Time, Talent & Treasure: How Giving Changes Communities

What does philanthropy really mean—and is it only for the wealthy?

In this episode of The Lincoln Local, we sit down with Bryan Rose, Executive Director of the Niagara Community Foundation, to explore how generosity is transforming communities across Niagara.

From surpassing $100 million in assets to supporting more than 250 local charities each year, Bryan shares how the Foundation helps fund everything from food banks and affordable housing to libraries, museums, parks, youth programs and community spaces—including projects right here in Lincoln.

We also dive into the myths surrounding philanthropy, why anyone can make a difference, and Bryan's simple but powerful philosophy of the Three T's: Time, Talent and Treasure.

Whether you're looking to volunteer, give back, or simply learn more about the incredible organizations strengthening our communities, this episode is full of inspiring stories and practical ways to get involved.

Learn more about Niagara Community Foundation

Website: https://niagaracommunityfoundation.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NiagaraCF

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niagaracommunityfoundation/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/niagara-community-foundation/

💙 Remember: Everyone can make a difference through their Time, Talent or Treasure. No act of generosity is too small.

Have a topic you want us to cover?
Know a local business or organization we should feature?

Visit SpeakUp Lincoln at
SpeakUpLincoln.ca/Podcast

Thanks & Credits

With support from:

• Niagara Region Economic Development
• The Watering Can
• Second Chance Decor
• Verhoef Electric

Transcript

Welcome And What Philanthropy Means

Stephanie Hicks 0:00

Philanthropy, philanthropy.

Sara Wilde 0:06

Welcome to the Lincoln Local, a brand new podcast from the town of Lincoln.

Stephanie Hicks 0:10

I'm Stephanie Hicks, the Town's Economic Development Officer and co-host. I focus on growth, opportunity, and community, helping people stay connected to what's happening and what's next.

Sara Wilde 0:20

And I'm Sara Wilde, the Town's Creative Design and Digital Media Advisor, behind the camera, behind the design, and now behind the mic as your podcast co-host. Today we're talking about something that quietly shapes our communities every single day, philanthropy. It might sound like a big word, but at its heart, it's simply about people helping people and investing in a better future.

Stephanie Hicks 0:40

We're joined by Bryan Rose, Executive Director of the Niagara Community Foundation, an organization that has spent the last quarter century connecting generosity with community needs across the region.

Sara Wilde 0:50

Whether it's supporting local charities, creating parks and gathering spaces, or helping families leaving a lasting legacy, the foundation is making an incredible impact right here in Lincoln and throughout Niagara.

Stephanie Hicks 1:01

We'll talk about its remarkable growth, the power of giving at every level, and why building stronger communities isn't just for governments or large organizations. It's something we can all be a part of. Bryan, welcome to the Lincoln Local. We're so glad to have you here.

Bryan 1:14

Thank you very much. Thrilled

How Niagara Community Foundation Began

Bryan 1:16

to be here.

Stephanie Hicks 1:16

To start us off, let's go back to the beginning for listeners who may not be familiar with Niagara Community Foundation. Can you tell us about the organization and how it has evolved over the last 25 years?

Bryan 1:27

Yeah, absolutely. So the foundation was created in the year 2000 by my predecessor, the founding executive director, Liz Palmieri. So Liz had an idea back in the day of creating a community foundation. She actually wrote an article in the St. Catharine Standard saying that, you know, St. Catharines at that point needed a community foundation, a vehicle for people that were generous to create endowment funds. Well, some people listened, and two very important people listened. One was Deb Zimmerman, who was the chair of the region at the time, and a gentleman by the name of Frank Branscombe. And so they had lunch with Liz and said, Liz, we love your idea and we would like you to lead it. So her arm was twisted into uh creating what is now the Niagara Community Foundation to represent all 12 municipalities. So yeah, that was 1999-2000. We formally were incorporated in the later part of 2000 and have been a registered charity and the funder of the charitable sector here in Niagara ever since. We are formed based on the state of Maine model. So there's a central community foundation in our case that represents all 12 municipalities. So for us, from Grimsby to Fort Erie and everywhere in between, we are the central hub and we provide that funding for charities throughout the region.

