Downtown Trillium grants announced

Community organizations in neighbourhoods across Toronto will receive $4,905,500 in grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). Many of the 39 grants announced in August by Caroline Di Cocco, Ontario‚s Minister of Culture, will support healthy living and increased physical activity in Toronto.

“Ontarians are increasingly aware of the need to become and remain active to be healthier,” said Di Cocco. “Through the Foundation’s grants to sports and recreation initiatives and infrastructure, communities can deliver better local programs and services, which improve our well-being.  When Ontarians have more opportunities to participate in sports, fitness and physical activities, our population becomes healthier and more vibrant.”

“The impact of funding these types of projects cannot be understated,‰ said Alexander Waugh, Grant Review Team Chair. „It improves the quality of life in our communities. Present and future generations will benefit from the funding received today.”

OTF makes sports and fitness activities more accessible across Toronto. Argonaut Rowing Club will receive $150,000 over three years to co-ordinate its volunteer coaching team in order to enhance program effectiveness. Membership will also be expanded to increase participation in rowing, with an emphasis on youth and people with disabilities. The Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association, Toronto Division, will be awarded $115,000 over three years to grow its volunteer and fundraising capacity in order to expand the wheelchair-hockey league and increase the number of participants.

Minister Di Cocco also announced over $6 million in province-wide grants for 37 Ontario groups. Many of these are umbrella organizations that lead large-scale projects, provide leadership and resources and help member groups build their capacity.

Dragon Boat Canada / Bateau-Dragon Canada will receive $190,000 over three years to build organizational capacity to offer a comprehensive sport-development system by stabilizing and growing their administrative, program-delivery, club-development and event-management systems. The 2006 Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships will be held in Toronto on August 10-13.

OTF strengthens the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives $100 million annually from Ontario‚s charity casino initiative. In addition to the sports and recreation sector, OTF‚s grants support the arts and culture, environment, and human and social services sectors.

Ratified by the Ontario Trillium Foundation Board of Directors on June 29, 2006

The Nomads Rugby Football Club of Toronto (grant has citywide impact) $68,900 over one year to purchase safety, training and development equipment that will enhance coaching and training programs, including the summer Learn to Play program, with a focus on safety, technical skill building and increased membership.

Argonaut Rowing Club (grant has citywide impact) $150,000 over three years to co-ordinate this Toronto club’s volunteer coaching team to enhance program effectiveness. Membership will also be expanded to increase participation in rowing, with an emphasis on youth and people with disabilities.

Downtown Soccer Toronto $11,000 over 18 months to help increase the number of women participants, to create formal coaching skills clinics and to host an international soccer tournament, an event built around fair play and inclusiveness.

Parkdale/Liberty Economic Development Corporation $131,700 over two years to support volunteer recruitment and program expansion in order for the organization to better meet its mandate to improve community economic capacity in Parkdale.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (grant has citywide impact) $140,000 over three years to support community engagement in order to better meet the needs of volunteers, theatre audiences and culturally diverse groups in Toronto by providing more meaningful opportunities for participation in the organization.

Cabbagetown Youth Centre $164,900 over three years to provide accessible performing arts programming for children and youth in the St. James Town, Cabbagetown and Regent Park communities.

Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (grant has citywide impact) $75,000 over three years to promote greater awareness of mental health issues affecting youth in the Greater Toronto Area through a program of workshops for caregivers, educators, youth, social workers, health professionals and family members. (Additional grants of $75,000 each in Halton-Peel and Simcoe-York will support this initiative.)

Danny Grossman Dance Company (grant has citywide impact) $112,000 over three years to allow this Toronto-based company to create a collection of preserved choreography on DVD, helping to build a stronger sense of dance history and preserve modern dance classics.

Diaspora Dialogues Charitable Society (grant has citywide impact) $135,000 over two years to expand programming by increasing the number of Toronto-area ethnocultural participants, including youth, participating in the publishing/mentoring programs and multidisciplinary performance arts series.

FoodShare Toronto (grant has citywide impact) $300,000 over four years for the Field to Table Schools initiative, which promotes food literacy and agricultural awareness, encouraging students, parents and volunteers to cook, grow, compost and learn about food so they can make healthy choices.

