# Edmonton Community Foundation

Edmonton Community Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Edmonton, Canada.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Edmonton, Canada
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- **Founded:** 1989
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** ecf.ca
- **LinkedIn:** https://ca.linkedin.com/company/edmonton-community-foundation

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Edmonton Community Foundation was established in 1989 when John and Barbara Poole, alongside Robert and Shirley Stollery, contributed $15 million in seed capital to create a philanthropic vehicle for Alberta's capital region. The foundation multiplies its impact by pooling gifts from multiple donor families, most notably the late Eldon Foote, whose estate significantly expanded its permanent endowment alongside generations of community contributors. ECF deploys capital across a deliberately diversified asset mix. Its direct real estate book includes the Hilltop House office asset at 9910 103 Street NW and the ECF REIT LP, a mixed-use vehicle focused on Edmonton's downtown core. The foundation runs a consolidated real estate portfolio with global exposure, infrastructure and mortgage fund allocations within Canada, and a shariah-compliant investment pool. Cooperative ventures extend to the Social Enterprise Fund — a partnership with the City of Edmonton that backs local social-purpose businesses — and Return, a development activation on Rice Howard Way. The foundation operates from a single headquarters in Edmonton under CEO Tina Thomas and Board Chair Elisa Hung. It belongs to the founding network of Community Foundations of Canada, alongside memberships in Philanthropic Foundations Canada and the Responsible Investment Association, reflecting a posture aligned with national standards for community endowments. Unlike a private foundation tied to a single family, ECF functions as a public foundation aggregating many donor-advised funds, giving it a structural mandate to serve as the city's central philanthropic intermediary. This architecture allows it to blend grantmaking with direct investment, using operating assets like its real estate holdings to generate returns that fund student awards and charity grants across the Edmonton region.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Infrastructure
- Private Credit
- Social Enterprise

## People

- Tina Thomas — CEO
- Elisa Hung — Board Chair
- John Poole — Founding Donor
- Barbara Poole — Founding Donor
- Robert Stollery — Founding Donor
- Shirley Stollery — Founding Donor
- Eldon Foote — Major Donor (Estate)

## Questions

### What is the Edmonton Community Foundation's relationship with the City of Edmonton?

ECF acts as a partner, not a government entity. It co-founded the Social Enterprise Fund with the City of Edmonton to finance local social-purpose organizations, and the two collaborate through a Community Development Company structure. The foundation maintains independent governance under its own board.

### Where does the Edmonton Community Foundation's capital come from?

The foundation was seeded with $15 million from the Poole and Stollery families in 1989. It grew through donations from community members, including a significant estate gift from Eldon Foote. ECF pools these contributions into donor-advised funds and its permanent endowment.

### How does ECF invest its assets?

ECF holds a mixed portfolio of directly owned commercial real estate — including Hilltop House and the ECF REIT LP — alongside infrastructure and mortgage fund allocations. It also maintains a shariah-compliant investment pool and makes impact investments via the Social Enterprise Fund.

### Does ECF make direct investments or only grant funding?

ECF does both. It awards student and charity grants while also making direct real estate and social-enterprise investments. The foundation's balance sheet includes operating assets like commercial properties that generate returns to fund its grant programs.

## Related profiles

- [Edith Murphy Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/edith-murphy-foundation)
- [EDS Retirement Plan](https://altss.com/profile/eds-retirement-plan)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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