March 26, 2019
For Immediate Release

Brantford - Brant United Way is pleased to announce a partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University to provide research guidance and leadership to the agency’s newly launched Community Impact Committee.

This committee is comprised of a range of community partners who will come together to review the needs in the Brant community and then make an assessment on how Brant United Way can respond to those needs and have the greatest impact.

“The partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University gives us the confidence to know we have access to the skills, knowledge and information necessary to do this right,” said Dan Rankin, executive director of Brant United Way. “In working with the team from Laurier, we will have access to the most respected subject matter experts in our community.”

Taking the lead for Laurier is Anh Ngo, a professor in the Faculty of Social Work. Ngo has a special interest in social change through community action, making her a great addition to this project.

“Engaged scholarship is at the heart of what we do at Laurier and this is a wonderful opportunity to conduct meaningful research that we hope will be valuable to the local community,” said Ngo.

“The Community Impact Review will shape the funding priorities of Brant United Way for years to come and represents our single greatest stewardship activity in over two decades,” said Rankin. “We have an obligation to make sure we continue to deserve the trust our donors and supporters have placed in us.” 

Brant United Way currently allocates over $1 million each year to local charities and charities with a local presence in the City of Brantford, County of Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. This funding is made possible because of generous donations from thousands of members of our community during the Brant United Way’s annual campaign.

The Community Impact Project will take place over the better part of the next two years and will be complete in time for the next round of funding applications in September of 2020.