3. TableofContents
1 A Message from Past Chair, Mike Flynn
A Message from Chair, Jason Dudek
4 Welcome
6 Our Approach
Action for Social Change
Supporting Bold Innovation
8 From Reactive to Proactive
10 Our Funding Priorities
Adult Education
Housing
Environment
16 Investing for Social Change
18 The Way Forward
APPENDIX
CDF Board of Directors, Staff & Support
Ten Years of Project Granting
C AT H E R I N E
D O N N E L LY
F O U N D AT I O N
CDFReport(2005-2015)
Road Map to Social Change:
1O Years of Investing in Transformation
About this Ten Year Report
Printed on Rolland Enviro 100. This paper is an FSC-certified paper and comes from
well-managed forests, independently certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest
Stewardship Council. Design by Suzanne Courtney • Printing by Imperial Graphics Inc.

4. A
s 2015 dawns upon Canada and
the world, we face a time of great
uncertainty. Wars rage around
the world at the same time as climate
change is becoming a reality, often
for the worlds poorest. Inequality –
both within Canada and around the
world – is increasing dramatically,
with the income gap between rich
and poor actually growing faster in
Canada than in the U.S. since the
1990s.[1] Yet as the challenges we face
seem to get bigger and bigger, our
capacities to create change for good
have also grown. While inequality has
risen dramatically, for instance, the
overall wealth and investment power
of Canada has also vastly increased.
New green energy technologies have
the power to combat climate change,
and social initiatives and networks are
empowering people and organizations
like never before.
We have the power to change the world
and now is the time to do it. We can
make our economy green; we can make
our society just; we can care for those in
need and grow our economy in a way
that solves problems rather than creates
them. The question of our time therefore
becomes: how can we leverage our social,
technological and economic advances
into change for good?
The answer has been demonstrated
throughout history, including through
the life of Sister Catherine Donnelly
from whom our Foundation takes its
name. Catherine founded the Sisters of
Service, an exceptional order of women
who were undaunted and acted boldly,
radically even, in the face of Canada’s
great challenges at the time. With an
ironclad resolve and a clear focus on the
social justice they wanted to achieve, a
small, poorly resourced and newly formed
order rose up and made an incredible
difference. They helped thousands of
Canada’s most impoverished, vulnerable
families and created a change for good
which still resonates throughout our
nation to this day.
The Sisters of Service, and Catherine
Donnelly, are proof that if we maintain
great determination and act boldly,
anything is possible. This is a critical
lesson for Canadians today. To create a
better world for ourselves and others
we must be willing to struggle through
adverse, unfamiliar territory rather than
seek easy change that is convenient
and comfortable. With this spirit, the
Catherine Donnelly Foundation has
achieved some great successes in the ten
years since its inception, as this report
details. Upon our ten year anniversary,
the CDF invites all Canadians, levels of
government and civil society to consider
our responsibilities as one of the world’s
most fortunate nations; and to boldly join
us in the pursuit of a courageous society
which takes care of its own, of others and
its environment.
A Message from Chair, Jason Dudek
PostcardsFromtheRoad
Jason Dudek
[1] Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2011.
See www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/infographic-99-vs-1 2
Mike Flynn
PostcardsFromtheRoad
A Message from Past Chair, Mike Flynn
I
t is my honour and privilege to
introduce this, the inaugural report
on the first ten years in the life of
the Catherine Donnelly Foundation. It
traces the path of the Foundation from
its humble beginnings as an idea a
religious community (Sisters of Service)
had to translate the fruits of their years
of dedication and labour into a new
vehicle able to carry forward their charism
and to advance their basic creed that
real faith demands action. This initial
inspiration has today been molded into a
unique partnership between a group of
dedicated people, from both within and
outside the faith community.
The founding board surveyed the
landscape and set the Foundation’s
course. It identified priorities (housing,
the environment and adult education). It
hired staff, established budgets (first 10,
then twenty and ultimately forty million
dollars), established screening processes
and criteria, set up an administration
and invited groups to submit projects for
funding. Over the years, the Foundation has
provided over $10 million to approximately
270 projects and programs benefitting
thousands of beneficiaries across the
country. In the process, the Foundation has
supported a broad range of environmental
initiatives, provided transitional housing to
hundreds of men, women and children and
sponsored innumerable adult education
projects aimed at promoting active
citizenship, democracy, personal and
social transformation.
From the outset, the Foundation’s project
work has sought to honour and respect
the courage, dedication and sense of
service from which the Sisters of Service
drew its name. However, the Sisters of
Service were about more than service.
Catherine Donnelly and those that
followed actively targeted the unseen,
or inadequately addressed, structural
injustices of their time. Intent on rectifying
the situation, rather than simply providing
service and comfort to its victims, the
sisters moved to the fringes of society.
