Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group is inviting all community groups in the regions it operates in to apply for grants, as the insurer pledges $300,000 to help support learning and education efforts.
Community-led initiatives in Eastern, Central and Western Ontario are invited to apply for grants with the insurer, with applicants each receiving up to $50,000 for learning programming, or to fund facilities for education. These facilities include libraries, schools, and community centres.
A release said that Commonwell is pledging a total of $300,000 through its Learning and Engagement Accelerator Fund (L.E.A.F.) for this round of grants. L.E.A.F. was established earlier this year, with Commonwell aiming to use the fund to provide a total of $1 million to community projects.
For this year, L.E.A.F. is focusing on backing initiatives related to learning, said Commonwell. Eligible projects must have a goal related to learning in their community and building strong communities for the future, the insurer said.
“We had an overwhelming response from local community and infrastructure programs last year,” said Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group president and CEO Tim Shauf. “This year we wanted to highlight, encourage and fund local initiatives that specifically address ‘learning’ as it's a key component to our philosophy of philanthropy.”
Anyone living in the Eastern, Central and Western Ontario areas where Commonwell operates is welcome to nominate an eligible project through the insurer’s official website. Commonwell will then observe which projects attract the most attention and support on social media – community engagement is a key factor in the insurer’s selection of grant recipients.
Applications opened earlier this week and will close on November 10, 2022. The recipients will be announced in early December.
