He swam as a finalist in the 1960 Olympics, won a Gold, 2 Silver and Bronze medals in the ’62 Commonwealth Games, graduated with degrees in Commerce, Arts and Law, developed a successful law career, served in various executive positions with the Canadian and International Olympic Committees, founded the World Anti-Doping Committee, served 10 years as Chancellor of McGill University, became a partner with the prestigious law firm Stikeman Elliott – and now has accepted the challenge to serve as Chairman of the Foundation of Greater Montreal.

Richard Pound is perhaps best known for his service with the International Olympic Committee in a wide range of important positions; as Chairman of the Television Committee and negotiating the first mega-contracts for the Olympic Games and later to head up the IOC Marketing Committee, solidifying the Olympic brand, it’s value and the licensing revenues associated with the world’s most respected sports competitions. He has been associated with McGill University for most of his adult life, beginning in 1971 as treasurer of the Martlet Foundation and continuing to his tenure as Chancellor from 1999 to 2009; and remains active on committees and as a guest lecturer. At the same time, Richard built a successful career as an attorney and tax law specialist at one of Montreal’s most prestigious law firms – Stikeman Elliott.

In June, Richard Pound accepted the challenge to serve as Chair of the Foundation of Greater Montreal, a community foundation that makes grants to organizations working in Health, Education, Social Services, Arts & Culture and The Environment.

Along with Foundation President and CEO Marina Boulos-Winton, Richard’s goal for his two year term is to double the foundation’s size from its $117 million.

Pound’s career and volunteer activities are an astounding record of achievement, and I learned that he is modest in acknowledging them. I recently met with him and Marina Boulos-Winton at the Stikeman Elliott offices to discuss the Foundation for Greater Montreal, the purpose of community foundations, their plans for growth and how readers of The Montrealer may contribute. But first – here’s a look back at the impressive achievements of Richard Pound.

“I was the eldest of four children, and we moved often to follow my Dad’s career as an engineer is the pulp and paper industry. I was born in La Tuque here in Quebec, but I began my swimming career while we were living in the small coastal of Ocean Falls in northern British Columbia.” In a typically modest statement, Pound refers to his early swimming success by stating; “Fear was mistaken as talent.” It may have been a small coastal community with only 400 youth, but the swim team was blessed with solid coaching for decades, including the legendary George Gate who gained national prominence when he moved to Montreal where he is credited as one of the driving forces in developing the powerful Pointe-Claire swim team.

Richard made the national swim team and reached the final championship freestyle heats of the 1960 Olympics. While competing in the 1962 Australian Commonwealth Games, he won Gold, two Silver and Bronze medals. He has the unusual combination of mental toughness and focus of a championship athlete and the intellect of a successful attorney, which is why he has been recognized by IOC management and selected to represent the Olympic organization on many key portfolios.

“Like many volunteers, I started at local swim meets, and got involved in local committees. I became a Director and Treasurer of the Quebec Chapter of the Canadian Olympic Association from 1965 – 1970. Richard was elected Secretary of the Canadian Olympic Association in 1968.

Richard obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from McGill and his Bachelor of Arts from Sir George Williams. “I needed a BA to enter law school, and I could do it a year faster at Sir George (now Concordia University).” He graduated with Honours from Sir George, while at the same time he was preparing and competing in the Commonwealth Games in Australia. He then returned to McGill and earned his Law degree.

His law practice with Stikeman Elliott was underway, where he put his CA and Law degree to good use, becoming an expert in tax law. Richard was asked to join the International Olympic Committee in 1978, where he served with distinction for several decades. In 1983, IOC Chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch asked Richard to Chair the new Television Committee. “I told Mr. Samaranch that I didn’t know much about television, but he simply said; ‘Well then Dick, it’s a good time to learn about it.” It was during his tenure as Chair that the Television Committee was successful in negotiating huge multi-year and mega-million television contracts. Samaranch later tapped Richard to lead the IOC Marketing Committee. At home in Canada, Richard Pound served as Chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

In 1998 Richard was selected to be the first Chair of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which subsequently established its world headquarters in Montreal. “This isn’t about an athlete inadvertently taking an over-the-counter anti-histamine for a cold. These are sophisticated teams of professionals involved with the athlete who are knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. It’s called ‘cheating’ and is completely contrary to the whole theory of sport.”

