Northern Legacy Fund

Let's build our Northern legacy, together.

Our goal: to raise $3 million by 2028.

The Northern Legacy Fund is an endowment fund that supports a range of community needs, with the flexibility to adapt as those needs change over time.

Northwest Territories

Grants from the Northern Legacy Fund will be available to organizations every year to help address local challenges and build stronger communities across the Northwest Territories.

How the Northern Legacy Fund creates lasting impact

Unified Support

The Northern Legacy Fund unites donors – individuals, organizations, and businesses – to support and strengthen communities across the Northwest Territories. Together with our donors, we’re building a foundation to help every community in the territory to thrive.

Long-Standing Commitment

The Northern Legacy Fund reflects a strong commitment to the ongoing development and wellbeing of the Northwest Territories. Regardless of changes in industry and the economy, we will be able to continue supporting important community initiatives. 

Shaping the Future

By contributing to the Northern Legacy Fund, you help build a brighter and more resilient future for the Northwest Territories. Together, we can build our Northern legacy and look forward to a hopeful tomorrow.

How the Northern Legacy Fund creates lasting impact

Unified Support

Long-Standing Commitment

Shaping the Future

The Northern Legacy Fund unites donors – individuals, organizations, and businesses – to support and strengthen communities across the Northwest Territories. Together with our donors, we’re building a foundation to help every community in the territory to thrive.

The Northern Legacy Fund reflects a strong commitment to the ongoing development and wellbeing of the Northwest Territories. Regardless of changes in industry and the economy, we will be able to continue supporting important community initiatives. 

By contributing to the Northern Legacy Fund, you help build a brighter and more resilient future for the Northwest Territories. Together, we can build our Northern legacy and look forward to a hopeful tomorrow.

How to give

A Named Contribution is a meaningful gift within the Northern Legacy Fund, offering you special recognition while contributing to a collective effort that will support important charitable initiatives across the Northwest Territories in the long-term.
 
Individuals and families can establish a Named Contribution with a minimum gift of $5,000, while businesses and organizations can do so starting at $15,000. We also offer an “Emerging” Named Contribution, which begins with a minimum gift of $1,000 and allows up to 3 years to reach the full Named Contribution threshold.
You can support the Northern Legacy Fund with one-time or recurring donations by credit card, cheque, e-transfer, or securities, with charitable tax receipts provided for each contribution. Additional giving options include bequests and legacy gifts, corporate partnerships, and in-kind donations.
 
Each giving method offers a meaningful way to strengthen communities and create a lasting impact across the Northwest Territories. Every contribution, large or small, is a valued and important part of our collective effort.

The Northern Legacy Fund is an endowment fund that is responsibly invested by the Yellowknife Community Foundation. Each year, the interest earned will be granted to organizations in the Northwest Territories.

Our goal is to raise funds to establish the principal,

$3,000,000

which will remain in the fund indefinitely, continuing to grow each year.

Granting

Once we achieve our fundraising goal, the Northern Legacy Fund will grant approximately

$125,000

per year.

The amount available to grant every year will likely grow with time.

In the coming years, organizations in the Northwest Territories will be able to apply once a year for funding from the Northern Legacy Fund through a simple, low-barrier application process. Funding will be available for any charitable projects or services that make a positive impact in communities.

Sponsors and supporters

The Northern Legacy Fund has received a generous seed contribution of $225,000 from Rio Tinto’s Diavik Diamond Mine, the Fund’s lead sponsor.

Diavik’s commitment to closing responsibly and closing with care is not just about the progressive reclamation activities we are carrying out at our mine site – it’s also about making sure that our home communities are empowered and resilient. The fund is an important chapter in the story of Diavik, and the story of the North. It will make a lasting difference in the lives of Northern residents, and our partnership with the Yellowknife Community Foundation is an important part of Diavik’s contribution to the North.

Northern Legacy Fundraising Campaign Progress Update

November 2024

Northern Legacy Fundraising Campaign Progress Update: November 2024

About the Yellowknife Community Foundation

Founded in 1993, the Yellowknife Community Foundation began with a commitment to support Yellowknife’s community projects, in the long-term. Guided by our vision to be a catalyst for communities that are sharing, supportive, and connected, we continue to support Yellowknife and now extend many of our grants, student awards, and the new Northern Legacy Fund to communities across the Northwest Territories.

Today, we are a charitable organization that inspires impactful giving across Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories. Through strategic grant-making, fundraising, and community partnerships, we align donor interests with community needs to create lasting change.

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