Generosity is everywhere in our region: from longtime residents to newcomers, and from local businesses to families giving what they can to causes they value. What’s often missing is connection — the bridge between goodwill and lasting change.
Whether creating an endowment, leaving a legacy, or making a one-time individual gift, donors want their generosity to create lasting change. They are looking for a trusted partner who understands local needs and can help guide their impact.
That’s where London Community Foundation comes in.
We help connect what donors care about with the opportunities that matter most — transforming generosity into hope, action, and measurable impact.
Generosity is more than a donation. It’s a spark for change. And when it’s nurtured with insight, trust, and care, it becomes something powerful enough to transform communities and the lives within them.
We treat every gift — no matter its size — with care, integrity, and transparency, ensuring that what begins as one act of giving becomes a ripple of progress and long-lasting community change.
Our Mission
London Community Foundation inspires and stewards generosity by:
- Enabling donors and fundholders to make a difference today and build lasting impact for generations to come.
- Supporting and uplifting charities and communities to advance well-being and build a stronger, more inclusive present and future.
- Bringing people and ideas together to spark positive community change.
Our Vision
Transforming generosity into hope, action, and lasting community impact in London, Middlesex, and neighbouring First Nations.
Our Values
To ensure the generosity of donors and fundholders translates into the sustainable impact, London Community Foundation is driven by the following values:
Collaboration
Community
Equity and Inclusion
Innovation
Integrity and Stewardship
Learning
Relationships
Our History
Since being established in 1954 by former manager of Canada Trust, J. Allyn Taylor, London Community Foundation has stood at the heart of this community as a trusted partner and dependable steward of generosity.
We’re proud to be part of this region’s story — not just as stewards of giving, but as steady, trusted builders of possibility. With the support of our donors and the trust of our partners, we’ve been working towards a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous community where everyone can thrive for over 70 years.
This is what generosity looks like when it lasts.
About Our Founder
Widely known as “Mr. London,” J. Allyn Taylor moved to London from Winnipeg in 1943 to continue his career with Canada Trust. He was familiar with the Winnipeg Foundation — Canada’s first Community Foundation — and had seen the good work it had done in the 1920s and 30s following the Great Depression.
In 1953, Mr. Taylor met with a group of community leaders to suggest establishing a similar Foundation here in London. These leaders would go on to be London Community Foundation’s first Board of Directors. After retiring as President of Canada Trust in 1979, London Community Foundation would become Mr. Taylor’s primary retirement project — inspiring community builders and philanthropists across the city to put the Foundation on the path to becoming what it is today.
J. Allyn Taylor believed in the power and the value of community. He recognized that communities had the power to shape people, and that people had the power to shape communities. He was an innovator who thought to do things that no-one else would in pursuit of enhancing and instilling pride in the community. The Foundation’s mission today is truly a reflection of his values.
Last updated April 25, 2026