The same spirit that led the Sisters of
Service to the frontiers of established
society saw the Foundation open up
new ground in electing to adopt a more
pro-active, rather than purely responsive,
stance in its funding. Building on the
founding board’s accomplishments, the
board agreed to direct up to half, and
eventually more, of the Foundation’s
resources to support more comprehensive,
structured, longer term and collaborative
programs intended to attack the issues
that sustain poverty and poison the earth.
While you will read more about these
programs in the body of this report, each
is unique and reflects our commitment to
marshalling, empowering and networking
the forces for social change in Canada to
better organize and serve the poor and to
protect the earth.
1

5. We aspire to a world that
gives place and voice to the
poor, is open to transformation,
and is committed to human
solidarity through social
and ecological justice.
W
ith this report, the Catherine Donnelly Foundation proudly
shares its journey and 10 years of funding and engagement.
Whether you are an interested observer, a previous beneficiary, a
charitable organization, an active partner, or an allied group, we thank
you for your interest and preparedness to join with us in advancing
social and economic changes of benefit to the poor and in promoting
ecological justice for all.
Welcome
WhoWeAre
E
stablished in 2003, the Catherine
Donnelly Foundation is the
human and financial legacy
of a remarkable group of women
religious, The Sisters of Service. The
Foundation is a living testament to
the Sisters’tradition of response to
the greatest needs in communities
across Canada.
The Foundation honours and builds
upon the spirit of service and
dedication that inspired Catherine
Donnelly, the foundress of the
community. It affirms the inherent
dignity of every person and the
sacredness of creation. It seeks to
extend the radical commitment to
social change, and to empowering
the marginalized that characterized
the sisters’every action.
In reaching out to the marginalized
and excluded, the Foundation
collaborates with, and provides
funding to groups and organizations
engaged in housing the homeless,
protecting the environment and
to activities intended to mobilize,
educate and equip those working for
positive social change across Canada.
Built on the values of openness,
transparency, and sharing, in 2005
the Foundation began providing
small grants in its three priority areas
of housing, environment and adult
education. Faced with overwhelming
demand in all three areas, the
Foundation quickly realized that it
needed to concentrate its limited
resources on projects that addressed
the root causes of the issues
involved.
The Foundation carries on in its
determination to do the most good
with the resources it has available,
and to make an impact on the lives of
people living in poverty, on the planet
of which we are stewards, and of
providing people with the tools they
need to make change for themselves
and for those around them.
Inspired by the charism of
the Sisters of Service, the
dictates of the “preferential
option for the poor” and the
principles of economic,
social and ecological justice,
the Foundation encourages
innovative projects and
programs that offer
the greatest potential
for social change.
4

6. We believe that
we can get to the root causes
of issues by bringing together
unlikely partners to
tackle big issues.
5
OurApproach
T
he Foundation believes in the power of innovation and diversified
approaches. This means learning by doing, evaluating progress to
ensure maximum impact, connecting with others to benefit and learn
from them, acting with courage and predictability, while being prepared to
change direction when necessary.
The Foundation does not see itself as an uninterested philanthropic actor in
the process of social change. It seeks active collaboration and engagement
with those groups and institutions it chooses to support. Its strategy is
one of partnership, which sees it prepared to make an active contribution
beyond financial resources to the work of social change groups and
organizations. It actively seeks to promote linkages and synergies across
and within the groups with which it collaborates. In this respect, the road is
not always clear or necessarily smooth and certainly not risk free, however
the Foundation is learning.
Action for Social Change
The Catherine Donnelly Foundation is dedicated to making positive
impact on peoples’lives and on the planet, which has led it down
sometimes untested but always creative paths. The Foundation has proven
itself willing to take risks and to support radical actions that get to the root
causes of issues.
There are other ways that we choose to take the road less traveled. Our
internal management of investments (through SRI screens and impact
investment) reflects the external positive impacts we want to see in the
world, and is reflective of our philosophy as an organization – we want our
work to be a net positive impact, including the use of our invested funds.
Supporting Bold Innovation
The Catherine Donnelly Foundation believes in supporting projects that
demonstrate proactive and creative responses to needs in the three areas
of funding, Adult Education, Environmental Enhancement Initiatives, and
Housing. Through these three areas, we support bold and innovative
initiatives that offer models for imitation, or that advocate and pioneer new
strategies that advance the interests of the poor and/or further ecological
justice. Funding provided by the Catherine Donnelly Foundation supports
charitable organizations who have demonstrated innovative and creative
ways of responding to the urgent needs of our society.
