Another $1 million for community projects, the Aviva Community Fund returns

In its sixth year, competition introduces new ways to win funding and new categories

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2014  /CNW/ - "It has been such a privilege to be a part of this project that will impact our community in a really positive way for years to come. Participating in and winning the Aviva Community Fund enabled community members of all ages to come together and play a huge role in making the Souris Playground for All a reality." said Tara Hill-Burke, a member of the Souris Home and School Committee that generated the idea behind the 2013 Aviva Community Fund winner "Playground for All" in Souris, PEI.

Aviva Canada, one of the country's leading providers of home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance, is proud to announce the launch of the sixth Aviva Community Fund competition. Voting opens today at noon EST.

Aviva Canada will once again offer $1 million to encourage Canadians to create positive change across the country through community initiatives. The competition is now open for submissions and runs through the end of the year with winners announced January 27, 2015. 

Launched in the fall of 2009, the Aviva Community Fund competition has already provided over $4.5 million in funding to 91 charities and community groups including youth programs, public schools, camps, animal shelters and centres for those affected by disabilities or illness. Since inception, Canadians have overwhelmingly supported the community fund by proposing over 7,000 ideas and casting more than 12 million votes in support of causes from every province and territory.

"We hear it from our customers, our brokers, our business contacts, our community leaders and the general public – they love the Aviva Community Fund, so we are back for a sixth year, " commented Sharon Ludlow, President, Aviva Insurance Company of Canada.  "With the impact that the funding has made in our local communities over the last five years, we eagerly anticipate the announcement of this year's winners."

New to the competition this year is the introduction of funding categories and wildcard prizes.

Funding Categories
This year we have introduced five funding categories– Health, Sport & Active Living; Environment & Sustainability; Animal Welfare; Schools & Education; and At-Risk Youth.  All ideas will also be grouped into funding level categories (small – up to $50,000, large – up to $100,000). The top vote getter in each of the five funding categories and funding level from qualifying rounds one, two and three will advance to the semi-finals.  An additional 30 ideas from each qualifying round (15 each from the small and large funding levels) will also advance to the semi-finals based on the number of votes they receive.

Wildcard Prizes
We recognize the efforts made by groups that don't advance to the semi-finals of the competition. This year we have introduced $60,000 in wildcard prizes. Twenty $1,000 prizes will be available to randomly selected ideas that receive over 1,000 votes in the competition, but do not advance in each qualifying round. All 60 wildcard prizes will be announced together on January 20, 2015, a week before the grand prize winner announcement.

Canadians are encouraged to submit their ideas on the competition's website – www.AvivaCommunityFund.org. Visitors to the site are asked to vote for their favourite ideas so they can advance through to the competition's final round, where they will be evaluated by an independent panel of judges. Visit the site for news, to sign up for campaign updates and to learn more about how to get involved. Also visit, and Like, the Aviva Community Fund Facebook page for additional program information.

About Aviva Canada
Aviva Canada is one of the leading Property and Casualty insurance groups in Canada providing home, automobile, recreational vehicle, group and business insurance to more than three million customers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, the world's sixth-largest insurance group, the company has more than 3,000 employees, 25 locations and 1,700 independent broker partners. Aviva Canada and its employees invest in positive change including through the Aviva Community Fund and Eva's Initiatives, its partner in Aviva's global Street to School program to help homeless and other at-risk youth reach their potential.

For more information visit AvivaCanada.com, our blog or our Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

SOURCE: Aviva Canada Inc.