About the Foundation
For over 25 years, the Ontario 4-H Foundation has worked to ensure the long-term financial health of the 4-H program in Ontario.
We are a federally incorporated non-profit charity. Our mission is to attract, manage, and grow endowment funds. Trustees of the Ontario 4-H Foundation are committed to sound financial management in order to ensure that 4-H is Forever in Ontario. We do this by:
- Managing and growing an endowment fund
- Supporting local associations by managing investments on their behalf
- Giving directly to the 4-H Council each year to support programs and events
- Giving to members and associations directly through our donor-sponsored funds, which support specific goals, such as scholarships
Through sound fiscal management, the Foundation manages approximately $3 million. Our objective is an annual return of 5%. For the past ten years, we have met or exceeded that goal.
Our annual income comprises investment returns, donations, and revenue generated through our annual golf tournaments.
Ontario 4-H Foundation’s handcrafted canoe raffle raises $14,580
ILDERTON, ONT (October 7, 2025) – The Ontario 4-H Foundation is pleased to share that their handcrafted canoe raffle raised $14,580 in gross ticket sales for the Stanley Knapp Resource Development Endowment Fund. The 15-foot handcrafted cedar canoe was built by Ron McRae, long-standing 4-H supporter, 4-H alumnus and grandson of Stanley Knapp.
The raffle was drawn on September 28 at the Ilderton Fair, and the winner was Danny Jefferies. For Jefferies, the canoe will serve as a reminder of the community he’s long supported. “I’ve been involved with the fair for years,” said Danny. “To win something that means so much to Ron and to the history of 4-H makes it even more special.”
Stanley Knapp started the first Boys’ and Girls’ Club in Waterloo in 1915. By 1952, the name was changed to 4-H Canada to represent the four H’s in the pledge: head, heart, hands and health. Stanley Knapp was inducted into the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2006.
“I wanted to honour my parents, Murray and Dorothy, for the years they devoted to agriculture and 4-H here in Middlesex,” Ron explained. “This canoe was my way of putting the 4-H motto, ‘Learn to Do by Doing,’ into action, one strip of cedar at a time.”
The Stanley Knapp Resource Development Endowment Fund supports the development of 4-H project resources, giving youth across Ontario the opportunity to expand their knowledge and access up-to-date information on topics that interest them most.
4-H Foundation Celebrates 25th Anniversary
Governance
The Foundation is made up of a volunteer Board of Trustees. Our trustees are dedicated, experienced, and responsible individuals who are committed to maintaining the longevity and sustainability of 4-H Ontario.
Meet the 2025 Board of Trustees:
- Chair: Theresa Wever, Russell
- Vice Chair: Tayler Black, Wellington
- Past Chair: Naomi Lutes, Toronto
- Secretary: Stuart Budd, Brant
- Treasurer: Earle Mayes, Perth
- Lois James, Russell
- Ingrid Larmer, Durham East
- Mary Lou McCutcheon, Perth
- Norman McNaughton, Middlesex
- Colin Pool, Chatham-Kent
- John Taylor, OMIA
- Julia Whalen, Dufferin
- Bill Zwambag, Middlesex
Ontario 4-H Foundation Policy Manual
Please find the Foundation Policy Manual here.
Learn More
To learn more about the Foundation or to obtain copies of our financial statements, please feel free to reach out to any of the trustees directly. In the alternative, you can contact the Executive Director of 4-H Ontario at ed@4-hontario.ca. Much of our financial information is publicly available through the charitydata website.
A gift to the Foundation is a gift for the future of 4-H in Ontario.
The delivery of the 4-H program in Ontario is funded in large part through membership fees, grants, and sponsorships.
But the receipt of grants and sponsorships is not guaranteed.
In 1995, the 4-H Foundation was set up to build an endowment fund to ensure the long-term viability of the 4-H program. The Foundation’s aim is to make sure that there will always be funding for 4-H.
Because we invest on a long-term basis, we are able to continually grow our endowment fund. The larger our endowment grows, the more we are able to give directly to programming each year while maintaining our capital.
When you give to the Foundation, you can direct your funds in one of four ways:
- Endowment fund
- An existing donor-sponsored fund
- A new fund set up at your direction
- To a local association
The annual returns on our endowment fund comprise over half of our annual revenue, and are used to support 4-H programming through direct support and re-investment.
Donors may designate a specific use for their funds. Alternately, a donor can set up a fund to honour a person, such as an in-memoriam fund. Your gift is then placed in our endowed fund which is carefully invested and will grow over time.
Our funds are pooled and invested in accordance with our investment policy, which ensures a diverse asset mix and an above-market rate of return.
You can make your gift in many ways! In addition to a monetary donation, we accept gifts of securities, bequests by will, gifts of life insurance, and gifts of other assets. Contact us to learn more!
The Foundation looks for trustees with a wide range of skills. One or more of these key attributes are important:
- Strong, broad connections in their local community or in business
- Training and experience in professions such as money management, accounting, legal, banking or fund raising
- An understanding of the 4-H program, often through previous participation as member, volunteer or 4-H parent
- Wide geographic representation across the Province
- Diversity of representation
- An eager desire to see 4-H succeed for the long term, and the confidence to reach out to others in support of fund raising endeavors.
We are always looking for good candidates to join the Foundation. If you feel that you have what it takes to assist the Foundation in its role, please let us know by contacting a member of the board.
Each year the Ontario 4-H Foundation hosts two golf tournaments: One in Guelph (Golf-West) and one in Ottawa (Golf-East). Funds raised through the golf tournaments support the Ontario 4-H Foundation and ultimately the future of 4-H in Ontario.
Contact Us
Ontario 4-H Foundation
Box 73
Glencoe, Ontario
N0L 1M0
Cell: 519-494-9618 Office 519-872-4466