6

7. 48
BC
18.5%
26
AB
10% 9
SK
3%
5
MB
2% 136
ON
52.2%
16
PQ
6%
5
NL
2%
10
NB
4%
9
NS
3%
7
TOTAL Project
Grants given: 264
36 Groups received
more than one
grant from CDF
ADULT EDUCATION
87 Grants 33%
ENVIRONMENT:
79 Grants 30%
HOUSING:
98 Grants 37%
Total Adult Education:
$2,709,881 (projects)
+ $500,000 (programs)
= $3,209,881
Total Environment:
$1,939,300 (projects)
+ $2,000,000 (programs)
= $3,939,300
Total Housing:
$2,370,192 (projects)
+ $1,250,000 (programs)
= $3,620,192
Grand total granting
since CDF founded in 2004:
$7,019,373 (projects)
+ $3,750,000(programs)
= $10,769,373
Average Adult Education
project grant
amount:
$35,373
adult education
Housing
Average Housing project grant amount:
$26,430
Environment
$26,206
Average Environment
project
grant
amount:
FromReactivetoProactive
A
s originally constituted the Foundation provided grants in response to requests from worthy
projects in each of its program areas. In 2008, the Foundation elected to experiment with a
more ambitious program strategy that would see it allocate a significant portion (i.e. 50%) of
its grant monies to more focused, and longer term work intended to address the root causes of
many of the key issues in each of its program areas. In the spring of 2013, an internal evaluation
reaffirmed this orientation and suggested that where possible, the Foundation’s project
funding and program development should pay particular attention to the needs of women,
aboriginals, immigrants and low income Canadians.
8
In this context, the Foundation has:
Increased the portion of its resources (financial & human) pro-
actively invested in more ambitious, targeted, and longer term
program work with clear social change objectives in collaboration
with a select group of partners, largely NGOs and social service
providers, but with the ultimate intent of promoting alliances
with social movements and like minded foundations.
Launched five quite distinct applications of its program strategy
and is in the process of mounting yet another adult education
initiative promoting social and economic literacy with specific
groups of marginalized and exploited Canadians.
Reduced the portion of our resources available to the project
(i.e. more responsive) component of its funding mandate to
free up resources for more targeted, pro-active and longer
term program work.
Directly engaged in more hands involvement with a select
group of longer term program partners and networks.

8. The Catherine Donnelly
Foundation has been
integral at making both
large and small projects
possible. Their generosity
over five years literally took
so much pressure off our
staff and allowed us to focus
much more on community
building and the creation of
good artistic social practice,
which is the heart and the
power of our work.
David Diamond D. Litt. (Hon),
Artistic & Managing Director,
Theatre for Living
(formerly Headlines Theatre)
The Foundation’s adult education project strategy is
to promote: active citizenship, democracy and participation,
individual and social transformation, the development of public
awareness, critical consciousness, and the skills needed to promote a more
just, equitable and sustainable society.
Adult Education Committee,
Catherine Donnelly Foundation
44%16%
23%
12%
Adult
Education
Project
Funding
44% of
our AE grants
supported civic
engagement
initiatives
23% of
our AE grants
assisted
refugees &
new
Canadians
16% of
our AE grants
supported projects
in the areas of
employment
& literacy
12% of
our AE grants
were directed to
projects specifically
focused on women
& women’s
issues
9
A
fter a comprehensive
review of the Foundation’s
adult education project
funding between 2005 and
2009 and in the context of
the Foundation’s shift to more
pro-active strategies the
Adult Education Committee
set out to re-focus its project
response. Where earlier
projects had largely focused
on activities designed to
promote self-esteem, to build
confidence and to develop
skills at the individual level, the
Foundation shifted its attention
to more collective, community
based learning strategies
intended to enhance the
social, political, cultural and/or
environmental circumstance of
project beneficiaries without
abandoning the principle of
individual empowerment.
With a sharper focus on social
justice and transformation, CDF
funding began to prioritize
adult education learning
experiences intended to
counteract social exclusion and
marginalization at both the
collective and individual levels.
This new orientation saw the
Foundation funding initiatives
that promoted the principles of
empowerment, participation,
democracy, citizen advocacy,
while advancing notions of
personal responsibility and the
aesthetic/creative dimension of
social change within women’s,
New Canadian, First Nation,
Metis and Inuit communities to
name but a few.
ThePath&theForkintheRoad:
"In essence, what participants
called for was the strengthening of
the capacity for adult educators to
use and engage in/with
radical, dynamic, and creative
practice that contributes to
broader social change."
- Laurie McGauley, L. (April 2014)
Adult Education Institute Report,
Catherine Donnelly Foundation
ADULT EDUCATION INSTITUTE
In the spring of 2014, the CDF hosted an
Adult Education Institute that brought
together adult educators representing
the voluntary sector, social movements,
university programs, First Nations, women,
labour, arts and cultural organizations,
from every Canadian region. The primary
goal of the two-day Institute was to initiate
a process that would strengthen the
capacity of radical adult education work
to collectively and coherently address
complex social and cultural issues across
Canada by creating, supporting and
equipping a network of adult educators
prepared to apply their skills, strategies and
institutional resources to a common agenda
for social change. This process is expected
to culminate in the launching of a new
program in 2015-2016 that will contribute
to social change through political and
economic literacy programming.
