TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is investing in 44 not-for-profit and charitable organizations in Toronto—Downtown grants are listed here
By Renée Ouellet –
Many of the grants support community organizations that are responding to local needs and forging stronger communities. OTF funding will be used to expand programs for people of all ages and abilities, and to increase public participation in community activities and programs. These initiatives work together to create more economic, cultural and social opportunities for the benefit of families and individuals across the province and to help enhance the quality of life for all Ontarians.
Parkdale Activity – $148,800 over two years to support the Community Food Flow Project, which will assess how, what types and what quality of food gets to Toronto’s low-income communities and neighbourhoods. The project will look at the challenges that can limit people’s access to food, such as poverty and mental health issues, high rents or lack of convenient food outlets, and pilot initiatives to increase access to affordable, healthy and culturally-appropriate food.
Province-Wide grant – Sustain Ontario – The Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming $187,500 over two years to establish a network for organizations and individuals that work to connect children and youth with good food. The initiative will bring groups together to share resources, ideas and experience, to work together, and to make it easier for people across Ontario to get kids eating, growing, cooking and learning about healthy and local food.
Ratified by the Ontario Trillium Foundation Board of Directors on November 1, 2012
Abrigo Centre
$124,900 over two years to conduct a needs assessment and program evaluation for this west-end Toronto organization that helps youth, newcomers, parents, seniors, women experiencing abuse, volunteers and students achieve their full potential.
Arraymusic
$150,000 over one year to install an elevator and renovate this group’s new location to include rehearsal/performance space, a recording booth, kitchenette, offices and a storage room. This will support the continued work of creative music artists in Toronto.
ArtReach Toronto
$127,000 over two years to expand the Grassroots Organizing and Leadership (GOAL) Youth Capacity Building Workshop Series to provide Toronto youth with the skills, resources, networks and opportunities to support their life goals. Funds will be used to offer more workshops per year and in new locations, expand their content, enhance online learning, offer youth facilitation training and improve evaluation activities.
Balmy Beach Canoe Club
$149,200 over one year to purchase boats and a van that will be used for camps, regular programs, training and competitions for nearly 1,000 paddlers of all ages and abilities.
CaribbeanTales
$74,900 over one year to create and launch a video-on-demand internet platform of Afri-centric and Caribbean-themed audio visual content for Toronto-based educators, students, community groups and individuals. The site will allow for accessible, secure, cost-effective digital downloading, streaming video and internet television for use as curriculum tools and related educational content, as well as for general information.
Centre d’échange culturel africain de l’Ontario
$4,500 over three months to purchase cooking equipment for a Francophone social enterprise called Allocodrome that organizes African cultural events and offers catering services. Community members also have the opportunity to volunteer in planning the events and preparing meals.
Centre for Indigenous Theatre
$125,600 over one year to renovate and purchase equipment for training, performance and administrative functions in the new Artscape YOUNGplace building in Toronto. This will enhance the theatre’s capacity to deliver high-calibre, culturally-specific performance training and to interpret, present and develop contemporary Aboriginal theatrical works in Downtown west Toronto.
Centre for Mindfulness Studies
$47,900 over one year to pilot a train-the-trainer stress reduction program that will bring mindfulness skills to front-line staff working with marginalized groups in Toronto. Up to 300 staff will receive the training from their co-workers, thereby extending the benefits beyond the
Federation of Ontario Naturalists as lead organization on this collaborative $75,000 over one year to engage Toronto low-income and newcomer youth in outdoor, nature-based activities and volunteering opportunities. This pilot will enhance participants’ sense of community, strengthen their appreciation for the natural world and expand their knowledge of communities and organizations working to realize positive social and environmental change. Funding will support staffing, programming and administrative costs.
FoodShare $300,000 over four years to support the Community Food Animation initiative which will work to reduce hunger and food insecurity and improve access to and knowledge of healthy, affordable and culturally-appropriate food for diverse communities throughout Toronto, particularly neighbourhoods under-served by retail food stores, social services and food programs. Funds will be used for staffing and program costs.
Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography $146,500 over one year to renovate the office and storage space and purchase equipment. A basement area will be upgraded to support digital imaging, darkrooms will be upgraded, and new digital cameras, projector and monitors will be purchased. This will enhance the capacity of this Toronto gallery to serve its membership and the community.
Geneva Centre for Autism $51,800 over two years to renovate a space for The Cafe, which will be used for training, internships and part-time employment for youth and adults with autism spectrum disorders from across Toronto. Participants will develop entrepreneurial and real-life skills with the goal of transitioning to sustainable employment.
Homes First Foundation $129,300 over two years to support a volunteer program that aids community members dealing with homelessness and mental illness by engaging residents of the shelters, neighbours and donors in interactive volunteer activities across Toronto. Funding will be used for ongoing program costs.
ReelWorld Foundation $50,000 over one year to develop strategic and business plans that will prepare this organization to continue to create opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers from diverse and multi-racial communities.
Salon du livre de Toronto $60,500 over one year to conduct an organizational review, develop a strategic plan, create a communication plan, establish an office and purchase furniture and equipment to increase the capacity of this Toronto French language book fair.
Southern Currents Film and Video Collective $127,000 over three years to increase the organization’s visibility and outreach in Toronto and Mississauga in order to expand programs, volunteers and audience. The organization will hire staff, revamp its website and develop new programs including free community screenings, educational projects for youth and a Latin-American cinema series. This grant has an impact in more than one OTF catchment area.
The Base $50,000 over one year to fund staffing, programming and evaluation costs for a pilot program that will provide emerging Toronto community initiatives with both back office administrative support and project management and financial literacy skills-building opportunities to enable them to bring their creative ideas to fruition.
The Hope Exchange $45,000 over three years to expand the Children’s Compassion Series, a successful in-school program that engages Toronto children in grades 1 to 8. Through hands-on activities, children learn to have compassion for others, especially the vulnerable. Funding will allow the program to be introduced into 20 new schools, reaching over 1,500 youth each year.
The Paradigm Shift Project $4,800 over one year to deliver Be the Shift!, a program that will engage Toronto youth aged 12 to 21 as global citizens and educate them on a range of social and environmental issues, as well as offer training on how to use digital and social media responsibly to achieve positive social change.
Toronto Iranians Community Group $20,000 over one year to support an oral history project that will preserve the personal stories of first generation Iranian-Canadian community leaders, increase inter-generational community connections and expand perspectives on the contributions of Iranian Canadians to Toronto and Canada. Seniors will share their stories of migration with Iranian-Canadian youth who will record and document them.
Working Women Community Centre $209,700 over three years to hire a volunteer coordinator to expand the On Your Mark volunteer tutoring program for children in Portuguese and Spanish speaking communities. The program promotes personal and academic growth and increases levels of student success by addressing cultural and systemic issues that affect the students, who come from 53 schools across Toronto.
YMCA of Greater Toronto $375,000 over five years to support staffing and administration costs to boost physical activity among Toronto residents, especially among groups that tend to be less active, including newcomers, teenaged girls and people with low incomes. This will be achieved through the production and dissemination of the Get Active Report on Physical Activity, hosting Get Active Toronto Days, and working with key city stakeholders.
Young Diplomats Ethiopian Youth Development Group $224,500 over three years to enable Ethiopian-Canadian youth in Toronto to better support family members and peers experiencing mental health issues through a comprehensive development program that will help these youth become mental health community educators and leaders in their community.
