Funding fundamentals: How we invest in grants and programs

Last year, thanks to the generosity of our donors and supporters, True Patriot Love disbursed $3.2 million to 36 local and national programs and partners, coast to coast. 

How can donors to True Patriot Love know their donations are being invested wisely and in the areas of greatest need in the military community?   

The short answer with the long name is our Disbursement Advisory Committee (DAC). 

For insights into our grant-making, we spoke to Rear-Admiral (Ret’d) Luc Cassivi, a True Patriot Love board director and the chair of the DAC.

Born in the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec, Luc joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1983 and enjoyed an active sea-going career, assuming senior appointments within the Royal Canadian Navy and the CAF, as well as earning an MBA in 2008. He retired in 2022 and, after a period of rest, established his own advisory company in 2023. Luc is also a director at The Navy League of Canada, and is an Honorary Director of Rainbow Veterans of Canada. 

Luc has been a member of the board of True Patriot Love since 2023, joining as a board director, then a member of the DAC, becoming its chair in 2024.  

What is the role of the Disbursement Advisory Committee, aka the DAC? 

LUC CASSIVI: True Patriot Love offers funding opportunities to registered charities supporting the military, Veteran and family community throughout the year. The Granting & Programs team manage the applications and meetwith the DAC quarterly. Following a preliminary review, they provide a synopsis of all the applications and offer funding recommendations for debate and consideration.   

The Granting & Programs team also build relationships with the programs themselves to assess their needs and what kind of support they may need going forward and to understand if there are any challenges that we may help with, outside of funding. We also take the geographic location of the program and its beneficiaries into account too, because the foundation wants to have a positive impact on Veterans across the country. 

There’s always more demand for funding than there is supply. I would say that, if we plan to disburse $1 million, there’s probably over $2 million in demand. 

We deliberate on these things to make sure that we’re cohesive in our approach and that there’s no bias in the way things have been decided or recommended. Then we can say, we’re good: these funding recommendations can go to the board for review and approval. 

 Why is the DAC necessary? 

The DAC is necessary because, as a foundation that raises money and grants money to worthy applicants in different spheres, we need a methodology that allows us to determine which application has a greater chance to have worthwhile impact on the Veteran and military community. 

The committee’s membership is designed to have that mix of competencies that enables us to make sure that we hear all the voices.  

So, for example, we have representation for military families. We have representation for mental health and the Captain Nichola Goddard Fund. We have representation for the research community, and we have a representative from the Invictus Games, because we have legacy funds from the 2025 Invictus Games to manage.  

 All of these different perspectives get brought in to build consensus on where the funding goes. 

Can you walk us through a typical quarterly DAC meeting? 

There are six members of the DAC, including a member of the CAF Transition Group. We meet online and the priority is to go through submissions – that’s the nuts and bolts. The homework is important and it’s important for thecommittee to read the documentation that the Granting & Programs team provides. We’ll have discussions and if someone has a personal link or a conflict of interest, they’ll declare it. Then we make the recommendations that we bring to the board. 

What we disburse depends on the quarter, but in the spring meeting, for example, there’s an emphasis on funding MFRC [military family resource centre] programs that support military family kids going to summer camp. Thattypically becomes a high priority because we know there’s a need there. In general, we’re always very in tune to what MFRCs may request, because that gives us a barometer on what’s going on. 

What are some of the needs in the military community that the funding applications reflect?  

There’s still a lot of need for mental health support as the consequence of service. For a lot of people, it’s very difficult to adjust to the life most Canadians have. You’re also navigating a different bureaucracy: how do you find the right resources to address your needs? How do the skills that you’ve acquired during your service translate to something meaningful for employment? That’s not always easy. We are able to effectively identify and connect the dots between multiple areas of need and opportunity across Canada.  

What are some of the benefits to True Patriot Love’s donors in having a DAC?  

True Patriot Love’s Granting & Programs and fundraising teams have some of the most wonderful and gifted people that I’ve ever met. They nurture and maintain the relationship with those who use the funds, and also with donors to ensure that we can continue to be part of their philanthropic plans going forward. 

The benefit is that it provides consistent and disciplined stewardship of funds, so in an area where the demand is higher than the supply, the best effect is achieved. It’s documented accountability. It’s good governance. It’ssmart stewardship. It helps to better support the community, not duplicating efforts, and making sure you get a stronger community out of it. 

You can help True Patriot Love invest in more innovative, evidence-backed programs for Veterans, serving members and their families. Click here to donate. Thank you!  

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