10

9. In April of 2012, the Catherine
Donnelly Foundation entered
into a $1.25 million multi-year
funding partnership ($250,000
per year for five years) with Eva’s
Initiatives, the Learning Community
(National Initiatives Program)
and the Canadian Housing and
Renewal Association to end youth
homelessness by fostering collective
community action and promoting
systemic change to public policies in
Canada. This unique partnership has
since grown to include sector experts
such as the Canadian Observatory
on Homelessness/Homeless Hub and
Raising the Roof along with additional
funders (the Home Depot Foundation
and the Laidlaw Foundation)
committed to changing the course
of youth homelessness.
“Eva’s Initiatives works locally and
nationally to prevent, reduce and
end youth homelessness.
The Catherine Donnelly Foundation
specifically supports the Mobilizing
Local Capacity to End Youth
Homelessness program — and truly
walks with organizations to produce
positive social change.”
Melanie Redman,
Director, National Initiatives,
Eva’s Initiatives
11
WhatPu
shes Your Bu
tton?
R
esearch shows there are between
150,000 to 200,000 homeless Canadians -
and that at least 20% of these are
between the ages of 16 to 24. The CDF is
committed to reducing this number by
funding projects that respond directly to
the needs of people accessing transitional
housing services and that support
individuals or families to move successfully
to more stable housing. The CDF prioritizes
projects that are timely and often urgent
and has supported 98 projects across the
country in the last ten years.
In keeping with the Foundation’s shift to
a more proactive funding approach, the
Housing Committee invited housing sector
actors, allies and foundations to a“Movers
& Shakers”event in the spring of 2011 to
provide some guidance as the Foundation
developed its housing program focus. As
a result of this input the CDF embarked
upon a five-year program – the Mobilizing
Local Capacity to End Youth Homelessness
program (MLC).
The MLC program has two main
components: Building Local Capacity and
Systemic Public Policy Changes. The first
component supports communities that have
identified youth homelessness as a priority
to develop youth homelessness plans. Now
well into its third year, the MLC program is
at work across Canada, from the Northwest
Territories to our Atlantic provinces.
The MLC program encourages innovations,
policies and strategies to promote and
support transformative change within
all levels of government, the community
and corporate sector to change public
policy to prevent, reduce and end youth
homelessness in Canada.
15% of our Housing grants went to projects serving homeless youth
16% of Housing grants assisted projects serving refugees and new Canadians
13% of our Housing grants benefited women and children fleeing abuse
12
ThePath&theForkintheRoad:

10. The Catherine Donnelly Foundation’s smart
and focused commitment to addressing issues
at scale is the largest contributor to our many
successes, and we stand proudly to applaud
their leadership. The Foundation’s support of
our toxics program has been unstinting and
innovative, allowing us to plan multi-year
efforts to protect Canadians from cancer-
causing chemicals in everyday products. Long-
term funding has also made it possible for us
to partner with other organizations in Canada
and the U.S. and to engage in constructive,
rewarding engagements with large corporations
to push them to make safer, better products.
Tim Gray, Executive Director,
Environmental Defence
The Foundation’s long-term investment in
our work to secure a Charter right to a
healthy environment gave us the flexibility
and security we needed to take on a major
piece of Charter litigation and to launch both
a government relations and a public education
campaign. Awareness about environmental
rights has never been higher among the legal
community, governments or the Canadian
public. The Foundation is more than a funder,
it is a genuine partner in change-making.
Devon Page, Executive Director, Ecojustice
FACTS
CDF
17% of our Environment
project grants directly
funded the protection of
environmental rights.
In 2013, the Foundation received
the Association of Fundraising
Professionals (AFP) Outstanding
Foundation of the Year award
for its ongoing commitment
to creating positive
change in Canada.
13
2012
CDF asked to speak at
CEGN conference
on how & why
its responsive
granting works.
2005
Began granting one-year
project grants
responding to
a broad
environmental
mandate.
2008
Vision Session in Mississauga
leads to bold,
strategic
5 year
plan.
Decision to fund programmatically inspired
by Winning the Race by Mark Sarner.
Process developed
and preparation
made for selection
process.
T
he Catherine Donnelly
Foundation acknowledges
that the earth is our most
precious resource, and that we
are stewards of its care. That’s
why Environmental Enhancement
Initiatives have been a critical
funding area for the Foundation
over the past 10 years. We began
serving the environment by
funding a variety of projects
that had a positive impact on
Canada’s natural areas. Through
this granting, we supported 79
projects that spanned coast to
coast to coast.
In 2008 there was a dramatic
shift in the CDF’s granting
activities with the Foundation’s
decision to move from a reactive
to proactive funding approach
and dedicate half of its’funding
to programs addressing the
root causes of issues. In the
case of the environment, these
programs would go to the heart
of environmental destruction and
the degradation of the earth.
