Future-Building Fund

Purpose

The purpose of the Fund is to create investment income that will eventually support the Beneficiary, namely Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf, in its ability to deliver its charitable activities with a positive, meaningful impact.

History

The Fund was established in 1992 by the Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf (OCSD) board of directors. It was endowed with five thousand dollars, allotted from the profit made at the successful National Festival of Arts which was held at Niagara Falls in 1990.

The circumstances that led to the inception of this Fund were multifaceted. The culture, language, and future of the Deaf community, whom this Society historically served, were coming under threat. These threats included the increasing mainstreaming of Deaf children in educational settings, government cutbacks in grants to volunteer-run organizations, and the rising number of issues unfavourable to the interests of the Deaf community.

In order to respond effectively and efficiently to these concerns, the OCSD directors determined that the Society could no longer rely solely on volunteers. They embarked in a new direction, changing the Society into a full-time organization with its own staff to carry out its operations, pursuant to fulfilment of its charitable activities.

After twelve years, the assets of the Fund were donated on September 16, 2003 by the Society to the Foundation. The Foundation agreed to act as Trustee of these assets on behalf of the Society, which is its Beneficiary. The Foundation would administer the Funds’ assets independently.

Investment Objectives

The current objective of the Fund is to generate an annual investment revenue of at least $40,000.

The Fund is to contribute its share to the annual administrative and the management expenses incurred by the Foundation.