Social Capital Tool Developed Thanks to OTF Grant

March 6, 2026

Burlington, ON - On Friday, local MPP Natalie Pierre met with the team at Community Living Burlington (CLB) as they celebrated a $95,400 Seed grant they received from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to establish a foundational framework for assessing social capital among individuals with a developmental disability. This grant supported staffing costs and allowed the organization to develop and implement a measurement tool that informs a deeper understanding of how social connections impact quality of life for the people supported by Community Living Burlington.

"This Ontario Trillium Foundation Seed grant is helping Community Living Burlington strengthen programs that support meaningful inclusion in our community,” said Natalie Pierre, MPP for Burlington. “By developing tools that better understand and measure social connections, this project will help ensure individuals with developmental disabilities feel a stronger sense of belonging and have greater opportunities to build relationships and participate fully in community life.”

This funding was utilized to develop a practical and user-friendly Social Capital Measurement Tool to gain insight into the intricacies of social connections and gaps that exist in current programming and support services. Through pilot testing and focus group consultation, program and service improvements have been initialized to better foster interpersonal relationships and enhance quality of life for people supported by Community Living Burlington. Thanks to the $95,400 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Community Living Burlington is now better equipped to strengthen belonging, foster deeper connections, and enhance community participation opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

“Over the past year and with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we developed an innovative measurement tool that helps our organization measure social capital — something that has traditionally been difficult to track,” said Judy Pryde, Executive Director of Community Living Burlington. “It allows us to establish a baseline for each individual we support, understand the relationships people value or are missing, and better support individuals in building meaningful connections in our community."

For over 70 years, Community Living Burlington has been committed to enriching the quality of life and promoting full and meaningful inclusion in our community of people who have a developmental disability. To learn more, please visit www.clburlington.ca
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested nearly $105M into 732 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.