About the Armenian Endowment Fund (AEF)

The Armenian Endowment Fund (AEF) was incorporated in Canada as a legal charitable entity in 1997.

The sole purpose of the AEF is, to manage endowment funds on behalf of its donors and direct the proceeds of investment to financially support the designated non-profit organizations that provide services to and enhance the health, education, culture and social welfare of the Armenian community.

Over the years the value of the funds have grown significantly and the AEF through prudent management of the Funds, has distributed to date over $ 4.0 million to the beneficiary organizations, with $ 1.53 million distributed during the past five years alone. This year our total fund capital has grown to $ 10.9 million dollar mark, with annual investment proceeds of over $ 408,000 distributed this year to the beneficiary organizations.

Why Was AEF Established?

As a community grows and gets more established, initially, the collective efforts of the community are directed towards developing the many necessary infrastructures (community centers, schools, churches etc.) and at the same time creating the various institutional and organizational structures required to serve the many needs of the community.

The next stage in the development of a community would be to ensure the long-term financial viability of its structures to expand and enhance the quality of the services delivered.

During the first stage every available financial resource is devoted to creating the necessary infrastructures, however, the next stage requires careful planning for the future.

The concept of supporting the needs of a community through the secure proceeds of endowment funds that complement contributions from ongoing fundraising projects has been successfully employed by many institutions in North America including a few successful Armenian organizations serving the community in the long history of our Diaspora existence.

AEF was established to ensure our future as a thriving community. It is intended to be a framework to professionally and prudently manage the collection of the endowment and trust funds for stable consistent returns. The adopted investment strategy is designed to preserve and grow the capital of the fund while providing increased contributions for the growing needs of the organizations serving our community.