At Leacock Foundation, we envision a world where all children and youth have an opportunity to reach their full potential.

Founded in 1992 by Peter Oliver, our mission is to confront inequality by empowering children and youth to develop the critical and creative thinking skills to be confident leaders now and in the future. Over the past 32years, we have worked to empower underserved children and youth.

Through year round, enriched, fully-subsidized literacy and leadership development projects, we work in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and local independent schools, to provide quality programming to several of Toronto’s high-needs communities, including St James Town, Jane & Driftwood, Scarborough and Thorncliffe Park.

What sets us apart from other organizations is our long-standing, clear and targeted commitment to bridging the yawning opportunity gap in Toronto by helping to build a solid foundation for children in underserved communities. Without strong literacy skills, the rest of a child’s educational future will be an uphill battle; by investing in those skills right from the start, we are helping to set these children on the path to future success. Many of our past participants continue to give back to the program through volunteer or employment opportunities. For many, this is their first job, providing them with access to real-world leadership experience, the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the program and their communities, and with employable skills-building opportunities.

At the core of our work is the belief that all children, regardless of circumstance, are born with potential. By igniting and accelerating that potential, we are able to close the opportunity gap faced by low-income communities and provide a bridge to academic and personal success.