CommunityWise Resource Centre (Formerly the Old Y Centre)

CommunityWise is a nonprofit hub providing inclusive and affordable office and community spaces and administrative supports (internet, office equipment, mailboxes, kitchen access), as well as collaborative capacity-building programming, to a membership of 80 small nonprofit, grassroots initiatives and individuals. The work of these members spans a diverse spectrum of social, environmental, and cultural issues and their approaches include direct services, peer support, community development, advocacy, and systems change.

Among other areas, CommunityWise members work in ethnocultural community supports; 2SLGBTQ+ community services; culturally relevant Indigenous services; poverty reduction and community economic development; addictions support; mental health; and film, performative, and community arts. They collectively serve tens of thousands of people in Calgary and surrounding areas each year.

Access to CommunityWise’s shared resources allows members to direct a greater portion of their budgets toward more impactful activities. Over 70% of our members have fewer than three staff members; 34% have no paid staff at all. 30% have budgets of $15,000 and under. This illustrates the genuinely small-scale nature of the nonprofits served by CommunityWise; members regularly comment that access to the low-cost space and other capacity-building opportunities afforded by CommunityWise are absolutely essential to their continued existence.