Franco-Fête de la communauté urbaine de Toronto (grant has citywide impact) $159,500 over three years to engage a co-ordinator responsible for expanding the outreach, visibility and impact of the organization and its cultural festival. It will result in an increased audience participation and expanded donor base.

Girl Guides of Canada-Guides du Canada: Toronto Area (grant has citywide impact) $21,000 over one year to replace roofs on buildings at two camps in Mono Mills and on Lake Simcoe, respectively, continuing safe operation and superb camping facilities for Girl Guides, Scouts and other youth-oriented, not-for-profit organizations. (An additional grant of $11,400 in Simcoe-York will support this initiative.)

The Green/Arts Barns Project c/o Latin American Art Projects (grant has citywide impact) $100,000 over one year towards construction and renovations to the Community Barn of the Green/Arts Barns Project, a facility that will house a cluster of arts organizations in the former Wychwood TTC repair facility. (This is one of three grants for the Green/Arts Barns Project.)

The Green/Arts Barns Project c/o The Stop Community Food Centre (grant has citywide impact) $100,000 over one year toward renovations to the Green Barn of the Green/Arts Barns Project in the former Wychwood TTC repair facility. This will help to create a centre for year-round gardening, community programming and environmental education. (This is one of three grants for the Green/Arts Barns Project.)

The Green/Arts Barns Project c/o Women’s Healthy Environments Network (grant has citywide impact) $100,000 over one year towards construction and renovations to the Community Barn of the Green/Arts Barns Project, a facility that will house a cluster of environmental organizations in the former Wychwood TTC repair facility. (This is one of three grants for the Green/Arts Barns Project.)

Jessie’s Centre for Teenagers $106,000 over 20 months to increase the ability of pregnant teens and teen parents in Toronto to finish high school and pursue post-secondary education through enhanced educational counselling, tutoring and research on effective educational supports.

Maison de la francophonie de Toronto: développement et mise en oeuvre c/o Centre francophone de Toronto (grant has citywide impact) $60,700 over 11 months to undertake consultations with the Francophone community and conduct a capital campaign feasibility study for the establishment of the Maison de la francophonie de Toronto.

Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy $90,600 over three years to build the capacity of the Literacy Access Network, enabling this information and referral service to provide more information to better serve adult literacy learners and their families in Toronto and York Region. (An additional grant of $30,200 from Simcoe-York will support this initiative.)

Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto Inc. (grant has citywide impact) $225,000 over three years to support the Dawnissog: Building Our Own Futures youth program, providing young Aboriginal women in Toronto with a range of cultural, recreational and social support programming.

Necessary Angel Theatre Company (grant has citywide impact) $73,600 over nine months to acquire a specialized video projection and display system, which will enhance the company’s technical production capabilities and ensure its ability to disseminate cutting edge theatre to the Toronto community.

Second Mile Club of Toronto $26,000 over six months to purchase a new van that will be used to transport clients in the Adult Day Program for the Frail Elderly.

St. Stephen’s Community House $94,600 over four years to support a co-parenting mediation project that will provide low-income, separated or divorced couples with mediation in co-parenting conflicts and to provide mediation opportunities to newly trained family mediators.

Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (grant has citywide impact) $165,000 over three years to support the Go Live Toronto marketing campaign, designed to encourage new audiences, especially younger patrons, to attend theatre and dance performances.

Toronto HIV/AIDS Human Resources Group c/o AIDS Committee of Toronto (grant has citywide impact) $150,000 over two years to build the capacity of AIDS service organizations in Toronto to effectively manage human resources through the development of policies, training and the use of technology.

Toronto Vegetarian Association (grant has citywide impact) $156,500 over three years to support a volunteer development initiative that will build the organization’s capacity to provide communities with information and support related to vegetarian issues and healthy eating.

White Ribbon Foundation (grant has citywide impact) $225,000 over three years to develop the volunteer-driven fundraising capacity of the White Ribbon Campaign. It will increase financial stability and provide more effective and responsive programming to end men’s violence against women.

World Literacy of Canada (grant has citywide impact) $120,000 over three years to facilitate community/school storytelling festivals in four Toronto neighbourhoods, promoting family literacy, home-school-community communication and cross-cultural understanding.