To find a suitable program, the
committee created a short-
list from prior grantees and
asked a simple but powerful
question.“To address the root of
environmental issues, what would
your organization do with a grant
of $1 million over five years?”
In a stunning vote of confidence,
the CDF Board decided to award
two $1 million program grants
along with another grant of
$200,000 to encourage a third
organization to invest in its
transformative idea.
The result was an unprecedented
investment in 2 fundamental
issues: the right of every
Canadian to a healthy
environment and a campaign
to identify and eliminate five of
the most dangerous household
toxins.
These transformational program
grants sprang from the initial
vision of the Sisters of Service to
serve the poorest of the poor by
having the courage to address
the root of complex issues and
not just the symptoms.
14
ThePath&theForkintheRoad:
2011: Awarded $1million to
Environmental Defence to
eliminate 5 carcinogenic toxins
from everyday consumer products.
Awarded $1 million to Ecojustice to
focus on Charter recognition of the
right to a healthy environment.
2011
The Natural Step
awarded $200,000
for Sustainability
Transition Lab
project.

11. FossilFuelDivestment
Solar Share
Impact Investment
“The Foundation believes
businesses which benefit
the community and/or
the environment, have laid
the groundwork for their
own lasting success. The
SolarShare bonds are an
appealing investment that
comfortably aligns with the
Foundation’s environmental
focus and its expectations”
Jason Dudek, CDF Board ChairIn November 2014, the Catherine Donnelly Foundation Board
unanimously agreed that it would no longer make direct
investments in any of the 200 global, publicly-traded companies
with the largest coal, oil and gas reserves according to the
Carbon Tracker Initiative’s“Unburnable Carbon”report.
In keeping with its commitment to stewardship and ecological
and social justice, the Foundation will seek out companies
investing in renewable energy, other low-carbon fuel sources,
energy efficiency and other environmental initiatives that
otherwise satisfy the Foundation’s investment quality standards.
While the Foundation has utilized a responsible shareholder
approach in the past, the board determined that a
“business as usual”approach is not sustainable in this
case and that divestment is the best strategy to break
the stalemate on climate action. At a time when
humanity continues to add CO2 emissions to the
atmosphere at unsustainable levels, it is
appropriate that the Foundation has joined
the ranks of the divestment movement and
hopes that others will follow suit.
15
Doubling Investment
Impact
Second $100,000 impact investment in Zooshare bonds.
Recycling manure & food waste into renewable power!
InvestingForSocialChange
T
he same bold spirit that led the
Foundation to innovate its granting
process informs our investment strategy.
We have embraced the importance of
our economic footprint, and in the words
of former Canadian Prime Minister Paul
Martin: “If the free market is going to survive it
must recognize its greater responsibility to the
environment and the whole community.” We
are working to carry out this philosophy in
two ways, by using SRI standards to make our
investments, and through Impact Investing.
Socially Responsible Investing
Not only do we provide grants that serve
our mission, we also make investments
that support our mission. By adhering to
an internally developed policy, the CDF
ensures that available funds not distributed
through grants are invested in a socially
responsible manner.
The Catherine Donnelly Foundation strives
to exercise a positive influence for a just
social order. Accordingly, no investments
are made in industries or entities that
are considered socially undesirable, as
determined by the Catherine Donnelly
Foundation from time to time.
In addition, in all its investment decisions
the Catherine Donnelly Foundation will take
into consideration relevant environment,
social and governance factors.
We also are ensuring that we have a
voice at the corporate table through
our engagement activities with our
membership in Shareholder Association
for Research & Education (SHARE) and the
Responsible Investment Association (RIA).We
acknowledge that it is a challenge and struggle
to continually invest funds to the highest
ethical standards however we have benefited
from developing policies to guide us.
Impact Investing
For the CDF, Impact Investing means
purposefully advancing our social and/
or environmental objectives by making
investments which achieve financial returns
through social and/or environmental
impact-generating activities. The CDF
does not believe that profit and purpose
are mutually exclusive. Rather, its Impact
Investments are expected to perform well
financially, since the Foundation believes
businesses which benefit the community
and/or the environment have laid the
groundwork for their own lasting success.
At the same time, the CDF requires that the
profitability (market performance) of an
Impact Investment should be dependent
upon its related impact. The Foundation
therefore seeks an integrity of return from
all of its Impact Investments wherein the
investments produce a return if and only
if their activities generate a desired social/
environmental impact. The Foundation
made its first impact investment in the
spring of 2014 - a $100,000 investment in
SolarShare bonds. SolarShare is a leading
Canadian renewable energy co-op that
develops commercial scale solar energy
installations. Investors earn a return while
doing something good for the planet.
PARTNERING WITH SHARE
Since 2000, SHARE has been helping pension funds
and other institutional investors invest responsibly.
