About CFC
Executive Profile
Monica Patten
President and Chief Executive Officer
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Foundations of Canada, Monica Patten has presided over a period of unprecedented growth in Canada's community foundation movement.
When she took the helm of the fledging organization for Canada's community foundations in 1993, it had 28 members with assets of $500 million. Today, those numbers have exploded to include more than 170 community foundations in cities, towns and rural areas all across the country.
In 2009, Canada's community foundations held $2.8 billion in combined assets and contributed $140 million to a vast array of charities - making the network one of the country's largest grantmakers.
Under Monica's leadership, Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) has earned a national and international reputation for innovation and generosity.
Monica firmly believes that 'growing the philanthropic pie' benefits everyone. As a result, CFC honours the true spirit of philanthropy by widely sharing its expertise with other philanthropic organizations. Monica has personally assisted in the development of community philanthropy around the world, including in Brazil, Mexico, Central and Eastern Europe, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Russia. She was a founder of WINGS (Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support) and served as its chair through 2004 to 2007. She now serves as a Director of the Global Fund for Community Foundations.
Monica is well known for her leadership in Canada’s voluntary sector. In May 2005, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lawson Foundation in recognition of her "extraordinary accomplishments and leadership." Monica was also honoured by the Public Policy Forum in April 2002 for her contribution to public policy and Canada's voluntary sector. In 2007 Monica was appointed a Mentor with the Trudeau Foundation and more recently to the RioTintoAlcan Fund and The Lawson Foundation as a Director.
CFC's Board of Directors recently announced that Monica will be leaving CFC in 2011 to move on to new adventures. Her contribution to the community foundation movement will be recognized at CFC's 2011 Conference in Vancouver, May 12-14, which coincides with the 90th anniversary of Canada's first community foundation.
