How we fund and measure

At BMO, we’ve embedded an impact approach throughout our donations work because we’re driven to improve people’s lives in tangible ways and to demonstrate change.

We want to be clear about the difference we are making with the organizations we support. We want to learn not only where we can have the most impact but also how we can demonstrate progress and better define, assess and improve our effectiveness as grant makers and community partners.

At BMO, we’ve embedded an impact approach throughout our donations work because we’re driven to improve people’s lives in tangible ways and to demonstrate change.

We want to be clear about the difference we are making with the organizations we support. We want to learn not only where we can have the most impact but also how we can demonstrate progress and better define, assess and improve our effectiveness as grant makers and community partners.

Why impact matters

At BMO, we believe in constantly challenging ourselves and others by looking critically at our donations work in order to sharpen our thinking, replicate good models, or innovate and develop new processes, products and services.

By taking the time to answer these seven questions, you will help us understand, measure and increase our own impact and support you and all our community partners to do the same.

We are looking for ongoing collaboration– to work with you to create data, provide insight and facilitate action, so together, we can share and act on the learning to improve more lives.

BMO goals for charting impact

The following community giving goals help us to chart our impact:

  • To encourage the charitable organizations we support to embrace a common reporting platform to share their goals and their measures of progress toward these goals.
  • To help our community partners to determine whether they are having an impact in their fields and align their long-term goals with activities for reaching them.
  • To begin to shift the culture of the non-profit world, over the longer term, to increase its understanding of social impact, promote coordinated efforts toward shared goals, and help direct our contributions and resources to the most effective organizations.

Impact reporting questions

The following questions posed to the organizations we fund assist us in assessing them:

  1. What is your organization aiming to accomplish? Short-term? Long-term?
  2. What are your strategies for making this happen?
  3. What are your organization’s capabilities for doing this?
  4. How will your organization know if you are making progress?
  5. What have and haven’t you accomplished so far and why?
  6. What are the strategic lessons?
  7. What can we do at BMO to make our partnership with you more meaningful?

Our giving priorities

With a focus on collaboration, learning and innovation, we work with community partners to develop forward-thinking solutions that benefit society as a whole.

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Social Impact Overview

An at-a-glance view of our Community Reinvestment-related activities in the United States.

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2022 Sustainability Report and Public Accountability Statement

BMO’s latest Sustainability report outlines key environmental, social and governance areas of interest to our stakeholders and discloses our performance in these areas.

Learn more (PDF)