New partnership between the Rideau Hall Foundation and Barrett Family Foundation will establish the Barrett Canada Fund.

OTTAWA – Today the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is celebrating the generous gift of $10 million by the Barrett Family Foundation. This gift will support the nation-building work of the RHF to connect people, causes and organizations that share a common belief in and commitment to a better Canada for all. It will be used to establish the Barrett Canada Fund.

“We are honoured to be entering into this partnership with the Barrett Family Foundation to continue to grow our work towards a more caring and smarter Canada. Through this partnership, the Rideau Hall Foundation will strengthen civic and charitable engagement; foster Canada’s culture of innovation; establish a national platform supporting equitable access to post-secondary education; and support the next generation of Indigenous teachers. We are so grateful to the Barrett Family Foundation for their dedication to strengthening our core values as a country,” said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the RHF.

Inspired by ingenuity, entrepreneurship and giving, Bob Barrett, head of the Barrett Family Foundation and Polytainers, a private company specializing in plastic packaging, shares many of the values of the RHF, including an immense pride in Canada, a vision to do better, and the desire to see young Canadians reach their full potential.

“Equity in education, inspiring innovative thinking in young people and helping to strengthen civic mindedness across the country are lofty goals when working alone. Joining forces with the RHF to create the Barrett Canada Fund means drawing on even more expertise and resources to amplify our impact for young people from coast to coast to coast,” said Mr. Barrett.

A gift of this magnitude builds on the strengths and capacity of the RHF and helps to fulfill many of the RHF’s objectives across its four pillars of Learning, Innovation, Giving and Leadership. But of equal importance, it has the potential to inspire others to think about the role of philanthropy and collaboration to make great things happen.

“The Barrett Canada Fund is the start of something very special. It’s an invitation for others to join the RHF and the Barrett family in this journey to help strengthen and build up our country for generations to come. We are honoured to begin this partnership and we’re very excited to see it grow,” said the Right Honourable David Johnston, 28th Governor General of Canada and Chair of the RHF.

We look forward to sharing more information about the work of the Barrett Canada Fund and its impacts in the coming months.

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For more information:

Allison MacLachlan
Director, External Relations and Public Engagement
Rideau Hall Foundation
613.316.3473
allison.maclachlan@rhf-frh.ca

 

About the Rideau Hall Foundation

The Rideau Hall Foundation is an independent and non-political charitable organization established to mobilize ideas, people, and resources across the country to tap into our national spirit and help realize our shared aspirations. The RHF works closely with many partners, including the Office of the Governor General, to connect, honour, and inspire Canadians across four key programmatic areas, including: (1) learning initiatives that strive for excellence and promote equality of opportunity; (2) strengthening Canada’s culture of innovation, (3) widening the circle of giving and volunteering; and (4) building and celebrating excellence in Canadian leadership, and increasing public awareness about and commitment to Canada’s multi-faceted democracy.

 

About the Barrett Family Foundation

The Barrett Family Foundation, founded by Bob and Francine Barrett, has been providing the children of their employees at Polytainers with post-secondary scholarships since 1986. Over time, the Foundation has grown to support programs in education, environment, humanitarian causes, health, and the arts. Working closely with partner organizations, the Barrett Family Foundation seeks to better serve people living on the margins so that they can face their futures with confidence and self-respect.