Sara Wilde 2:48

I like that. It's lunch with Liz. Sorry, I heard the alliterations of all the L's and I like that a lot. It's amazing to see how an organization can grow from an idea into something that touches so many communities across Niagara. So one of the biggest milestones you've celebrated recently is surpassing 100 million in assets and granting nearly five million of charities in a single year.

What 100 Million In Assets Does

Sara Wilde 3:10

For someone listening at home, what does that actually mean in practical terms for communities like Lincoln?

Bryan 3:15

Yeah, it's it's definitely you feel a little bit like Dr. Evil, where you're like 100 million, right? So it's it's a big number and it and it is something aspirational for our organization. So there are over 200 community foundations across Canada, so from coast to coast to coast. And uh, you know, we're representing the Niagara region, and our 12 municipalities are 400,000 people. So for us, for a size of our community, to reach the $100 million mark is is a huge milestone and a tremendous accomplishment. It puts us pretty close to the top 10 of largest community foundations in the country, which is amazing. The two largest being the Winnipeg Foundation, which is 2.1 billion.

Sara Wilde 4:00

Oh, wow.

Bryan 4:00

Yeah, and and also the Vancouver Foundation, which is well over a billion dollars too. So those, you know, again, the impact that community foundations have in our communities across the country is monumental. And when I took over from Liz in 2016, the foundation was $30 million on the verge of accepting our largest grant and the largest donation at the time in the history of the region. And that was what ended up being $19 million from the estate of David S. Howes. So as Liz was leaving, I was coming in and we worked on that gift together. Liz always said, she said, you know, I'm not a fundraiser. I said, Liz, you took the foundation from two $100,000 gifts to $30 million in 15 years. I was like, you are a fundraiser. So whether you like it or not. And so it's been my privilege and honour to build those assets to $100 million. So what we do with endowment is we take those assets and we invest them. That so that money goes into things like the stock market. We have some social impact investments that we have as well. And it's the investment revenue, the money that we make, you know, in the markets that we then turn around and grant out to registered charities, the charitable sector here in Niagara. So for us to, you know, in 2025 and again in 2026, we'll, I'm sure we will we will get there is grant out over five million dollars to the charitable sector is amazing. So what does that look like? That's 250 charities here in Niagara that received some sort of grant dollars from the Niagara Community Foundation. So 250 charities that received a cheque or cheques from us to help with with the work that they do. So their food banks, their shelters, they're like the Lincoln Humane Society, right? There's there's libraries and museums all getting funds from us to help with what they do and how they make our community better. You know, right here in Lincoln, there are 14 charities last year that received funding from NCF. This includes Community Care West Niagara, which is just down the street, your neighbour. Yeah. Uh the Lincoln Pelham Public Library, Twenty Valley School, Village of Hope, the Friends of Lincoln Heritage Society, those groups all received funds from us. So the things that are happening in our community are receiving that support from the foundation. The biggest one through a grant of $43,000 from the David S. Howes Fund was for the new park in Jordan Hollow, which was Indigenous-led along with the town green space in Jordan Hollow. So $43,000 from us to help that project come to fruition, those are things we're very proud we get to support.

Stephanie Hicks 6:38

Yeah, I guess so. Those are very impressive numbers. I think what really stands out is the people in the projects that you are supporting. I know my time when I was with the Beamsville BIA, I think it was 2021 or 2022, but we received funding from Niagara Community Foundation for the second alleyway that we launched. So like artists. Yeah, that artist alleyway connecting Fleming to King Street. And uh without that funding, that the project never would have been able to happen, I can tell you that much.

Myths About Giving And The Economy

Stephanie Hicks 7:05

So sometimes the word philanthropy can feel intimidating...

Sara Wilde 7:08

Or hard to say.

Stephanie Hicks 7:09

Or hard to say. People often assume it's only something for wealthy individuals or major corporations. What are some of the biggest misconceptions you encounter? And what would you like people to understand?

