WATERLOO, ONTARIO, January 01, 2024 –Registered as a charitable organization in 2007, the Evangelical Lutheran Foundation of Eastern Canada (“ELFEC”) has grown to offer unique value-driven investment, fundraising, and philanthropy programs and services to interested partners in every corner of Canada. Consequently, after a long consultative process the volunteer leadership has determined its time to adopt Charitus as the new name and brand of the distinctive charity. “The discussions to adopt the Charitus name were grounding in our values and unique charitable programs and services,” shared Chairperson of the Charitus Board of Directors, Stephen Holmes, “With the adoption of the Charitus name, a portmanteau which reflects the collective charitable ambitions of Charitus, the professional team at Charitus will be working hard to share the exciting rebranding and continue an amazing mission that is driven by the credo ‘values driving value’”, added Mr. Holmes. Charitus has a three-fold mission: To support investments, to encourage charitable giving, and to offer charitable contributions to well-deserving beneficiaries through a range of granting programs. More details: Full Press Release Charitus.caRead more
Latest News
Posted: November 1, 2023
Please find attached our transfer form to be completed for any transfer of securities. Transferring publicly traded securities to our congregations or another charity, you will experience a greater tax advantage than by donating the same amount in cash. To learn more about the advantages of making a donation of securities, please watch our recorded webinar on the subject. • In-kind transfers of stocks are normally completed within 10 working days after the authorization is received at the office of Royal Bank Investor Services (RBIS). If your donation is made near the end of the calendar year, the transfer authorization form must be received by RBIS no later than December 15 to ensure that the transfer is completed by December 31 and the donation receipt can be dated in the current calendar year. • In-kind transfers of mutual fund units may take 20 or more working days to complete. If your donation is made near the end of the calendar year, the transfer authorization form must be received by RBIS no later than November 27 to ensure that the transfer is completed by December 31 and the donation receipt can be dated in the current calendar year.Read more
Posted: April 24, 2023
ELFEC is pleased to continue a long-standing relationship with Windmill Microlending , an Alberta-based charity (Registration #862367182 RR 0001) that works across Canada offering affordable loans to skilled immigrants and refugees. ELFEC's newest commitment is a three hundred- and fifty-thousand-dollar investment and is part of ELFEC's social investment strategy with a focus on poverty reduction. A Windmill loan can have a big impact on their clients, who significantly increase their incomes and are less likely to stay under-employed. Funded by the public and private sectors, Windmill has delivered more than 8,000 microloans to new Canadians, helping convert their potential into prosperity which ultimately benefits everyone. Windmill provides affordable loans of up to twenty-five thousand dollars to help skilled immigrants and refugees achieve career success and at the same time Windmill offers: Client success coaching; A mentorship program; Financial planning and budgeting tools; and, Career development resources. ELFEC is proud to be at for the forefront of socially impactful investments which have continued to grow since around the turn of the century. Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social, or environmental impact alongside a financial return. ELFEC's focus in recent years has surrounded projects which meaningfully support climate change needs, address Indigenous reconciliation, and assist with . ELFEC's efforts are always alignment through our faith-based, ethical investment credo.Read more
Posted: February 7, 2023
As part of ongoing efforts to seek out socially impactful investments which compliment existing strategies, ELFEC, along with other notable investors such as BDC Capital, Farm Credit Canada, the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, Vancity, and Bank of America, have recently taken an investment position with Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, North America’s only Indigenous-led and owned venture capital intermediary, Raven Fund II). Raven Fund II invests in innovative, scalable Indigenous enterprises at the forefront of advancing the well-being of Indigenous Peoples Raven provides late seed and early-stage capital to innovative, scalable, purpose driven Indigenous enterprises. Companies are screened through a unique, Indigenous impact framework that both expresses, and reflects, Indigenous ways of knowing and being. More detailsRead more
Posted: September 20, 2022
Through all the challenges of the last two years, Canadian Lutherans, congregations, and organizations within the ELCIC have never stopped working, changing, and adapting to meet a new reality. The mission of the church continued though online worship, sponsorship of refugees, creating and continuing food distribution networks and meeting other needs within communities. ELFEC, the Lutheran Foundation in Canada, continued our important collaborative work, offering programs and supports to encourage philanthropy. ELFEC was pleased to host webinars on planned (legacy) giving, generosity, retirement planning, and gifting of securities. The global COVID-19 pandemic was a struggle for many. ELFEC was humbled to have the professional resources, programs, and services to be of service to so many during this difficult time. Our resolve to do more for Lutherans in Canada has made us look for ways to do things differently. This is why we continue to partner with Will Power, a national movement inspiring all Canadians to think differently about charitable giving and support the causes they care about through a gift in their Wills. Read more about ELFEC and WIll Power .Read more
