Outstanding Foundation: The Michael Young Family Foundation

The Michael Young Family Foundation understands the power of philanthropy to transform innovative ideas into positive social change. Michael Young, its founding light, was a truly special person who grew up with and conquered severe learning disabilities.

Michael was diagnosed with fatal cancer and prior to his death in 2002, the Foundation was set up with $9 million. After Michael’s death, his brother David Young stepped up to guide and grow its future activities, transforming the foundation into one that provides venture philanthropy to unique charitable enterprises in Toronto. During the last decade, $17 million of its assets has funded the three special venture projects for which it has been nominated, as well as special projects at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

Bill Young, President and founder of Social Capital Partners, a leader in the building of self-sustaining charitable enterprise, has provided excellent leadership to the Foundation. Full credit for the foundation’s success is attributed to charismatic community leaders like Albert Shultz, founder and Artistic Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company, Geoff Cape, co-founder and Executive Director of the Evergreen Foundation, and Tim Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Artscape Foundation.

The Foundation provided seed funding in 2003 for the creation of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the Distillery District, the new home of the Soulpepper Theatre Company, an artist-founded, classical repertory theatre company dedicated to exploring the most powerful stories of Canada’s cultural inheritance. Its mandate is three-tiered: to present the world’s greatest stories in vital Canadian interpretations; to train a new generation of theatre artists; and to inspire and enrich youth through mentorship and access programs.

Seed funding from the Foundation in 2005 fostered the transformation of the historic Don Valley Brick Works, home of the Evergreen Foundation, which is focused on sustainable, green cities and the ecological restoration of public spaces. The site is Evergreen’s most ambitious project to date, and serves as an international centre of innovation and community centre for urban dwellers, inspiring its visitors to live, work and play more sustainably.

The Foundation’s newest venture is the repurposing of Artscape’s Shaw Street School Centre, scheduled to open in 2012. For 25 years, Artscape projects have provided affordable space for artists, generating positive cultural, economic, social and environmental impacts. The organization, which shares its knowledge globally, manages space for 863 creative tenants and owners in ten buildings, totalling 417,000 square feet of space.

The Michael Young Family Foundation was co-nominated for this award by the Artscape Foundation, the Evergreen Foundation and Soulpepper Theatre Company.