Community Foundation of Halton North

The Importance of Unrestricted Donations

An unrestricted gift is critical to almost every charity. What do we mean by an unrestricted? This is a donation that has no designations or restrictions on how, where or when it must be spent.

Unrestricted gifts are used to meet ever-changing community needs and priorities, including those that may not even be known at the time a donor has made a gift. CFHN evaluates all aspects of community well-being – arts and culture, environment, health and social services, youth and more. Your trust in CFHN makes it possible for us to make decisions in response to our community’s most pressing needs and priorities.

For Community Foundations across the country, unrestricted giving has played an important role during Covid-19. Funds that were not restricted or designated to a specific cause or charity were granted to charities that helped those who were most impacted by the pandemic – food security, seniors, mental health, etc.

Some donors want to ensure their favourite charities receive a steady stream of income through a designated gift. There is a way you can do both. You may wish to consider designating part of your fund as unrestricted, while still supporting your favourite charities or causes with the remaining percentage.

For more information about the Community Foundation of Halton North, go to our website at www.cfhn.ca or contact CFHN’s Executive Director Sue Lawrenson at slawrenson@cfhn.ca or 905-864-9211.