2001 Award Recipients

Mrs. Mona Campbell

Mona Campbell's visionary philanthropy has had an enormous impact on the vitality of the arts and culture in this country.

She has been supporting the National Ballet School (NBS) since it's founding over 40 years ago and is the largest individual Annual, Capital and Endowment donor in the NBS's history. Mona Campbell has made leadership gifts to the two capital campaigns at NBS and has doubled her annual gifts three times in the last decade. She keeps abreast of the National Ballet School's fundraising targets and has made year-end gifts over and above her Annual Campaign donation: these gifts help to meet the overall objectives of the School's campaign, a pivotal need in order to maintain federal funding levels. A lead gift in 1999-2000 established the Mona Campbell Fund in support of the newly created National Ballet School Foundation.

Mrs. Campbell has also been a generous supporter of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for over 40 years with gifts to the collections as well as financial donations. In 1978, she was the chair of the Galleries Expansion Capital Campaign which raised $54 million to develop new galleries at the ROM. In 1996 she contributed to the ROM's most prominent gallery space, Samuel Hall * Curelly Gallery and a year later, made a gift to establish the first endowed curatorship of decorative arts which carries her name. By endowing a curatorship, Mrs. Campbell has assured the long term care and the interpretation of the ROM's decorative arts collection. This gift particularly has helped convey the message that gifts of endowments can be made during one's lifetime.

Passionate about her involvement with the arts and committed to surpassing her goals, Mona Campbell motivates others to give generously. Often she is the first to commit a large gift to a new project and then will challenge others to follow her lead. She has been instrumental in recruiting directors to the boards on which she serves, many of whom become active, long-time supporters as she is. Whether chairing a campaign meeting, bidding on an item at a fundraising event or promoting her interests to her network of contacts, Mona Campbell is always committed to the advancement of culture and the arts in her community.

Mona Campbell was jointly nominated by the National Ballet School and the Royal Ontario Museum Foundation.