Bryan 7:21

Yeah, so you're 100% right. You don't need to be a Musk or a Bezos or a Zuckerberg to be philanthropic and be generous by any stretch of the imagination. You think about a number of years ago, the ALS water bucket challenge. That was an amazing crowdsource example of how philanthropy can really catch fire or get water dumped on it, either which way. But in terms of people giving, you know, of funding, you don't need to be wealthy to do it. And there's a lot of benefits to it. Obviously, philanthropy means many things to different people, but it stands for giving from your heart. You're giving something that is meaningful to you, not only to your favourite organization in whatever sector that is. It could be about kids, it could be about animals, it could be about the environment, it could be about senior care. Whatever you're passionate about, there are great organizations right here in Niagara that need your help and you can give to. Also, you don't have to be a billionaire or a millionaire or a trillionaire, even though it would be nice if those people gave more, that's for sure. You don't need to have that level of wealth to do it. You give something meaningful in an amount that's meaningful to you, that's substantial to you. So unfortunately, these days, just with the economic climate, giving has although the amount of money being donated in Canada has remained fairly steady, the number of individuals of donors has gone down. So what that's telling us is the wealthy are giving, which is great, but it's the average person who unfortunately now doesn't have that disposable income making that investment. It'd be great if we can get back to that and the economy can bounce back and people could start being generous again. I hear from a lot of our food, especially our food bank charity partners, people that used to donate to them are now clients. Like that's...

Sara Wilde 9:19

That's hard.

Bryan 9:19

Very hard. Yeah. That and that breaks your heart to think about in a country like ours, in a province, in a region like ours, that is happening, but it's true. Those families, a lot of families are struggling. So uh those that do give, thank you very much, and please continue to give and help these great organizations. That's really hard. But like you said, the impact isn't measured by the size of the cheque, but by the difference it makes, or whatever you can, whatever you can do to help. You've worked alongside so many donors, charities, and community organizations over the years. Are there any stories or experiences that really stand out as examples of the ripple effect that

Ripple Effects From Shelter Funding

Sara Wilde 9:57

philanthropy can create?

Bryan 9:58

Definitely. I think, you know, for me, certainly the human element of the great organizations in our region that really help people that are in really tough situations. So I'm thinking of organizations like Gillian's Place, Birchway, the YW, the Kristen French Child and Advocacy Center, these organizations that provide safety and comfort to people dealing with the worst situations that any of us can imagine. So I am so fortunate in many ways, countless ways, but you know, as the funder, I get to show up with the cheque and cut a ribbon and do all that stuff. And I'm proud to do that on behalf of our organization, on behalf of my staff team and our board and our fund holders, knowing that the cheque is going to an organization that is making a huge difference in the life of somebody, right? I can think of a number of openings that we've had where emergency shelters or a place like Kristen French where they renovated their whole main floor. So when children need to be interviewed by police because of an awful situation, it's done in comfort and a place where they feel it's not like a sterile room, right? Or it's not the police station. Like they can be interviewed about something really, really bad that happened to them in a place of warmth and comfort. So those are the ones that stick out to me for sure because of the immediate impact and the safety and the comfort that it they provide.

Stephanie Hicks 11:33

So the Niagara Community Foundation funding was able to create that safe space.

Bryan 11:39

Create that safe space. Yeah, help. And we're by no means the only funders, right? I'd like to think we punch above our weight for sure, but it takes a community to make those big, big projects. Like I'm thinking, another one happened in Port Colborne. Port Cares opened up a new affordable housing unit. We provide granting dollars for that, but there are lots of organizations and funders and private donors that came into the rescue for that. We're honoured to add our name to a list. By no means are we the only ones. So it takes the community to make these sort of massive projects happen.

Stephanie Hicks 12:12

Yeah, it does remind us why community partnerships are so important. Why they matter so much.

Social Impact Investing For Housing

Stephanie Hicks 12:18

As you look toward the 25 years, what opportunities excite you the most? And how do you see philanthropy helping tackle some of Niagara's biggest challenges?

