The $40 million Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation Inaugural Fundraising Campaign is an opportunity to invest in programs to help secure a bright future for Cree children and youth, and foster healthy, strong, prosperous Cree communities in Eeyou Istchee. The “Casting Our Net Wider” campaign heralds a new era of philanthropic development for Eeyou Istchee.
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Privacy preferencesThe Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation will grow in strength and impact as we raise and distribute donations across important, high-priority projects and initiatives. The money raised from this campaign will allow us to create endowed funds with healthy income streams from interest revenue accrued by the careful stewardship of donations.
We have launched this campaign because the needs are great and the issues facing the communities of Eeyou Istchee are pressing. All of the organizational, leadership, administrative, and legal frameworks are in place, and it is now time to connect with potential investors.
“Casting Our Net Wider” invites the participation of individuals and organizations who want to demonstrate their strategic philanthropy and their desire to be part of the healing and positive change that will come from this landmark campaign.
Grand Chief Dr. Abel Bosum
chairman, cree nation government
Across Quebec and Canada, hospitals, schools, and cultural institutions benefit from a tradition of philanthropic support from businesses, foundations, and individuals. Philanthropy is also essential to build much-needed social projects and services for the Cree communities.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation offers corporate partners, friends and philanthropists a way to invest in vibrant communities and in the future of Cree families, youth, and children. Investors in the Foundation will help to close the opportunity gap between the communities of Eeyou Istchee and the rest of Canada, and will have a profound impact on the reconciliation process.
Tina Petawabano, President, Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
The volunteer leadership team for the $40 million “Casting Our Net Wider” campaign comprises strong, visionary representatives of corporate Canada, Cree Nation governance, and the Cree agencies that will deliver the vital programs made possible by this campaign.
Dr. Abel Bosum
Grand Chief
Grand Council of the Crees
(Eeyou Istchee) Chairman,
Cree Nation Government
Tina Petawabano
Chair
Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
Jean St-Gelais
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Beneva Inc.
Dr. Ted Moses, O.Q.
President
Secretariat to the Cree Nation
Abitibi-Temiscamingue Economic Alliance
Jean St-Gelais, Chairman of the Board of Directors, beneva Inc.
The Eeyou-Eenou Community Foundation has established six funds which address urgent issues all across Eeyou Istchee.
Please click on the name of a fund to learn more
Cree kids and youth need constant stimulation and access to technology as they explore and push the boundaries. This fund will increase opportunities for young people, helping them to develop self-esteem, pride, and strong values through innovative programming.
The Board members and staff of the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Willie Iserhoff.
Learn moreThe Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is proud to partner with the employees of Newmont Éléonore in the establishment of the Newmont Éléonore Employees Orange Shirt Day Fund.
Learn moreThe forest fires in Northern Quebec this Spring and Summer are an extraordinary disaster, with both immediate and long-term effects for people, wildlife, and the land.
Learn moreThe Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation heralds a new chapter in the unfolding story of the Crees of Eeyou Istchee. The Foundation will fuel the network of Cree philanthropic entities and organizations, stimulating the flow of new ideas, concepts, and projects aimed at community development and transformation. The Foundation will engage and inspire, helping to transform life in our communities through better education, health care, housing, prosperity and hope.
We invite you to be part of the “Casting Our Net Wider” inaugural campaign. Donors can choose from funds that align with personal or organizational priorities, or make undesignated donations to the Foundation to be used where the needs are most urgent. Your participation is a concrete way to invest in the reconciliation process and help us build critical social and economic partnerships to ensure a strong and vibrant future for the Crees of Eeyou Istchee.
The Board members and staff of the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Willie Iserhoff.
The Board members and staff of the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Willie Iserhoff.
Willie was a founding and long-time member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Through his role as Director of the Cree Regional Authority Department of Traditional Pursuits, Willie was a central ally in the Foundation’s work to support the development, designing, and construction of the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute in Oujé-Bougoumou.
Much loved by his colleagues, Willie offered wise counsel delivered with good humour to volunteers, staff, and consultants alike throughout our long association.
We extend our deepest sympathies to Willie’s wife, Annie, and his children, Calvin, Fawn, and Joshua.
Dr. Sarah Pash, Chair
Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is proud to partner with the employees of Newmont Éléonore in the establishment of the Newmont Éléonore Employees Orange Shirt Day Fund.
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is proud to partner with the employees of Newmont Éléonore in the establishment of the Newmont Éléonore Employees Orange Shirt Day Fund.
Orange Shirt Day is a commemorative day which raises awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools. The event is held each year on September 30 to mark Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
The Fund was developed at the request of the employees of Newmont Éléonore’s state-of-the-art gold mine located in Eeyou Istchee. The mine’s team wanted a meaningful way to show their support for the Crees of the region.
“The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation is proud to partner with the employees of Newmont Éléonore to recognize the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation,” explains Tina Petawabano, Chair of the Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation. “The Cree people have strong, positive relationships with Newmont Éléonore employees and support from them has special meaning for us.”
Donations from this Fund will support the preservation and sharing of the culture, language and history of the James Bay Crees and the work of Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute, the regional museum and cultural institute of the Cree Nation.
Donations to the Newmont Éléonore Employees Orange Shirt Fund can be made by credit card through this link: Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation | Charity Profile | Donate Online | CanadaHelps.
Donations to the Fund will be matched by Newmont Éléonore and will receive a charitable tax receipt.
Credit: CBC Radio Canada
The forest fires in Northern Quebec this Spring and Summer are an extraordinary disaster, with both immediate and long-term effects for people, wildlife, and the land.
The forest fires in Northern Quebec this Spring and Summer are an extraordinary disaster, with both immediate and long-term effects for people, wildlife, and the land. For the people of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee, the impact of these fires has been devastating. Thousands of Crees, including children and Elders, have been displaced from their communities. Many have lost the traplines and bush camps that are essential to the Cree way of life.
According to Cree Nation Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty, “Every person I’ve spoken to – every elder – has shared the same thing: ‘I’ve never seen this happen before.’ If this is the harbinger of things to come, the impacts will be incredibly harsh, and could change the entire face of Eeyou Istchee and the 20,000 Crees who live and work here.”
The Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation has established a special 2023 Forest Fire Emergency Fund to help Cree families who have been severely affected by the fires. The Foundation is working closely with the Cree Trappers Association and the Cree Nation Government to identify and support those most in need throughout Eeyou Istchee.
Foundation Chair Tina Petawabano emphasizes the urgency of this need: “The fires are volatile and unpredictable, and likely to continue for months to come. Our ability to act quickly and help people and communities will make a profound and important difference.”
Donations can be made by cheque payable to Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation.
Please send to:
Eenou-Eeyou Community Foundation
700 De La Gauchetière West, Suite 1600
Montreal, Quebec H3B 5M2
OR
By credit card through Canada Helps
For more information, please contact Ross Clark at ross@creefoundation.ca or by telephone at 514-910-2075 or Tina Petawabano at tina.petawabano@cngov.ca
