Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Clifford E. Lee Foundation was established in 1969 by Clifford E. Lee and his wife, Lila, in fulfillment of their desire to give back to their community. Funding for the Foundation was derived from the Lee’s personal wealth made in housing development during the real estate boom following World War II. The resources of the Foundation were distributed to a wide variety of philanthropic efforts, including performing arts, social services, wildlife conservation, indigenous services, and international development.
When Clifford E. Lee died in 1972, the Foundation continued under a board of Directors. In 1977, the Foundation purchased 140 acres of marshland southwest of Edmonton and established the Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary. In 1982, an additional 160 acre parcel was purchased and incorporated into the Sanctuary. By 2023, the total size of the Sanctuary was 348 acres due to numerous transfers of title and donations by neighboring landowners.
When the Foundation decided to dissolve in 2003, the Muttart Foundation was chosen to absorb the remaining responsibilities and functions of the Clifford E. Lee Foundation. Seven heritage grants were also made to organizations with which the Foundation had a long granting history. Judith Padua, the last director of the Foundation and the daughter of Clifford and Lila Lee, took a position on the Muttart Foundation board to oversee their new program in Child Development Policy granting, which was funded by one of the final seven heritage grants. When Judith Padua died in 2008, the Muttart Foundation assumed responsibility for the records of the Clifford E. Lee Foundation.