TIME Magazine included Richard as one of the publication’s 100 Most Influential People of 2005. After a modest; “It must have been a slow year,” he stated; “It demonstrated that the fight against drugs was gaining traction.”

While fully engaged in his law practice and his volunteer activities for McGill and the International Olympic Committee, Richard found time to write nine books, and currently has another four in the works.

Richard Pound brings an impressive resume of accomplishment and an international profile to The Foundation of Greater Montreal.

President and CEO Marina Boulos-Winton returned to her native Montreal after working in similar foundations in New York City for over twelve years. Marina was President of the I Have A Dream Foundation that matches high net worth individuals with groups of students; guaranteeing their tuition for post-secondary education.

Under her stewardship, the foundation opened 21 new chapters, increased private donations from 20% to 77% of the operating budget, and achieved national recognition on 60 Minutes. In the early 90s, Marina served as Executive Director for Le Bon Dieu Dans la Rue, founded by Father Emmett Johns.

During our conversation, Marina summarized the Foundation’s objectives and advantages for donors – people wishing to leave a legacy. “As a non-profit organization dedicated to the well-being of the Greater Montreal community, the mission is to build and manage permanent endowment funds, and to distribute their revenues in the form of grants to charitable organisations focused primarily on health, education, social services, arts and culture, and the environment.”

“We have the flexibility to enable donors to establish a customized charitable fund – or to donate an existing fund. For example, for people who wish to donate to a favourite charity like The Salvation Army, we can do that on their behalf. The advantage of having the Foundation make the donations is that we can create a permanent endowment fund in the donor’s name, ensuring that they have an enduring legacy and contribution to their favourite charity. The donor doesn’t have to make a choice between their favourite charity and the Foundation of Greater Montreal: they can contribute to both.”

Marina continues to describe the practical advantages to contributing to the Foundation. “The expenses are shared by over 300 funds that we manage, greatly reducing the administrative cost. Smaller independent funds gain sophisticated expertise in financial management, plus the ability to work with specialists in grant making.”

The Foundation of Greater Montreal maintains the donor’s fund, and the donor’s Directors do not have concerns about liability.

“There are many ways to make a donation, including: company shares, an insurance policy, a lump sum payment or by a regular contribution. To ensure a potential donor’s peace of mind, we are happy to consult with their financial advisors.”

For more information about The Foundation of Greater Montreal, please contact Marina Boulos-Winton, President and CEO at: 514-866-0808 or by email: [email protected]

The Foundation of Greater Montreal
The Foundation of Greater Montreal announces the creation of a new grant program and will award grants of up to $30,000 each, to five organizations.

The Foundation of Greater Montreal (FGM) has just created the Capacity-Building Grants Program to benefit organizations that want to improve their effectiveness. This new program will offer up to $30,000 to five non-profits organizations, one in each of the following sectors: arts & culture, education, the environment, health and social services.

‘‘We’ve noticed that a significant number of organizations are in great need of acquiring the ability and tools to do more. We have designed this program to bolster organizations’ effectiveness’’, explains Marina
Boulos-Winton, President & CEO of the FGM. ‘‘For example, this grant could enable an organization to purchase a truck which could facilitate the delivery of meals to a greater number of people or to install a software for accounting or for contact management to improve its services and efficiency’’, she adds.

The application dates are open from August 1 to 19. Organizations are invited to visit the FMG’s website at www.fgmtl.org to review the guidelines and complete an application form.

A Grants Committee will assess 25 finalists. The criteria include whether the project will ultimately bring long-term solutions to problems, improve the organization’s existing infrastructure, and enable it to expand its reach.

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