Osprey Community Foundation

25 Years of Osprey Community Foundation

September 24, 2025

Imagine a group of people who believed they could somehow make a difference and that their giving should last. In 2000, a group of neighbours, friends and business colleagues came together with a vision to build a stronger community. They imagined a lasting source of funding, not dependent on government and not just for today, but for generations to come.

For the past 25 years, Osprey Community Foundation has connected local generosity with local needs, to create lasting impact through sustainable giving. What makes Osprey different is that it was built by the community, for the community. What began with an initial $200 donation in 2000 has since grown to over $9 million in contributed endowed gifts.

Many of those founding directors that took the initiative twenty-five years ago to create a community foundation, are still here in the Kootenays. At Osprey, we call them our hometown heroes. It is because of them and the powerful idea: that local generosity, wisely invested, could build a stronger future for our community.

Be sure to read founding director of Osprey, Donna Macdonald’s column in the Nelson Star this week and imagine what another 25 years of giving will look like.

https://www.nelsonstar.com/opinion/about-nelson-25-years-of-the-osprey-community-foundation-8251970