Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Retired Teachers’ Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RTF)

The Retired Teachers’ Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RTF) is a charitable foundation established by the Central Division of the Retired Teachers’ Association in 1983 to honour the life and work of retired teachers. It is regulated by the Canada Revenue Agency as a children’s charity. Since 1987 the Foundation has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to children’s charities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

The RTF channels contributions from the provincial Retired Teachers’ Association, its divisions and individual donors into financial support for organizations working with children who are incapacitated. Funds are granted to registered charities that provide medical treatment and/or educational training to these children. Recipient organizations have included programs such as War Amps CHAMPS, Down Syndrome Society initiatives, Canadian Diabetes Camp Douwanna, CNIB youth orientation activities, Mazol Shriners’ Patient Transportation Fund, Rainbow Riders and the Candlelighters Camp Delight, among others.

All operating expenses of the Foundation are covered by the provincial Retired Teachers’ Association so that the full amount of donations collected can be directed to beneficiary organizations. The foundation is governed by a volunteer board of retired teachers, with responsibility for managing annual giving and the related commemorative activities.

The Foundation follows a structured yet community-based grantmaking process. Each year, eligible children’s charities apply to the Foundation and must meet selection criteria set by the board to receive funding. An official “Application for Funding” form is made available through the Foundation’s publications, and applications must be received by April 30. Based on these applications and available resources, the board chooses the charities to support and determines the amounts allocated.

Since 1987, the Foundation has donated approximately $462,250 to children’s charities in the province, with yearly totals and recipients documented in its reports. This track record highlights its sustained role as a modest but impactful funding partner for health, accessibility and educational support programs serving children with disabilities.

In addition to its grantmaking, the RTF manages the “Books of Remembrance for Deceased Teachers.” Contributions to the Foundation are often made in memory of retired teachers, and the lives of these teachers are commemorated in volumes that include biographical information and photographs provided by families. Several physical Books of Remembrance are housed in the Provincial Archives Division at The Rooms in St. John’s, and newer entries are also maintained in an online book of remembrance.

Through this combination of financial support to children’s charities and the preservation of the legacy of retired teachers, the Retired Teachers’ Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador occupies a distinctive place in the province’s philanthropic and educational landscape.