Bryan 12:28

You know, as I've said, I can look back with tremendous pride and gratitude over the foundation's first 25 years and everything we've accomplished and you know, hitting hitting that $100 million mark in our 25th year was not gonna lie, that was a really good feeling, and we were all working for that. So looking towards what's the next 25 years and beyond. So for us, beyond, above and beyond the granting that we do, how do we offer other areas of philanthropic leadership in the community? One way is through social impact investing. So really taking our assets and maximizing them above and beyond what we can do with just our granting. So if we can get into the business of potentially providing loans to charitable organizations that are doing things like affordable housing, that is something that I think we can really start to move the needle on. Because the average grant for us, say from the David S. Howes fund, is $40,000. That's not going to build an affordable housing unit. It's just not going to do it. However, if we can loan an organization a million dollars, two million dollars to help with a project, that could really, really move the needle. So it's a short-term loan that is a very low interest rate. So they're able to leverage that money, all of a sudden start to build a revenue stream, and over a couple of years they pay that money back. We then receive that capital back from whomever we've loaned it to, and then we find another project that we can do. So, how can we maximize our assets to really do bigger projects here in the community? So we've had wonderful conversations with a number of different organizations. There's a new group called the Community Land Trust of Niagara that's already made some big steps. They've worked with the city of Welland on receiving two parcels of land for what will be two affordable housing units for a total of 83 new affordable housing units, right, in Welland, right? So it's projects like that. We know we're not the white knight on the horse saving everybody, but if we can maximize and really utilize and leverage our assets to do more, we would love to do that.

Making Loans Work With Bylaws

Stephanie Hicks 14:43

I want to go back to something that you said and just peel away a layer of governance. So when you're talking about working with not-for-profits on potentially you loaning them money, I know a lot of boards and stuff have it within their, you know, policies, procedures, their bylaws that they cannot actually do that. So, how is your foundation working with those organizations to maybe even you know update those policies so that those things can happen? Because I think it's a pivotal moment for both you and a not-for-profit that would want to be able to take this loan out. But there's a lot of...

Sara Wilde 15:23

Your Ec Dev is showing right now,

Stephanie Hicks 15:25

Right?

Bryan 15:26

Exactly.

Stephanie Hicks 15:26

But there's a lot of, you know, um, yeah, there's just a lot of polluters and a lot of changes that have to come, and a lot of people at a lot of tables that could tend to delay that. So, how is your foundation prepared to assist that way?

Bryan 15:42

That dynamite question. So we so for us, it's already in our bylaws. Like, so we're able to do that. So again, my predecessor Liz, in her wisdom in setting up the community foundation all of those years ago, that exists already in our bylaws, right? So it's just not something that we've done as regularly. We do have a couple of current social impact investments that we have out, but like we're looking to sort of put that on steroids, really. A lot of times, and it's a great point because a lot of organizations would rather just get a grant and not have to worry about a loan. Well, we got to pay that back, and et cetera, et cetera. It's just there's what you do is you're accessing much larger opportunities and pools of money, right? So there are no shortage of examples of organizations out there that have changed their bylaws with CRA or with the provincial government, depending on how they're incorporated, to take that language on into your bylaws and accept that so you can accept loans and create that opportunity. So we're already set up for it, fortunately, but it does take a little bit of time to work on that. But it's at the end of the day, could be worth it for you to go that extra mile, right? But you know, we always recommend to work. There are lots of lawyers in the Niagara region that can help charities achieve that. And it's it's a worthwhile venture to even just look into it.

Stephanie Hicks 17:07

For sure.

Sara Wilde 17:09

It's inspiring to think about the possibilities when communities, organizations, and individuals all work together toward shared goals. Before we get into our talk of the town tea, if our listeners remember just one thing from today's conversation, what would you want it to be about philanthropy and the role each of us can play in strengthening our communities?

The Three Ts Time Talent Treasure

Bryan 17:29

I think for me, it's I always call it the three T's of philanthropy. So time, talent, and treasure. As individuals, people that love you know our community, if if you have compassion and empathy to help in any way that you can, think of the three T's. So the time. Can you volunteer at an organization? Can you stock some shelves at a food bank? Can you help out at the Humane Society by taking dogs for walks or something, right? Anything, whatever that go pick up garbage, you know, at one of those big cleanups. Talent. Do you have a professional skill set that might benefit a local charity's board? Charities are always looking for extremely talented professional people that can provide a specific or a general expertise in governance and or whether it's accounting or legal or investment experience, right? And whether you're a young professional or a seasoned veteran, get in there because these boards need your help. And there's also a generational thing. Like many of the boards have people that have been on them for a long time. Having new ideas and some fresh blood is good for the organization to carry that on. So, and then the last one is treasure. As I said before, donate what is meaningful to you. Find your favourite charity. And whether you become a monthly donor or you donate around Christmas time or on the anniversary that's important to you, maybe you lost someone to cancer. So you always donate to the Cancer Society or to Hospice Niagara at that time. Whatever it is, whether it's $50 or $50,000, always think about what you can maybe do with your treasure as well. So the three T's of philanthropy: time, talent, and treasure, it really makes our community stronger if you can do that.

