Support the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation provides philanthropic support for the Crees of Eeyou Istchee, in northern Quebec. The Foundation is Cree-led, with a Board of Directors comprised of Cree government and civil society leaders, and promotes the social and cultural development priorities of the Cree nation.
The Foundation works to build capacity and resiliency in the Cree communities and institutions through funds related to education, youth development, culture, health and social services, housing, and community development.
The people of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee have travelled far and worked hard to secure broad recognition of who we are, our remarkable history, and what we can accomplish. We have regained mastery of our lands and resources. We have established institutions of sound governance, launched flourishing businesses, and built strategic alliances with business and government at all levels.
And yet, too many who live across the ten communities of Eeyou Istchee lack the advantages non-Native communities take for granted. In housing and social services, in health care and cultural development, in education and job creation, the gap remains far too wide.
Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations, the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation reflects the Eeyou Istchee philosophy of putting the needs of our land, our people, and our communities first.
We are deeply committed to preserving the land we’ve walked for thousands of years, so both the Boreal forest and species like Woodland caribou, moose, and others are secured. The Cree Nation Government has set aside, untouched and undeveloped, almost a third of our land, and we insist on Cree-led environmental reviews of any development projects in the region.
Guided by these principles, the Foundation supports a wide range of charitable causes across the region.
We are over 20,000 strong, living in 10 Cree communities across Northern Quebec.
We have lived in harmony with the cycles of nature for millennia. Ancient laws and customs guided the Crees’ shared stewardship of a vast territory called Eeyou Istchee. When Europeans arrived, our people integrated some valuable European technologies and ways. We developed a reputation as skilled negotiators and intermediaries with other nations. The Cree system of land and resource management began to shift in the early 1600s.
When the Hudson’s Bay Company was established (1670), we expanded our traditional trapping practices to participate in this fur-trading economy. Like First Nations across the continent, the Crees gradually lost control of our lands, rights, and resources. Families were uprooted from their homes and lands. Poverty became a way of life, and many of our children were forced into the infamous residential school system, whose long shadow haunts Canada and its indigenous people to this day.
In the 1970’s, when a massive hydroelectric project threatened Cree lands and way of life, the leaders of Eeyou Istchee stepped forward. They changed the project’s course, won self-government for the Crees, and established a strong voice in future developments.
Quebec’s James Bay hydroelectric project, planned without consulting the people most affected, was a defining moment in modern Cree history. The project would forever flood Cree lands and erase an ancient way of life. In response to this threat to our very existence, our leaders launched challenges in the courts of law and public opinion and successfully negotiated compensation for the affected communities.
On November 11, 1975, the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) was signed–a world first for Indigenous peoples. Beyond material compensation, the agreement formalized self-government and territorial rights. This agreement launched a movement toward increasing self-determination for the Crees of Eeyou Istchee.
Subsequent agreements include the Paix des Braves Agreement (2002) and the New Relationship Agreement with the federal government (2008). The Eeyou Istchee James Bay Governance Agreement (2012) established shared governance, development and partnerships across one of the world’s largest regional governments. The Crees of Eeyou Istchee and the Government of Canada Agreement (2017) advanced Cree self-governance on lands surrounding the Cree communities.
Each has been an important milestone in helping us determine our way forward.
As a nation, we have evolved significantly since the signing of the JBNQA. Today, many Cree-owned business flourish and contribute to Quebec and Canadian prosperity. We manage our own education and health care systems very effectively, and deliver culturally appropriate essential services across our vast territory.
Through our community and economic development efforts, we are rebuilding long-standing family and community structures, but much remains to be accomplished. Within this challenging social and economic environment, the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation aims to make a profound difference through programs that will respond to the needs of our people and our communities.
In the late 1990’s, the Cree Elders identified the need for a major cultural institution in Eeyou Istchee that would embody their vision of “aanscha”—the passing on of Cree culture and traditions. In 2000, the leaders of Eeyou Istchee established a charitable foundation, the Aanischaaukamikw Foundation. The Foundation executed a highly successful $25 million fundraising campaign by inviting philanthropic partners to invest in a ground-breaking new cultural organization that would celebrate and protect Cree language and culture.
Located in Oujé-Bougoumou and completed in 2011, Aanischaaukamikw is today among the world’s leading institutions devoted to the study of Indigenous history and culture. The Aanischaaukamikw Foundation’s great philanthropic success demonstrated the Cree’s ability to manage a successful major fundraising campaign, and proved our capacity to engage governments, corporations, institutions, and the people of Eeyou Istchee. The Aanischaaukamikw campaign’s success paved the way for the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation, established in 2016.