Posted: April 18, 2022
ELFEC is continuing our matching partner grant program for 2022, with the purpose to support projects that respond to and help with recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic within your own community. We are also looking to support projects that address social needs and/or environmental impact in their church community. What are we looking for? We are looking for project proposals from partner organizations, which we can support with a grant of up to $3,000 but not more than 75% of the total project costs. Grants are available for activities that make a social impact focused on the elimination of poverty in Canada, specifically magnified by the current pandemic. As well as projects which support Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and advancement of Indigenous social and economic goal. Additionally, projects which promote the sustainable use of our environmental resources, including the atmosphere, land and water. Further details are available here.Read more
Posted: April 6, 2022
The Foundation's invesment, a 5-year community bond, with Windmill Microlending was made in 2018. This impact investment has not only provided predictible returns for our ELFEC and our investment partners, but made a significant impact for new immigrants in Canada who benefit from Windmill's loans and coaching programs. In 2021, immigration accounted for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth and nearly 80% of our population growth. Despite the invaluable contributions by immigrants to Canada’s community and economic well-being, there remain significant barriers to achieving prosperity. Immigrants have lower employment income than non-immigrants, and this discrepancy is even greater amongst immigrant women, racialized immigrants, and for immigrants admitted in the family and refugee class. Windmill’s loans and coaching supports are important tools for addressing this problem, and our community bond continues to resonate with investors across Canada. To date, Windmill has raised over $18 million in community bonds. Thanks to community-minded investors such as ELFEC, the program has become a keystone source of loan capital to meet the needs of Canadian newcomers who come to Windmill for help in financing their accreditation to restart their careers. For Windmill’s 21-22 fiscal year end, loan approvals are on track to exceed last year’s and, most importantly, our clients continue to triple their incomes and repay their loans.Read more
Posted: March 7, 2022
ELFEC is delighted to announce a new collaborative partnership with the Saskatchewan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. This extends ELFEC’s successful offerings of investment support programs, charitable grants and fundraising services across the county. This is another significant milestone in ELFEC’s continued growth such that the charity now supports over $70 million in investment. “Through a tough time for many, ELFEC has managed to grow its partnerships with a strong track record of investment products, programs and services offering clear results to Canadian charities” said volunteer board Chairman, Bill Gastmeier. In the past several years, ELFEC has almost doubled its supported ethical investments and expanded its fundraising and charitable work” Gastmeier added. Rev. Dr. Sid Haugen who leads the Saskatchewan Synod as Bishop noted that “after exploring the needs of the synod and the benefits of ELFEC, the Saskatchewan Synod was pleased to select ELFEC as its partner. We trust that ELFEC’s investment and charitable support efforts will meaningfully support the Synod and other expressions of the Church in meeting our near and long-term goals.” Further details available here.Read more
Posted: January 9, 2022
A Gift of a Lifetime: Providing a Charitable Gift it Through Your Will Many people want to help their favourite charity or cause by providing a gift through their Will and worry it will take away from what they leave for their family or friends. Learn how you can have it both ways by giving in your Will. We are pleased to have Jennifer Stebbing, Lawyer at Ross & McBride LLP, speak to you about legacy giving and how your estate can take advantage of tax benefits. Click here to watch webinar recording. About the presenter, Jennifer Stebbing, B.A. (Hons.), J.D., LL.B., CPCA, LL.M. (Tax), EPC, C.S. Jennifer Stebbing is a partner at Ross & McBride LLP and the Chair of the Estate and Trust practice group. Jennifer practices in the areas of estate planning, administration, and accounting. She earned her JD from Michigan State University and her LL.B. from the University of Ottawa. She is active in the Hamilton Law Associate Estate and Trust section. Jennifer is the Chair of the Hamilton Conservation Foundation and the Vice-Chair Canadian Celiac Association. Jennifer has an LL.M. specializing in Tax from Osgoode Hall Law School and recently earned the Certified Specialist in Estates and Trusts designation from the Law Society of Ontario.Read more