Grants and Charitable Programs
Supporting registered charities across Canada
GRANTS
Aqueduct Foundation makes over 3400 grants to Canadian registered charities and qualified donees each year.
Between 2018 and 2022, Aqueduct granted an average of $63 million per annum. All grants are made at the recommendation of donors and grant advisors, or through the charitable purposes of an individual fund. Any Canadian registered charity or qualified donee is an eligible grant recipient. Aqueduct does not have an open public granting program and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. Aqueduct requires each fund to make grants equal to a minimum of 4% of the prior year-end market value annually.
OUR APPROACH
Aqueduct supports best practices in granting and trust-based philanthropy principles.
In most cases, Aqueduct provides grantees with the names of the fund that made the grant and the donor/grant advisor information. Most donors welcome being contacted by the charities that their funds support. Aqueduct does not seek or accept recognition for grants by donees.
GRANT PAYMENTS
Aqueduct makes most grant payments to charities by secure wire or electronic fund payment.
CHARITABLE PROGRAMS
Community-based Scholarships, Fine Art, and Ecologically Sensitive Land
Aqueduct has three charitable program areas that may be funded by individual donor advised funds. These program areas are intended to help advance education in targeted communities and address under-supported public needs.
COMMUNITY BASED SCHOLARSHIPS
Aqueduct works with community partners to identify applicants.
A community-based scholarship is a post-secondary educational scholarship that is offered to students in a particular community. These communities may be defined by geography, a particular population (for example, youth in child welfare system) or area of study. Unlike institution-based scholarships, community-based awards enable the student to go to any post-secondary institution of their choice.
Aqueduct works with community partners (for example, high schools and public school boards) to identify and adjudicate applicants. Aqueduct’s Board of Directors must approve these recommendations and ensure a compliant process was undertaken.
Scholarships can be named by the donor. They can be set up as part of legacy funds to operate the award after the donor’s death.
ART COLLECTIONS AND ARTIST FOUNDATIONS
Aqueduct has charitable purposes that enable it to accept and manage culturally significant works and collections of fine art.
It has developed policies and procedures for the acceptance, valuation and flexible management of art. Art may be sold to fund grants or granted to public galleries and museums.
Donations may be from collectors as part of their lifetime and estate plans. Aqueduct provides a single registered charity to receive and manage the work.
Aqueduct runs donor advised funds that function as artists foundations. These are typically established through an artist’s estate plan. Aqueduct provides full support for an artist’s legacy and management of works. This includes storage, inventory, granting, sales, loans, copyright, and even catalogue raisonné. Artists foundations are highly personal and require careful planning.