New Grant Rounds And Summer Camps

Stephanie Hicks 19:27

Well, speaking of tea...

Sara Wilde 19:29

A T word. Speaking of a T word.

Stephanie Hicks 19:32

Speaking of T's, it is time for Talk of the Town T. It is our chance to chat with you about things happening at Niagara Community Foundation that you may want to tell our listeners. Anything exciting coming up? Is there some exciting funding that's kind of already been announced that you want to expand on? Anything like that?

Bryan 19:52

Sure. So we just released the largest grant round of our organization is the David S. Howes Fund. So we have just released the funds from the David S. Howes Fund. So another million dollars will be coming out. So there are uh I think I believe 16 charitable organizations, 16 or 17 charities that are gonna get anywhere from 15 to 40,000, $100,000. A couple of big ones actually, Red Roof Retreat, receiving a large grant from the Niagara Community Foundation's David S. Howes Fund. So again, very proud that in one foul swoop, you know, we're handing out a million dollars. So that's that's our spring grant round. Also, at this time of the year, we also grant out to a number of charities for our summer camp grants. And that's all money going to help kids that might not have the opportunity to go to camp to enjoy the camp experience. So we love that grant round because it really summer camp, you know, their day camps for the most part. This is so special for kids to be able to go out and play and have a good time and make friends. And we're so lucky in the Niagara region, especially here in Lincoln with the amazing camps that we have. So that one always makes me smile because camp is just so much fun. So those are the big things happening for us. Our community grants round, which is our second largest, will be in the fall. So we take a little bit of a breather during the summer. We kind of catch our breath before our mad dash to our year end. We also don't run events, right? So we're not an event organization for the most part. We have a couple of third-party fundraisers, Mayor Easton's golf tournament being one, the Lincoln Chamber tournament being another. But for the most part, we don't do very many events. We're a small team. There are only four and a half of us. Uh so events take a lot of human resources. So we put our efforts into doing what we do best.

Sara Wilde 21:46

So now we're gonna switch over to lightning round.

Lightning Round And Final Takeaways

Sara Wilde 21:49

This is a game of this or that. So first thing that comes to your mind over thinking, I'm gonna go first, and then she's gonna finish off the round. Favourite way to network, golf tournament or a gala event?

Bryan 22:01

Both are four letter words in terms of organizing. For networking, gala.

Sara Wilde 22:09

Community impact report or success story from a charity.

Bryan 22:14

Success story.

Sara Wilde 22:15

One big gift or a thousand small gifts. It's a tough one.

Bryan 22:20

For the community foundation, it's it's a big gift because our methodology is different. Like endowment is a different thing, right? So we don't do like a, for example, like a holiday drive or anything like that. I want the food banks and the shelters. They need that hundred dollars at a time for the community foundation because it's an investment thing. That's that's sort of our mentality.

Sara Wilde 22:43

I like that. Explanation with it. Legacy planning or spontaneous generosity.

Bryan 22:49

Again, because of where my bread is buttered, legacy planning is huge. Huge. It's yeah, vital for us.

Sara Wilde 22:57

Perfect.

Stephanie Hicks 22:58

Okay.

Bryan 22:59

But no wrong answers on the other.

Sara Wilde 23:00

Yeah, no wrong answers.

Bryan 23:03

The other ones are phenomenal.

Stephanie Hicks 23:04

Yes. Reading an impact report or visiting a funded project.

Bryan 23:11

Site visit always warms the heart for sure.

Sara Wilde 23:15

I bet it would. I would say that.

Stephanie Hicks 23:16

I would pick site visit. Playground opening or scholarship celebration?

