Community Foundation of Nova Scotia

04/30/2026

Engage Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey is open until May 3!

What’s Your Story?

We are excited to see how the stories of Nova Scotians help shape community wellbeing across the province.

Your voice is an important part of making this happen.

📢Help us tell the whole story by completing the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey by May 3rd!

Our support team is ready and on standby to help you get started.

You can reach out to them by phone or email to request a unique user code:

📧 email [email protected] or
📞 Call (toll-free) 833-224-0333 (Monday to Friday from noon to 5 PM!)

04/08/2026

Apply Now: Reciprocity Health Fund

We’re pleased to announce that the Reciprocity Health Fund is now open for applications. This annual grant supports projects/ programs addressing the social determinants of health in the Tri-County Area.

New This Year: Thanks to an additional contribution to this endowment in 2025, the Reciprocity Health Fund will award $710,000 in 2026. This is more than double what was granted in 2025.

Applications will be accepted from March 30 to April 30, 2026.
Learn More & Apply: https://cfns.ca/reciprocityhealthfund/

Pictured is Dr. Alicia Noreiga-Mundaroy. She is working with a Community Health Board in Shelburne County to examine how socio-economic factors affect well-being. This study focuses on barriers that prevent some Shelburne residents from accessing essentials like nutritious food, safe housing, transportation, and mental health support. This project received funding from the Reciprocity Health Fund in 2025 to support this important research.

03/30/2026

Apply Now: Reciprocity Health Fund

We’re pleased to announce that the Reciprocity Health Fund is now open for applications. This annual grant supports projects/ programs addressing the social determinants of health in the Tri-County Area.

New This Year: Thanks to an additional contribution to this endowment in 2025, the Reciprocity Health Fund will award $710,000 in 2026. This is more than double what was granted in 2025.

Applications will be accepted from March 30 to April 30, 2026.

Learn More & Apply: https://cfns.ca/reciprocityhealthfund/

Pictured is 2025 Reciprocity Health Fund recipient, Sou’West Nova Transit Association. Their grant from CFNS supported free first rides for new passengers. The charity provides transportation in Shelburne County, a region without public transit. While services are subsidized by municipalities, donors, and grants, rides still carry a cost for users, and prospective passengers may be unsure about reaching out for their transportation needs.

Kevin Curry, Executive Director of Sou’West Nova Transit, says their drivers logged over 300,000 km in 2024—the equivalent of circling the earth seven and a half times—and delivered 35 - 45 rides every day. Thanks to their dedication, residents can reach medical appointments, run errands, and stay connected.

02/19/2026

CFNS is looking for a part-time team member to support fundholders, donors, grantees, and scholarship recipients by maintaining high-quality records and ensuring timely communication.

If you love Nova Scotia, take pride in accuracy, and love bringing order to a busy system, this role might be for you.

Applications close February 25 at 4:00 PM.
https://cfns.ca/careers/

02/11/2026

We're looking for a community-minded, data-savvy person to join our team in a flexible part-time role. Visit cfns.ca/careers/ for all the details!

Application deadline: Wednesday February 25, 2026, at 4:00 PM

02/10/2026

Community-Led Poverty Reduction in Cape Breton

We’re excited to introduce another recipient of the CFNS VISIONS Fund: New Dawn Community Development Educational Foundation. They’ve received $40,000 per year for three years to launch their Social Development Forum, a new initiative tackling persistent poverty in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

The Forum brings together community organizations, service providers, and people with lived experience of poverty to build shared strategies for change. Through facilitated sessions and collaborative planning, the project works to strengthen coordination across the sector, elevate first-voice participation, and create a community-wide poverty reduction plan rooted in local realities.

Pictured here is Eric Leviten-Reid, Project Coordinator, who says the funding allows the team to focus on the deeper, collaborative work needed to make a real difference.

“The funding from the VISIONS Fund is a godsend,” says Leviten-Reid. “It puts some legs underneath work that is often missing but essential if we’re going to address poverty in our community.”

Funding from the CFNS VISIONS Fund is made possible by an anonymous donor with intentions to make Nova Scotia a better place to live and learn. To learn more visit cfns.ca/VISIONS/

02/03/2026

We are so happy to announce the grant recipients of the second annual CFNS VISIONS Fund, awarding over $400,000 to support 13 organizations across the province.

Featured in today’s photo:
The Africadian Empowerment Academy (AEA) received support for its Pathways to Skilled Trades program, which prepares Nova Scotians of African descent for long-term careers in the skilled trades through culturally grounded training, mentorship, and wraparound supports. Pictured are Tomisin Ayoola, Project Coordinator, left, and Omolara Ogunbosi, Executive Director of AEA.

CFNS VISIONS Fund Recipients 2025:
The Africadian Empowerment Academy of Nova Scotia
New Dawn
The Youth Project
Family SOS
GEO Nova Scotia
YMCA Lunenburg County
Autism Nova Scotia - Truro Regional Autism Centre
CANU - Cumberland Adult Network for Upgrading
Valley Community Learning Association
Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute

Continuing Multi-Year Funding Recipients
Acadia University
Nova Scotia Community College - NSCC
Nova Village NS

Read the full release and project descriptions at https://cfns.ca/newsandevents/

11/18/2025

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Fraser Family Fund for Music Education!

In communities everywhere, music has the power to uplift, connect, and transform lives. The Fraser Family Fund for Music Education seeks to inspire and educate a new generation of passionate music teachers who will settle in small communities in Atlantic Canada to teach privately, ensuring that music education is accessible and flourishes.

This Fund was established in honour and loving memory of Katherine Fraser (1960 – 2025), Peter Fraser (1939 - ), and Rosemary Fraser (1939 – 2018), a devoted family of private music teachers.

If you’d like to donate or learn more about how to apply, visit our website for full details. www.cfns.ca/fraser-family-fund-for-music-education/

10/17/2025

Carly Levy from our CFNS team shared the story behind the new Guysborough County Youth Arts Education Fund with the Guysborough Journal.

“I hope it sparks some inspiration and a future in art that maybe a young kid didn’t think was possible,” said Levy. “If you live in a rural area, maybe you’re not as exposed to art as someone in an urban setting, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t young, talented artists out there who just need that one little spark or catalyst to help launch their dreams.”

Learn more about the Fund, and link to the article here: https://cfns.ca/guysborough-county-youth-arts-education-fund/

09/25/2025

The CFNS VISIONS Fund is accepting Expressions of Interest until October 3! Visit: https://cfns.ca/visions/

Meet Carollynne Nemecek of Pictou County Continuous Learning Association (PiCCoLA). PiCCoLA was the recipient of a CFNS VISIONS Fund grant in 2024 to support kitchen renovations for the programs they offer to students and in their community!

You can read more about the projects of 2024 grantees here:https://cfns.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/CFNS_VISIONS_Fund_Release_Web.pdf

09/11/2025

NEW THIS YEAR: Expressions of Interest
September 8 – October 3, 2025

We’re pleased to announce that the CFNS VISIONS Fund is now accepting expressions of interest (EOI) for the 2025 granting cycle.

New this year, the EOI stage is designed to respect the time of all applicants, given the broad funding priorities of this grant.

Organizations whose EOIs are accepted will be invited to submit a full application.

Visit CFNS.ca/VISIONS/ for more information and too apply.