Aviva Community Fund competition begins again, $1 million in funding available

The Aviva Community Fund competition is back for year number five, with the insurer offering Canadians $1 million to lead, empower and support community initiatives across the country.

“The feedback and the positive impact the community groups and charities are having across the country are why we are back for year number five,” Debora Hendrickson, senior vice president of Aviva Canada, says in a press release.

Canadians can go to to submit ideas that will have a positive effect on their local communities. The competition kicked off Sept. 23, and public voting on ideas begins Sept. 30.

Visitors are asked to vote for their favourite ideas so they can advance through to the competition’s final round, where the ideas will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges.

The grand prize-winning ideas will have a chance to be funded through the fund, while each finalist not selected as a grand prize winner to receive $5,000 for their charities of choice. The 11 grand prize-winning ideas in 2012 included a youth centre in Nova Scotia, a playground in Northwest Territories and a bear rehabilitation centre and sanctuary in Ontario.

“The opportunity for our brokerage to get involved in making a difference in the community was tremendous,” Wayne Ezekial, president of AA Munro Insurance in Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia and supporter of 2012 winner, Undercurrent Youth Centre, says in the statement. “Through working with the Undercurrent Youth Centre, our team has been able to connect with the community and help have an impact on the lives of area youth,” Ezekial says.

Within the $1 million in funding are specific prizes of as much as $150,000 for Canadian community groups or charities that support homeless and at-risk youth programs, and for initiatives specifically supported by insurance brokers.

“The response we’ve had from all over Canada, from customers, business partners, brokers and community groups, has been overwhelming,” Hendrickson says of the Aviva Community Fund.

Launched in 2009, the fund competition has already provided more than $3.5 million to 61 charities and community groups.

Canadians can access the competition and vote via and Facebook at www.facebook.com/AvivaCommunityFund. For every “like” the fund receives on Facebook, $1 will be donated to one of a number of charitable partners.