The Yellowknife Community Foundation has launched the Northern Legacy Fund, which aims to raise $3 million by 2028.
Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine has donated $225,000 to start fundraising efforts, and has agreed to match – up to a cap of $100,000 – donations from others on a “Giving Tuesday” event on December 3.
If it hits its $3-million target, the foundation will invest that cash to start a fund designed to gradually grow over time and offer grants worth $125,000 annually “to support important community initiatives.”
“As Diavik moves toward closure, their support demonstrates their dedication to leaving a lasting, positive legacy in the North,” the foundation said in a press release. Diavik is set to close in 2026.
The fundraiser will formally launch at an event in Yellowknife’s visitor centre at noon on Tuesday this week.
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The foundation said it will use the launch event to offer ways of donating to the fund that range from $5,000 to $20,000, calling on northerners to begin a “collective effort.”
In a press release, Yellowknife Community Foundation chair Laurie Gault said the Northern Legacy Fund was designed to build on the success of the Yellowknife Community Impact Fund, which Gault said had “been vital in supporting important initiatives” since 1994.
The Northern Legacy Fund appears to have a broader remit. On its website, the fund says it will seek to “support and strengthen communities across the Northwest Territories.”
“Together with our donors, we’re building a foundation to help every community in the territory to thrive,” the website states.
More information about the fund is available on its website.