By engaging with this Vancouver-based non-profit
organization, the CDF is able to effectively pool
our share ownership with that of SHARE’s wide
client base. And as we benefit from SHARE’s
research and advocacy capabilities, we also get a
chance to work with like-minded investors, and
to lift our commitment to socially responsible
investment to an even higher level.
16

12. detour
FUNDING FOCUS
Continue the transition from a service strategy
to one of promoting positive social change in our
priority areas. Promote joint action and
networking to build on common experiences in
pursuit of clear social change objectives.
CAR POOL LANEOUTREACHCraft new partnerships &
alliances with others within the
broader community of progressive
social forces in Canada.
USE AT OWN RISK
INVESTMENT STRATEGY:Seek out more “impact investments”that will complement project and programwork while contributing to societal changeand defending the environment.
17 18
TheWayForward:
Unassumed Road. Use at Your Own Risk
I
nspired by the boldness and courage of
the Sisters of Services, the Foundation
will continue to be relentless & creative
in its efforts to maximize our social and
environmental impact. Creating social and
environmental change is not simply a mat-
ter of funding worthy initiatives - it requires
planning, prioritizing, tough choices and
identifying who to partner with to have
maximum impact. Maximizing our value
and impact as an organization has been
the result of bold strategies and collabora-
tions, as well as out-of-the-box thinking.
The Foundation has found success by
committing large amounts of our granting
around specific, focused initiatives and
partners. Rather than spreading our impact
thinly across a wide spectrum, the CDF
will continue to make big commitments
to specific initiatives and organizations,
enabling them to have a deeper, more
sustained impact.
The CDF will also seek to continue its
leadership in the management of its
investment activities. Through a careful
and concerned approach to its financial
footprint, the CDF has developed one
of the most forward-thinking impact
investment policies in Canada, was the
first Canadian Foundation to publicly
divest from Fossil Fuels, and maintains
one of the most stringent SRI screens
in the world – all achieved without
sacrificing financial return.
Seeking to have impact beyond even
its granting and investment footprint,
the CDF is also developing innovative
collaborations and civic engagement
through its Adult Education and Housing
programs. We are also looking ahead to the
“second-generation”of our Environment
program. In these areas the CDF is
leveraging its position as a funder to bring
together unlikely partners who can learn
from each other, and better tackle tough,
complex issues. The success of these
efforts has laid the foundation for the CDF’s
future direction, and demonstrates the
practicality of boldness as a strategy and
philanthropic operating principle.
We
aren’t here to
simplyrespondtoneed.
We’re here to change the
circumstances that put
people in need.
Mike Flynn,
Past Chair, CDF

13. Current Board:
Mary Corkery, Vice Chair
Celia Chandler
Jason Dudek, Chair
Jean Gove, CSJ
Elly Kaas, Treasurer
Mary Halder, SOS
Mary Anne McCarthy, CSJ
Bob McKeon, Secretary
Anna McNally, SOS
Lori Neale
Frances Sanderson
Darcy Riddell
Paul Rowe
Founding Board Members:
Patricia Burke, SOS
Frances Coffey, SOS
Mary Halder, SOS
Tom Johnston
Kathy Jourdain
Norm Little
Eileen McCarthy
Marilyn Macdonald, SOS
Anna McNally, SOS
Darwin Park
Jim Profit
Adua Zampese, SOS
Marilyn Gillespie, SOS
CDFBoardofDirectors,Staff&Support
19
Past Board Members:
George Andrews
Catherine Boucher
Darlene Clover
Tim Draimin
Leona English
Mike Flynn, Past Chair
Patsy Flynn, SOS
Mary Ellen Francoeur, SOS
Denise Henning
Ted Hyland
George Kelly
Karen Knopf
David Love
Therese Meunier, CSJ
Staff:
Gigi Inara, Administrative Assistant
Valerie Lemieux, Director of Programs
Daniella Mailing, Program Officer
Desmond Wilson, Director of Finance
Support:
Alan Harman, Investment Manager
David Walsh, Investment Committee
(2011-2014)
ADULT EDUCATION
ACORN Institute Canada, Toronto, ON
Alexandra Park Neighborhood Learning Centre, Toronto, ON
Antidote, Victoria, BC
Antigonish County Adult Learning Association, Antigonish, NS
Atlantic Christian Training Centre, Tatamagouche, NS
Calgary Centre, Calgary, AB
Canadian Community Economic Development Network, Victoria, BC
Canadian Hearing Society, Toronto, ON
Capilano University, North Vancouver, BC
