In November, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould, announced that Canadian Red Cross, Community Foundations of Canada, and United Way Centraide Canada have been selected to distribute funding to help a broad and diverse range of charities and non-profits adapt and modernize, so they can support pandemic recovery in communities across Canada.
The $400 million-dollar Community Services Recovery Fund was built to respond to the adaptation and modernization needs of charities and non-profits facing immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fund will accept applications from Community Service Organizations, which means non-profit organizations, Indigenous Governing Bodies or Registered Charities located in Canada who provide services to communities in Canada. As they continue to serve their communities, this unique funding opportunity aims to support Community Service Organizations to adapt, modernize, and plan for the future.
“United Way Niagara is grateful to the Government of Canada for this important investment in the community services sector. Now more than ever, charities and non-profits play a key role in addressing persistent and complex social problems faced by so many in our community, says Frances Hallworth, CEO of United Way Niagara. “I am continually impressed by the stamina and creativity in their response to the diverse and increasingly challenging needs they are faced with every day. We are proud to be able to support the distribution of funds locally.”
“Niagara Community Foundation – along with our Community Foundation siblings across the country in collaboration with United Way Canada and the Canadian Red Cross – is proud to be part of the Federal Government’s response in support of the charitable sector during these unprecedented times,” states NCF Executive Director Bryan Rose. “Here in Niagara, we know all too well the devastating impact COVID-19 has had. NCF and our United Way Niagara partners are eager to team up to deploy the funds our region has been allocated, effectively, efficiently and with expediency in order to support the amazing work being done on the ground by local Niagara charities serving the urgent needs of our community.”
“The Government supports a more inclusive model of economic growth that creates opportunities for everyone in Canada as the long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The Community Services Recovery Fund will strengthen the ability of charities and non-profits to deliver services and resources where they will have the most impact. Because of the National Funders’ strong connections with local organizations, they will ensure funding is distributed efficiently to organizations that provide services to communities in need across Canada.” – The Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould
United Way Niagara and the Niagara Community Foundation will be accepting funding applications for the Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF) beginning on January 6, 2023 at 10:00 am.
Projects funded under the Community Services Recovery Fund will work within one of the Project Focus Areas below:
- Investing in People: Funding will support one-time projects that focus on how organizations recruit, retain, engage and support their personnel, including staff, volunteers and boards of directors.
- Investing in Systems and Processes: Funding will support one-time projects that invest in the systems and processes involved in creating the internal workings of an organization’s overall structure.
- Investing in Program and Service Innovation and Redesign: Funding will support one-time projects primarily focused on program and service innovation and redesign using information gained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn about the program and the eligibility criteria please visit: https://communityservicesrecoveryfund.ca/about. The deadline for applications is February 21, 2023.
Applications will open on the Niagara Community Foundation website and United Way Niagara website on January 6, 2023 at 10:00 am.
About Niagara Community Foundation: The Niagara Community Foundation is a charitable public foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life in Niagara through building endowment funds, providing grants and enabling philanthropic partnerships.
About United Way Niagara: United Way works to tackle some of the biggest social issues in Niagara; investing in solutions to poverty, food security, mental illness, homelessness, domestic violence & social isolation.