KAWARTHA LAKES-A local insurer is once again offering local charities and community organizations that are seeing gaps in funding and donations an opportunity for some grant money.
Ontario communities throughout ‘Commonwell Country’ (the smaller places and wide-open spaces of Eastern, Central and Western Ontario that The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group serves) NOW have the green light to apply for grants from $10,000 up to $50,000 to fund community programming and infrastructure programs on the local level. $400,000 total will be awarded in 2025.
In this, the fifth year of the program, the Commonwell’s L.E.A.F. (Learning and Engagement Accelerator Fund) has matched last year’s record-breaking $400k in grants to continue reenergizing learning, education, and engagement in these communities. Since 2021, 54 community projects have been funded and $2.2 Million in funding has been awarded.
L.E.A.F. is continuing to zero in on funding learning initiatives. Eligible projects must have a goal related to creating learning and engagement opportunities in their community and focus on building strong communities for the future.
“L.E.A.F. was created to support the underfunded but impactful, hyper-local educational programs across Ontario,” said Tim Shauf, President and CEO of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. “Recent years have posed significant challenges for many communities, but these same communities are demonstrating remarkable adaptability, generating new ideas, and collaborating effectively. We aim to accelerate this progress by investing in it. Through L.E.A.F., we invite every community in Ontario to apply for grants that support the introduction of new programs or the enhancement of community facilities where residents learn, play, engage, and gather. Any project that builds capacity and resilience will be considered.”
What projects are eligible?
Local community led initiatives in the areas that The Commonwell operates across Ontario that support learning programming or the places where communities gather to learn and engage (think libraries, schools, and community centres.) Applicants are encouraged to read the official rules.
What specific towns are eligible?
Baltimore, Brechin, Cameron, Colbourne, Embrun, Foxboro, Goderich, Grafton, Grand Bend, Havelock, Hillier, Huntsville, Ingersoll, Kitchener/Waterloo, Lindsay, Listowel, London, Lucan, Madoc, Manotick, Meaford, Midland, Mono, Navan, Orillia, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Plantagenet, Prescott, Sarnia, Selby, Smith Falls, St. Marys, St. Pauls, Stratford, Thomasburg, Tillsonberg,
What’s next?
For communities to earn their share of the fund, residents can nominate an eligible project through the submission portal at leaf.thecommonwell.ca. Once projects have been submitted, The Commonwell will be looking to those communities to rally support for the project by commenting and sharing photos on the project’s page at thecommonwell.ca/leaf. Community engagement is a factor in deciding the winning proposals.
Key Dates:
- Applications open today, September 8th, 2025.
- Applications close November 7th, 2025.
- Community support pages for projects close on November 14th, 2025.
- Recipients announced in December 2025.
