them meet Canadian professional certification requirements. The top four professions are dentist, physician, pharmacist and nurse.
During The Foundation’s initial investment, 68 people in Oakville and 167 people across Halton were supported.
Click here to read Windmill Microlending’s 2023-2024 Impact Report.
Completed Impact Investments
$75,000 Investment
The Foundation joined with the Hamilton Community Foundation to fund and support an expansion and renovation of Food For Life’s current facility, to facilitate a growing need and demand for food in our community.
Impacts of this loan include: expanded capacity supporting over 100 programs with food assistance, essential upgrades to infrastructure like the expansion of fresh and frozen food capacity, as well as vital upgrades to the Mountainside Market, like fully accessible washrooms and improved entryways.
This impact investment was completed in 2025. For more information, please read the press release here.
$50,000 Investment
In 2020, The Foundation made a $50,000 investment in Windmill Microlending, an organization that provides microloans of up to $15,000 to newcomers to help them meet Canadian professional certification requirements. Over five years, Windmill has supported 68 people in Oakville and 167 people across Halton Region.
In 2021, The Foundation featured Oakville-based Windmill Microlending particpant Megan Badenhorst in its annual report. You can read about Megan and her experience here.
