Mississauga, ON, October 04, 2011: The Community Foundation of Mississauga will launch Mississauga's Vital Signs at an event to be held at the BMO Room of the Mississauga Living Arts Centre on October 4th, 2011 from 9:00 am to 9:30 am. This will be the first ever Vital Signs report for the city and will be accompanied by the release of information concerning a new granting program called Vital Initiatives.

Vital Signs® is an annual community check-up being conducted by twenty-two community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our cities and identifies significant trends in at least ten areas critical to quality of life. Vital Signs is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada. Each city's report card data is a compilation of numerous research sources, much of it local, that help communities make connections between issues and trends in different areas. The findings are presented in a reader friendly format to make them as accessible as possible.

For example among the report's findings, the following are noted:

• Gap Between Rich and Poor: The Gap is getting wider with one in four Mississauga children now living in poverty. The poverty rate amongst senior citizens is higher than the provincial or national levels.
• Safety: Reported crime severity continues to drop in Mississauga.
• Health and Wellness: Although Mississaugans are generally healthier, smoking rates have increased.
• Belonging & Leadership: In 2009, the median charitable donation from Mississauga residents who claimed so on their income tax was $320, higher than the provincial median charitable donation of $310 and the national median charitable donation of $250 over the same period

"The launch of Mississauga's Vital Signs is a pivotal moment not just for the Foundation but for people and organizations in our community", says Eileen MacKenzie, Executive Director. "Providing information in a reader-friendly format encourages us all to know our community better, think about issue areas where we each want to take action and open up informed conversations about how we can make a strengthen our community."

Vital Initiatives

The Community Foundation of Mississauga is also pleased to announce that charitable organizations serving the community can now apply for a grant under the Vital Initiatives grant stream. Applicants must demonstrate that the project to be considered will benefit the Mississauga community, address an identified need within one or more of the issue areas outlined in the Mississauga's Vital Signs report and address the root causes of an issue with the ability to generate sustainable, positive change.
One grant of $30,000 and one grant of $10,000 may be awarded in each of the ten Mississauga's Vital Signs issue areas and applications for a grant under this program must be received by November 4th, 2011.

More information about the Community Foundation of Mississauga, the Vital Initiatives grant program and a digital version of Mississauga's Vital Signs including all findings and links to data sources are available at www.CFofM.org.

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Community Foundation of Mississauga

The Community Foundation of Mississauga is a registered charitable public foundation that seeks to build community vitality by providing efficient, flexible donor services, grants to a broad range of community initiatives and leadership in understanding and responding to current and emergent community needs. Incorporated and registered in 2001, the Foundation is a member of the national network, Community Foundations of Canada and has experienced significant growth in endowed funds. The first grants from these funds were made in 2006. The Community Foundation of Mississauga is now managing approximately $17 million in endowed assets and has made over $3 million in cumulative grants.