Central Neighbourhood House, Toronto, ON
Centre for Community Learning & Development, Toronto, ON
Chrysalis, Edmonton, AB
City for All Women Initiative, Ottawa, ON
Common Ground Cooperative, Toronto, ON
Community Information & Referral Society/The Leadership Centre, Red Deer, AB
Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC
Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood & Community Health Centre, Toronto, ON
Diasporic Genius, Toronto, ON
Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, Vancouver, BC
Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Edmonton, AB
Elizabeth Fry Toronto, Toronto, ON
Elizabeth Fry New Brunswick, Saint John, NB
Eritrean Canadian Community Centre, Toronto, ON
Falls Brook Centre, Knowlesville, NB
First Baptist Church, Ottawa, ON
First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, Vancouver, BC
Foodshare Toronto, Toronto, ON
Ft. St. John Enrichment Foundation, Ft. St. John, BC
Frontier College, Toronto ON
Girls Action Foundation, Montreal, PQ
Greater Edmonton Alliance, Edmonton AB
Hamilton Literacy Council, Hamilton, ON
Houston Link to Learning, Houston, BC
Interchange, Toronto, ON
ISARC - United Church of Canada, Waterloo, ON
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, Edmonton, AB
Judith Marcuse Projects, Vancouver, BC
KAIROS, Toronto, ON
L’Arche Foundation of Greater Vancouver, Burnaby, BC
Laubach Literacy of Canada, Ottawa, ON
Lowertown Community Resource Centre, Ottawa, ON
Lunenburg Co. Assistive Technology Centre, Lunenburg NS
MABELLEarts, Toronto, ON
Mennonite New Life Centre, Toronto, ON
Neighborhood Information Post, Toronto, ON
Norquest College, Edmonton, AB
Northern Teacher Education Program Council, La Ronge, SK
Northwatch, North Bay ON
Ontario Employment Education & Research Centre, Toronto, ON
Peel Literacy Guild, Mississauga, ON
Immense thanks to all of those that accompanied us on our journey. Over the last ten years, the
Catherine Donnelly Foundation has been pleased to support the work of the following organizations.
20
RouteMarkers: 10 Years of Granting

14. PEERS Victoria Resources Society, Esquimalt, BC
Project Adult Literacy Society, Edmonton, AB
Ralph Thornton Centre, Toronto, ON
Regina & District Association for Community Living, Regina, SK
Saint John Community Loan Fund, Saint John, NB
St. Joseph Immigrant Women’s Centre, Hamilton, ON
Scarborough Women’s Centre, Toronto ON
Seeds of Hope - 6 St. Joseph House, Toronto, ON
SKETCH, Toronto, ON
Skyworks Charitable Foundation, Toronto, ON
Theatre for Living Society (Headlines Theatre), Vancouver BC
The Bench Theatre/IMAGO, Toronto, ON
The Women’s Centre of Calgary, Calgary, AB
The Workers Educational Association, Toronto, ON
Toronto Centre for Community Learning & Development, Toronto, ON
Toronto Environmental Alliance, Toronto, ON
University of Victoria, Victoria, BC
WISH Drop-In Centre Society, Vancouver, BC
ENVIRONMENT
Art of Living Foundation, Saint-Mathieu-du Parc, PQ
Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, Canmore, AB
Breast Cancer Action Quebec, Montreal, QC
Camp Cosmos, Montreal, PQ
Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry & Canadian Catholic Students’Assn, Toronto, ON
Canadian Network for Environmental Education & Communication, Winnipeg, MB
Canadian Parks & Wilderness Society, Ottawa ON
C.A.N.O.E., Toronto, ON
Canopy/Tides Canada, Vancouver, BC
Centre for Earth and Spirit Society, Sooke, BC
Conservation Council of New Brunswick, St. John, NB
CPAWS – Nfld & Labrador Chapter, St. John’s, NL
East Coast Environmental Law, Halifax, NS
Ecologos, Toronto, ON
Ecojustice, Toronto, ON
Ecotrust Canada, Vancouver, BC
Environmental Defence, Toronto, ON
Equiterre, Montreal, QC
Faith & the Common Good, Toronto, ON
Falls Brook Centre, Knowlesville, NB
FarmStart, Guelph, ON
Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Toronto, ON
Foodshare Toronto, Toronto, ON
ForestEthics/Tides Canada, Vancouver, BC
Green Communities, Peterborough, ON
Headlines Theatre (Theatre for Living Society), Vancouver BC
Hollyhock Leadership Institute/Sage Foundation, Vancouver, BC
Inner City Summer Day Camp, Montreal, PQ
Jane Goodall Institute, Montreal, PQ
Jesuit Collaborative for Ecology, Guelph, ON
Judith Marcuse Projects Society, Vancouver, BC
KAIROS, Toronto, ON
Labour Environmental Alliance Society, Vancouver, BC
Marmot Recovery Foundation, Nanaimo, BC
Mouvement pour la valorization du patrimoine Naturel madelinot/
21
RouteMarkers 10 Years of Granting
Attention Fragiles, Cap-aux-Meules, PQ
