Kindred Credit Union Charitable Fund Announces 2026 Grant Recipients

$10,000 grant
Theme: Mental Health
Project: Supporting Newcomers with Culturally, Spiritually and Linguistically Inclusive Mental Health Support
Kitchener, ON
msswr.org

Muslim Social Services Waterloo Region offers culturally and spiritually sensitive humanitarian and social services to the Muslim and non-Muslim communities of Waterloo region. This grant will strengthen and expand their counselling services to better meet the diverse needs of newcomer and refugee community members.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Springbank Community and Food Bank Gardens
Cambridge, ON
raresites.org

rare Charitable Research Reserve is a community-based land trust and environmental institute dedicated to protecting over 1,500 acres of environmentally sensitive land across Waterloo region and Wellington County. This grant will support the Springbank Community and Food Bank Gardens, providing fresh food to local community members, as well as the Cambridge Food Bank.

$7,500 grant
Theme: Mental Health
Project: Supporting Mental Wellness of our Widowed Parent Families
Kitchener, ON
hummingbirdcentreforhope.com

The Hummingbird Centre for Hope builds a community of hope for those who are widowed with children. This grant will support and strengthen programs focused on mental health, connection, and resilience for widowed parents, by increasing accessibility and capacity.

$9,975 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Culturally Inclusive Outreach and Community Support
Kitchener, ON
kindmindsfamilywellness.org

Kind Minds Family Wellness provides culturally informed support to the Black community within the Waterloo Region and surrounding communities. This grant will enable targeted outreach initiatives and activities that address food insecurity within the community.

$8,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Waterloo Region Youth Food Market
Waterloo, ON
seeds.ca

Seeds of Diversity Canada is a member-based organization of farmers and gardeners who preserve the biodiversity and sustainability of the basic building blocks of our food system: seeds, plants, and pollinators. This grant will support the Waterloo Region Youth Food Market which provides fresh produce in neighbourhoods that lack easy access to affordable, nutritious fruits and vegetables by supporting high-school age youth to grow and source food locally and sell at pop-up markets, at affordable prices, where food insecurity is greatest.

$9,747 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Fighting Food Insecurity
Mount Forest, ON

The Community Pantry provides food, personal, and hygiene items to individuals, families, and couples within the local community. This grant will support enhancements of their facility and operations.

$9,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Cooler Reconstruction
Leamington, ON

Southwester Ontario Gleaners turns non-marketable produce into dried vegetable soup mix to address food security. This grant will support renovations to the drive-in cooler.

$8,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Market Access for All
Cambridge, ON
cambridgefoodbank.org

The Cambridge Food Bank supports access to healthy food and opportunities in Cambridge and North Dumfries. This grant supports a pilot project through the Mobile Food Market which brings affordable, nutritious food directly into neighbourhoods, enabling access and dignity of choice.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Spirit Bundles: Strengthening food security for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis families in the Waterloo Region
Kitchener, ON
aocan.org

Anishnabeg Outreach Employment and Training Inc. assists urban First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in overcoming barriers by creating a sustainable and comprehensive suite of centralized wrap around services. This grant supports the Spirit Bundle Food Program which supports 500 Indigenous families by delivering vital food and household items to Indigenous families combining practical support with community connection.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: Milverton Food Bank Expansion Project
Milverton
mcfchurch.ca

The Milverton Christian Fellowship shares their building with the Loaves and Fishes Food Bank. This grant will support the expansion of services and necessary renovations to meet increasing needs in the community.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Housing
Project: Housing Worker Support Project
Cambridge ON
porchlightcnd.org

Porchlight provides counselling and addiction services support the emotional well-being of people in Cambridge and North Dumfries. This grant will support the provision of preventative and responsive mental health services to workers in the housing sector.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Hunger
Project: 2026 Summer Snax Program
Fergus, ON
communityresourcecentre.org

The Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington is a community benefit agency with programs designed to fill the gaps in community service and bring neighbours together. This grant will help fund the Summer Snax program, providing 500 children and youth with needed nutrition over the nine weeks that school is out for the summer.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Mental Health
Project: Mental Health Counselling for the Rural Working Poor
New Hamburg, ON
interfaithcounselling.ca

Interfaith Counselling Centre strengthens the fabric of their community by equipping individuals, couples, and families to realize their emotional wellness and triumph over life’s challenges. This grant will offset the costs of services for low-income working clients who do not qualify for the fully funded programs but cannot afford to full fee.

$10,000.00 grant
Theme: Mental Health
Project: The Pathways to Peace: Art and Mental Wellness for Refugee Youth
Kitchener, ON
receptionhouse.ca

Reception House specializes in supporting government-assisted refugees in Waterloo region with tailored programs and services designed to aid in their resettlement and integration into the local community. This grant will support and build on the success of the Pathways to Peace: Art and Mental Wellness for Refugee Youth project which addresses mental health by providing refugee youth with a creative and therapeutic outlet to process and express their experiences.

$6,415 grant
Theme: Mental Health
Project: Healthy Habits
Aylmer, ON
mcson.org

Mennonite Community Services of Southern Ontario provides leadership for mutual inclusion of our communities by facilitating, advocating and promoting integration of newcomers. This grant will support workshops to connect mental health and health eating habits for women in the Family Education and Support Program Aylmer (FESPA) program.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Housing
Project: Specialized Housing Program
Kitchener
sascwr.org

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region provides support to survivors of sexual violence. This grant will support the provision of safe emergency housing and wrap around supports to survivors experiencing homelessness.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Housing
Project: AfterCare
Kitchener
marillacplace.ca

Marillac Place provides supportive housing to women with young children. This grant supports the AfterCare program which promotes long-term housing stability after families leave Marillac Place.

$10,000 grant
Theme: Housing
Project: New Development Project to replace 60 year old Retirement Residence
Leamington
www.mennonitehome.ca

The Leamington United Mennonite Home operates a continuum of housing and care for seniors. This grant will support the architectural design work of a new seniors’ residence project.