Learn more about the Sophie Happyjack -Bosum Memorial Fund here.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation works with the Cree Nation Government and other Cree stakeholders to:
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is the legacy of a long tradition of wise and prudent governance. The Board of Directors includes Cree leaders from the business, education, health and social services, culture, and government sectors distinguished by their high ethical standards and reputation.
The Board sets policy and guidelines for assessing grant requests from Cree communities, and meets regularly to distribute grants. Decisions are based on the viability and expected impact of each project, and by carefully tracking each project’s progress and outcomes.
Dr. Sarah Pash, Chair
Chair – Cree School Board
Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty
Chair – Cree Nation Government
Adrian N. Gunner
Youth Grand Chief, Cree Nation Youth Council
Derrick Neeposh
Chair – Cree Nation Government Board of Compensation
Bertie Wapachee
Chair – Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is very pleased to announce that we have received a $3 million donation from the Mastercard Foundation to support and empower the youth of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is very pleased to announce that we have received a $3 million donation from the Mastercard Foundation to support and empower the youth of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee.
We will utilize the funds to enhance the Cree Nation Youth Council’s capacity to support Cree youth. The Council represents Cree youth to the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) and delivers projects and programs that foster the growth of youth as current and future leaders of the Cree Nation.
“The Cree Nation Youth Council is doing essential work representing the voice of our youth at the Grand Council of the Crees and empowering Cree youth in all of our communities”, explains Foundation Chair Dr. Sarah Pash. “On behalf of the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation, I want to express how thankful we are for this generous support from the Mastercard Foundation.”
Youth Grand Chief Adrian N. Gunner adds: “First of all, I would like to thank the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation and the Mastercard Foundation for their generous and thoughtful support to the Cree Nation Youth Council! We are excited that this support will increase our capacity to work closely with our elected Youth Chiefs, Youth Councils and Youth Departments in our ten communities of Eeyou Istchee. This support will help us represent, advocate and implement our leadership development as young leaders today and tomorrow.”
Figurr Architects Collective has launched the Figurr Architects Cree Education Fund in partnership with the Eeyou-Eenou Community Foundation.
Figurr Architects Collective has launched the Figurr Architects Cree Education Fund in partnership with the Eeyou-Eenou Community Foundation. This fund establishes opportunities for educational success and empowerment of Indigenous youth in the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee. It provides financial assistance for resources and programs that will enable youth to pursue their academic and career goals and is aligned with the priorities put forward by Cree stakeholders.
Figurr Senior Partner Stephen Rotman explains: “The Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee is growing exponentially. This new education fund – launched in honour of Figurr’s 35th anniversary – marks a milestone for the Figurr team and is a testament to the trust and support we have established with the Cree communities in Northern Quebec over the last 10 years. We are deeply grateful for these relationships and are committed to furthering our shared goals. We believe that the Figurr Architects Cree Education Fund will encourage the development of innovative ideas that help Cree youth pursue careers that respond become the architects of resilient, thriving communities.”
During National Indigenous History Month in June, Figurr Architects Collective will match all donations, up to a total of $3,500!
Donate by credit card on line by clicking on the Donate button on the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation web site or by cheque payable to the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation and indicate “Figurr Architects Cree Education Fund” in the memo line. All donations will receive a charitable tax receipt.
Mail cheques to:
Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
700 de La Gauchetière West, Suite 1600
Montréal, Québec H3B 5M2
EECF Chair Dr. Sarah Pash presents the Teepee Project at the Fulbright “Honouring Nations Canada” event in Ottawa.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation was recently given a Fulbright Canada “Honouring Nations Canada” Indigenous Governance Award for the innovative Teepee Project.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation was recently given a Fulbright Canada “Honouring Nations Canada” Indigenous Governance Award for the innovative Teepee Project.
A collaboration of the Cree Health Board and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, the Teepee Project provides unique healing and support for over one hundred Elders and other Cree patients in medical care in Montreal area every month through visits to the site.
Volunteers prepare and share traditional foods not available in southern health care facilities and facilitate cultural traditions on site in Kahnawake.
“The Honouring Nations Canada Indigenous Governance Awards Awards recognize exceptional achievement in solutions to Indigenous issues and Indigenous economic development. The Foundation is very proud to have been chosen for this Award from among so many exceptional indigenous honourees from across Canada. We’re thankful to Fulbright, and to our project partners Assurance Beneva, the Cree Health and Social Services Board, and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake for their vision and support.”
Dr. Sarah Pash
Chair,
Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation