Impact: The National Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership » Impact Fund

Impact! Fund Recipients Announced: Change Starts Now!

Impact — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 22:31:42 +0000

While the world waits for our leaders to tackle sustainability issues in Copenhagen, twelve young Canadians are taking immediate action. The students, from ten universities and one college, have received grants from The Co-operators Foundation – Impact! Fund to initiate sustainability projects in their communities, across Canada and, in one instance, internationally.

The projects range from urban beekeeping to education programs, from green jobs to banning plastic bags, from low-tech tap water at local events to high-tech barcodes for food products. The students have identified critical issues and have taken decisive action.

The $50,000 Co-operators Foundation – Impact! Fund was created to engage past participants of Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership. Held for the first time in September 2009, the event gathered nearly 200 university and college students representing all areas of study from across Canada and provided a forum to develop timely solutions to pressing sustainability issues. Inspired by sustainability leaders like Dr.David Suzuki, guided by sectoral experts from industry and academia, and through vast and diverse networks, students developed practical solutions and practices to effect change long after the conference. The Co-operators Foundation – Impact! Fund is a source of seed money to enable them to be catalysts for change.

“We have always maintained that what happens after the pre-conference research and after the Impact! conference is what is most important,” said Barbara Turley-McIntyre, conference Chair and The Co-operators Director of Sustainability. “The conference excited, empowered and equipped almost 200 young people to go out there and have an Impact! We intend to support and measure that as the year progresses.”

The Co-operators Foundation: Impact! Fund – Successful grant applicants notified today

Impact — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:05 +0000

At the closing of Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership, The Co-operators Board of Directors announced the creation of a $50,000 fund to provide seed money for projects initiated by conference alumni. By October 30th, 26 applications had been received. They were assessed by a panel and, today, the successful applicants will receive confirmation that their project has been accepted for funding.

Stay tuned to find out more about the selected projects and the people behind them.

Friday, October 30th: Deadline for Impact Fund Applications

dominique — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:12:41 +0000

Created to further engage the 180 Canadian youth who attended Impact! The Co-operators Youth Conference for Sustainability Leadership; The Co-operators Foundation – Impact Fund offers financial support to spur our participants’ sustainability solutions to positively impact Canadian organizations and communities.

Only students who attended the conference are eligible to apply for funding. Each grant will be in the range of $1,000-5,000, although exceptions may be made to accommodate exceptionally ambitious projects. The funds directed per proposal will depend on the project’s potential impact and is intended to cover anticipated expenses during the project. Total funding available in 2009 is $50,000 for projects completed by June 30, 2010.