Donations are an important cornerstone of building prosperity together. Our tradition of philanthropy dates back to our roots, with donations on record as far back as 1897.

Due diligence
RBC Foundation receives about 20,000 requests for funding each year – more than 10 requests every hour of the business day. Although we are one of Canada’s most generous corporate donors, we don’t have unlimited funds. Our professional grant-makers follow a rigorous process when evaluating proposals, to ensure our funds are invested with the utmost care and responsibility. The process includes a complete assessment of the charity’s financial statements, as well as its fiscal management and governance practices. Seeing so many proposals for funding, we are in a privileged position to notice when the mandates of different charities overlap, and we encourage synergies between organizations. Our goal is to ensure that our charitable partners have sustainable sources of funding and use their donors’ funds responsibly, so we look at whether the charity has a wide range of support and assess the charity’s ability to deliver its programs. Once a grant is given, we require an accounting of its impact.

Support for United Way
RBC Financial Group is the largest private sector contributor to United Way in Canada, where we are one of only 40 organizations that have contributed over $1 million annually. We also have the largest private sector employee giving campaign in Canada, with $7 million contributed through payroll deduction. In 2003, we also seconded, or loaned, 12 employees to work full-time on local United Way campaigns.

For more information, visit rbc.com/community/donations

Corporate Donations: United Way
Canada	$	3,431,000
United States	US$	383,000
Employee Donations: United Way
Canadian employees	$	7,050,223
American employees	US$	817,562
Funds raised through Canadian special events*	$	103,749
Funds raised through American special events*	US$	18,823

* RBC employees across North America helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars
  for specific community groups in addition to United Way.

Donations
The member companies of RBC Financial Group administer charitable donations through the RBC Foundation, established in 1993. Through RBC Financial Group, its subsidiaries and the RBC Foundation, we are committed to donating at least one per cent of our average annual net income before taxes, based on a three-year average. We are a founding member of Imagine, a Canadian initiative to encourage corporate citizenship, donations and individual volunteerism. We take great pride in the accomplishments of our community partners, and appreciate the opportunity to invest in their good works.