While many Ontario community projects are facing dramatic underfunding gaps, decreased private donations and cutbacks in government funding, the Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group and their local broker partners have stepped up to keep vital local programs alive.
Ontario communities throughout ‘Commonwell Country’ (the smaller places and wide-open spaces of Eastern, Central and Western Ontario that The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group serves) were recently invited to apply for grants of $10,000 to $50,000 to fund community programming and infrastructure at the local level.
Created and funded by The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group, the L.E.A.F. (Learning and Engagement Accelerator Fund) initiative invested a total of $400,000 in community grants this year, continuing its steady growth and impact across Ontario.
2025 L.E.A.F. Recipients:
“This year, the L.E.A.F. initiative saw an unprecedented $6.96 million in funding requests from 216 total applications (compared to $3.7 million and 110 applications in 2024). This underscores how the need for support is growing and that supporting local programming is essential to the well-being of the communities we serve,” said Tim Shauf, President of The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group. “At The Commonwell, we are committed to Building Member Value by caring beyond us and beyond now, and these projects represent real action behind that commitment, supporting communities where they are today and shaping stronger futures for the generations that follow.”
In this, the fifth year of the program, The Commonwell’s L.E.A.F. initiative matched last year’s record-breaking $400k in grants to continue reenergizing learning, education, and engagement in these communities.
Since 2021, 71 community projects and $2.6 million have been awarded in total.
Local brokers are doing their part:
Many of the 2025 L.E.A.F. projects were shared and supported by The Commonwell’s local brokers. “Our brokers work and live in the communities in need of funding. We are both mutually invested in building strong communities,” added Shauf. By being a partner of The Commonwell, our brokers are to share this program and others we offer with their community to help bring these much-needed projects to life.
Past projects supported by L.E.A.F. can be seen HERE
What projects were eligible?
Local community-led initiatives in the areas that The Commonwell operates across Ontario that support learning programming or the places where communities gather to learn and engage (think libraries, schools, and community centres).
What specific towns were eligible?
Baltimore, Brechin, Cameron, Colbourne, Embrun, Foxboro, Goderich, Grafton, Grand Bend, Havelock, Hillier, Huntsville, Ingersoll, Kitchener/Waterloo, Lindsay, Listowel, London, Lucan, Madoc, Manotick, Meaford, Midland, Mono, Navan, Orillia, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Plantagenet, Prescott, Sarnia, Selby, Smith Falls, St. Marys, St. Pauls, Stratford, Thomasburg, Tillsonberg, Woodstock, Zurich and all of the other smaller places and wide-open spaces in between.
