More than $100K raised for 24 Sussex restoration: Rideau Hall Foundation

The foundation in charge of the fundraiser to restore 24 Sussex says it has received more than $100,000 in donations since Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to renovate the heritage residence.

Rideau Hall Foundation CEO Teresa Marques says in an emailed statement the group is “humbled and moved” by an influx of donations by individual Canadians over the weekend.

The foundation has received more than 200 online donations averaging $257 each since last Friday when Carney announced a public fundraiser and design competition to restore the former official residence of the prime minister.

New campaign pledges have added a further $50,000 to the fundraising total to date.

The renovation doesn’t have a specific budget yet but Marques says the cap for donations is set at $5 million, or 10 per cent of the $50 million goal.

Rideau Hall Foundation is accepting contributions in accordance with its established donation policies, which reject corporate and anonymous donations and require that donors attest to their residency status.

— with files from David Baxter

Craig Lord, The Canadian Press