Bryan 23:22

Ooh. Probably playground. Probably playground. Cause kids, kids having fun. Yeah. But I'm also rooted in education. My my family were educators and are educators. And so and I also understand the huge benefit of a scholarship and/or a bursary. So that's a tough one.

Sara Wilde 23:44

These are tough ones, yeah.

Bryan 23:45

Yeah, but yeah, I guess we'll go with playground. That was my gut. You asked me.

Sara Wilde 23:48

Yeah, gut reaction. That's all right.

Stephanie Hicks 23:50

Okay. Coffee meeting or community barbecue.

Bryan 23:54

Coffee meeting.

Stephanie Hicks 23:55

Interesting.

Bryan 23:57

A little more, a little more intimate.

Sara Wilde 23:58

Intimate, yeah.

Bryan 23:59

So the greatest words in fundraising are it depends, right? So it depends on what my mission is in that moment.

Sara Wilde 24:06

That's true.

Bryan 24:07

Tomorrow I'm going to meet with two potential fund holders who are legacy planning. Their lawyer said, call Bryan at the Community Foundation. Thank you, lawyer. Um, Allied professional. So I'm going to have a coffee with them. So the conversation I'm going to talk to them about how the community foundation can partner with them in their philanthropic goals is I can't really have that conversation. I mean, I could at a barbecue with as intimately and to be able to answer all of their questions so they can make a decision for themselves. So for me, it's that quiet contemplation, that back and forth, the and the answering of multiple questions. So I would say a coffee. Love it. Although look at the size of me, I like barbecues.

Stephanie Hicks 24:50

So when you first started the answer, I thought you were gonna be like, it depends. Are we serving hamburgers?

Bryan 24:57

Yeah, exactly.

Stephanie Hicks 24:58

What's on the menu?

Bryan 25:00

What's on the grill?

Sara Wilde 25:00

Yeah.

Bryan 25:01

What's on the grill?

Stephanie Hicks 25:02

That would be my question. Always. I'm always food.

Bryan 25:05

And I'm happy to barbecue. I'll volunteer. I'll volunteer on the grill.

Stephanie Hicks 25:09

Perfect. And last one. Oh, this is a tough one.

Bryan 25:14

No. No.

Bryan 25:15

Lincoln Peaches or Niagara wine? Specifically Niagara wine from Lincoln. Yeah. That is a hard. Can I mix, can I mix them? Can I make like you know uh wine. Yeah.

Sara Wilde 25:35

Good choice.

Bryan 25:36

Niagara wine. Yeah, Lincoln wine. Yeah, absolutely. We again we're blessed with the bounty of we have friends that come in from out of town, so we're always telling them the fruit stands to go to or the wineries to check out. Like we're just so fortunate in this area. Yeah.

Sara Wilde 25:52

Yeah.

Bryan 25:52

Twelve months of the year, too.

Stephanie Hicks 25:54

Yeah.

Sara Wilde 25:54

So true. One thing I'm taking away from today's conversation is that leaving a legacy doesn't have to mean making a massive donation. It can start with simply choosing to invest in the community you love and believing that even small acts of generosity can grow into something lasting.

Stephanie Hicks 26:10

And I think that's such an encouraging message that philanthropy isn't reserved for a select few. It's about creating opportunities, supporting neighbours, and helping future generations thrive right here in Niagara.

Sara Wilde 26:21

Bryan, thank you so much for joining us and sharing the incredible work happening through the Niagara Community Foundation.

Bryan 26:28

Thank you, Sara and Steph.

Sara Wilde 26:29

Thank you.

Stephanie Hicks 26:30

Philanthropy, philanthropy, philanthropy.

Sara Wilde 26:32

Say that five times fast.

Stephanie Hicks 26:34

That's all for today's episode of the Lincoln Local. Thank you to our sponsors Niagara Region Economic Development, the Watering Can, Second Chance Decor, and Verhoef Electric.

Sara Wilde 26:44

New episodes drop twice a month and will be shared through the town's social media channels.

Stephanie Hicks 26:48

And if there's a topic or local business you'd like us to feature, visit speakuplincoln.ca backslash podcast. Don't miss the next Talk of the Town.