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The Heritage Community Foundation is a charitable Trust (Charitable Number: 87082 2541 RR0001) committed to connecting people with heritage. As a new kind of community foundation, it is not bounded by geography but based on interest in the value of heritage for individuals, their communities and society.

The Foundation's goal is for heritage to be valued by everyone. Heritage is broadly defined in all its aspects—historical, natural, cultural, scientific and technological. To enable the greatest possible access to the resources of heritage institutions and organizations, the Foundation has become a leader in the development of online learning resources.  The Foundation's extensive collection of websites can be found at AlbertaSource—the future Alberta Online Encyclopedia.

Year of the Coal Miner Consortium
The When Coal Was King:  Coal Mining in Western Canada Website is a product of the Year of the Coal Miner Consortium. The foundation of many communities in southern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia is the coal that lies beneath the prairie and mountain landscape. From Canmore to Drumheller to Lethbridge to the Crowsnest Pass, coal has played, and continues to play a fundamental role in the development of our region. Coal is central to the communities and heritage institutions participating in the Year of the Coal Miner initiative and it unifies us through common experiences, economies and history.

In February 2002, representatives from mining museums, historic sites and attractions, along with tourism organizations gathered to discuss ways that they could promote greater awareness and knowledge of the role coal mines, and coal miners played in our communities and in our region. Out of these discussions, plans for a major regional exhibition at the Galt Museum and Archives, community events, a series of traveling exhibits and touring performing art presentations, and a tourism promotion strategy resulted.

Founding partners have contributed their knowledge, their collections and coal mining stories. Founding partners in the Year of the Coal Miner initiative include:

• Galt Museum and Archives, Lethbridge
• Galt No. 8 Mine Society, Lethbridge
• Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, Crowsnest Pass
• Leitch Collieries Provincial Historic Site, Crowsnest Pass
• Crowsnest Pass Ecomuseum Trust, Crowsnest Pass
• Crowsnest Museum, Crowsnest Pass
• Fernie Historical Society, Fernie
• Canmore Museum and Geoscience Centre, Canmore
• Atlas Mine National Historic Site, Drumheller
• Glenbow Museum, Calgary
• Travel Alberta
• Chinook Country Tourist Association
• Museums Alberta
• Heritage Community Foundation