Northwatch, North Bay ON
Pembina Foundation, Drayton Valley, AB
Protected Areas Assn of Newfoundland & Labrador, St. John’s, NL
Quebec Farmers’Association, Longueuill, PQ
Recreation for Life Foundation, Edmonton, AB
Safe Drinking Water Foundation, Saskatoon SK
Santropol Roulant, Montreal, PQ
Saskatchewan Environmental Society, Saskatoon,
Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton, Edmonton, AB
SKETCH & Greenest City, Toronto, ON
SNAP Quebec, Montreal, PQ
Sustainability Network, Toronto, ON
The David Suzuki Foundation, Vancouver, BC
The Natural Step, Ottawa, ON
The Sustainability Office (U of T), Toronto, ON
Tides Canada Initiatives Society, Vancouver, BC
Tides Canada/CanadianYouth Climate Coalition Project, Vancouver, BC
Tides Canada/Small Change Fund, Toronto ON
Toronto Kiwanis Boys & Girls Club, Toronto, ON
Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Center Society, Vancouver, BC
West Coast Environmental Law Foundation, Vancouver, BC
Wildlife Preservation Canada, Guelph, ON
Windhorse Education Foundation, New Germany, NS
World Wildlife Fund – Canada, Toronto, ON
HOUSING
A Place Called Home, Lindsay, ON
Acorn Institute Canada, Toronto, ON
Adsum Association for Women and Children, Halifax, NS
Aunt Leah’s Independent Life Skills Society, Vancouver, BC
Bissell Centre, Edmonton, AB
Bridge House, Kingston ON
Canadian Mental Health Association (Hastings & Prince Edward), Belleville, ON
Choices for Youth, St. John’s, NL
Columbia Institute, Saanichton, BC
Community First Development Fund, Saskatoon, SK
Cornerstone Housing for Women, Ottawa, ON
Creating Homefulness Society, Saanichton, BC
Daybreak Non-Profit Shelter, Ottawa, ON
Drummond House/Eagles Nest Association, Waterdown, ON
E4C, Edmonton, AB
Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Edmonton, AB
Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, Winnipeg, MB
Elizabeth Fry Society, Toronto, ON
Eva’s Initiatives, Toronto, ON
FCJ Refugee Centre, Toronto ON
Fred Victor, Toronto, ON
Friends of St. Francis Inc, Toronto, ON
Greater Edmonton Alliance, Edmonton, AB
Homelessness Action Group, Toronto, ON
Home Suite Hope, Oakville, ON
Humewood House, Toronto, ON
Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB
Interval House, Toronto, ON
22

15. Jubilation Residential Centres, Winnipeg, MB
Kamloops Homelessness Action Plan, Kamloops, BC
Kingston Home Base Non-Profit Housing, Kingston ON
Labrador Friendship Centre, Goose Bay, NL
LOFT Community Services, Winnipeg, MB
Margaret Frazer House, Toronto, ON
Mennonite Central Committee, Kitchener, ON
Metro Non-Profit Housing, Dartmouth, NS
Momentum Community Economic Development Society, Calgary, AB
Moncton Youth Services, Moncton, NB
Montreal City Mission - Projet Refuge, Montreal, QC
MUC Shelter Corporation/Sojourn House, Toronto, ON
Northern Alberta Home for Women Society, Grande Prairie, AB
North House Shelter, Beaverton, ON
Oolagen Community Services, Toronto, ON
Our Place Peel, Mississauga, ON
Oxford House Society of Regina, Regina, SK
Pacifica Housing Advisory Association, Victoria, BC
Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, Toronto, ON
Payukotayno James & Hudson Bay Family Services, Moosonee, ON
People for a Healthy Gabriola Society, Gabriola Island, BC
Projet Refuge, Montreal, PQ
Providing Alternatives Counseling & Education Society, Regina, SK
Raising the Roof/Chez Toi, Toronto, ON
Romero House, Toronto, ON
St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society, Toronto, ON
St. John the Compassionate Mission, Toronto, ON
Skyworks Charitable Foundation, Toronto, ON
Smithers Community Services Association, Smithers, BC
Sojourn House, Toronto, ON
Stella Burry Community Services, St. John’s, NFLD
The John Howard Society of Fredericton Inc, Fredericton, NB
The Massey Centre for Women, Toronto, ON
Tides Canada Foundation/The Tyee, Vancouver BC
TR Cares, Tumbler Ridge, BC
Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness, London, ON
Victoria Women’s Transition House Society, Victoria, BC
WINGS of Providence Society, Edmonton, AB
Women’s Rural Resource Centre, Strathroy, ON
Women’s Y Foundation, Montreal, QC
Woodgreen Red Door Family Shelter, Toronto, ON
Youth Without Shelter, Toronto, ON
YWCA Durham, Pickering, ON
YWCA Halifax, Halifax, NS
YWCA Metro Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
YWCA Toronto, Toronto, ON
N.B. The CDF seeks synergy within our funding priorities therefore
projects may be supported by more than one funding stream.
RouteMarkers
23
Travel Notes

16. Travel Notes