Adult Education, Civic Engagement for Social Change, Housing, News

January 8, 2025

Catherine Donnelly Foundation Fall 2024 Environment, Housing and Civic Engagement for Social Change grants support 45 organizations with $2.3 million in funding

January 2025

Fall 2024 grants from the Catherine Donnelly Foundation encourage transformative solutions that promote civic engagement to empower youth, migrant workers, Black, Indigenous and racialized women, champion the rights of tenants and stimulate the land trust movement as a means of developing more accessible housing as well as supporting urgent solutions for climate justice.

“This granting round signals a deepening of a trust-based approach in our work as well as a commitment to be accessible, transparent and equitable in our granting,” says Claire Barcik, Executive Director of the Catherine Donnelly Foundation. “We increased the number of multi-year grants, funded organizational capacity strengthening in the sector and our Housing stream reached a significant milestone by offering three-year grants to support our partners to create deeper impact.”

Civic Engagement for Social Change granted $573,780 to 14 organizations focused on fostering active citizenship, democracy and personal and social transformation to promote a more inclusive, just and sustainable society. Effective policy making, community capacity building, and support for leadership and advocacy were notable themes among the grants.

In Yellowknife, NWT, Dene Nahjo received two years of funding for Indigenous on-the-land programming which teaches traditional Dene hide tanning techniques and in Saskatoon, the Empowering BIPOC Women for Social Justice initiative will combat gender-based racism and discrimination through advocacy training, leadership development workshops and storytelling sessions. Four organizations received multi-year grants totaling $260,000.

Environment granted $674,099 to 15 organizations and we were particularly pleased to support several projects with a focus on youth engaged in climate change work, government relations and policy change as well as green jobs. Youth Climate Lab supports young people from across Canada to become leaders in the climate space by empowering them with skills, financial access and policy knowledge through the creation of tools and programs, while Montreal’s Common Horizon Commun offers resources and support for climate solutions focused on a just and equitable future to volunteer-run chapters across Canada. Toronto Environmental Alliance and West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation both received two-year grants to strengthen local environmental community organizing and advocacy capacity and to revitalize, apply, and enforce Indigenous law.

Housing, meanwhile, granted $1,050,000 to 16 partners to support policies and approaches to increase affordable housing solutions, promote Canadian land trusts and support the legal rights of renters.

Calgary’s National Indigenous Homelessness Council is developing a five-year strategic plan to address the critical issue of Indigenous homelessness in Canada, while in Nova Scotia, the North End Halifax “New Roots” Community Land Trust received a two-year grant to create sustainable, community-driven housing solutions for African Nova Scotian residents through the development of a 30-story building with affordable housing units and community spaces. Seven organizations received two-year grants totaling $500,000, while Community Justice Collective received CDF’s first three-year housing grant for $300,000 to support their work expanding collective defense movement building for tenants in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

“The Foundation is committed to building deeper and longer-standing relationships with organizations and communities, and this slate of grants reflects that commitment” notes Anne Mark, CDF Director of Programs. “Almost half of those organizations funded in 2024 had previously received a grant from the Foundation.”

Find a complete list of Fall 2024 grants below.

Grant applications for the Civic Engagement for Social Change and Environment streams open February 24, 2025, with a June 3, 2025 deadline. The Housing stream is closed to unsolicited applications until late 2025. For granting guidelines, please visit https://catherinedonnellyfoundation.org/granting/process/.

Civic Engagement for Social Change

Ten one-year grants totaling $313,850:

Afro Women & Youth Foundation • BIPOC Stories4Change • Sudbury, ON • $40,000

BIPOC Stories4Change aims to promote active citizenship, self-advocacy, and social change and amplify the voices of women who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). The project details forms of oppression and actions racialized women can take to change their communities. BIPOC Stories4Change will build understanding of the value of lived experience and teach participants how to create storytelling, digital stories and podcast essentials in one cohort, while a second cohort will focus on developing skills in hairdressing, basic sewing, vision boarding, beading and expressive painting. With this third Stories4Change grant from CDF, the Afro Women and Youth Foundation aims to further strengthen their anti-racist work and foster an equitable society in Sudbury and Toronto. www.afrowyf.org

BC Métis Federation • Finding Our Voice Women’s Program • Vancouver, BC • $35,000

Funding will be applied to educational programs supporting capacity building for Métis women and their families. Through seminars, workshops, online course materials and support systems, they aim to help combat racism and marginalization, assist with the eradication of poverty, create improved health and wellness, prevent domestic and workplace violence, embrace cultural traditions and connectivity, and instil confidence building and leadership. https://bcmetis.com/

City for All Women Initiative • Facilitating Participation in Municipal Decision-Making: Training Grassroots Leaders • Ottawa, ON • $30,000

City for All Women Initiative offers the Facilitating Participation in Municipal Decision-Making project to expand their existing civic engagement training program with a critical feminist-care lens. This endeavor is inspired by the globally recognized Caring Cities model which integrates care economy considerations—encompassing both paid and unpaid care work—into urban planning and policy frameworks. The project aims to introduce this model in Ottawa, tailoring it to a diversity of women and gender non-conforming individuals from under-served communities, with a focus on creating a just, caring, and equitable urban environment. www.cawi-ivtf.org

Collaborative Network to End Exploitation • Harvest Justice • Toronto, ON • $30,000

The Harvest Justice project involves the research and creation of a Forum Theatre script focused on the challenges facing migrant workers in Ontario. Current and former migrant workers will engage in five workshops led by Mixed Company Theatre artists to creatively collaborate and guide content, discussions and stories. The play will be staged in Toronto and Guelph, where the audience will have the opportunity to join the actors on stage to resolve the conflicts in the play, learn about challenges faced by migrant workers in their area and what actions they can take to be a part of positive change for migrant worker communities. www.cnee.ca

Exchange Inner City • Resident Advisory Council • Vancouver, BC • $18,850

Exchange Inner City’s Resident Advisory Council is composed of a diverse group of residents from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who share lived or living experiences of economic insecurity, housing instability, and marginalization. The Council includes ten members who reflect the community’s rich diversity and engage in monthly meetings focused on skills development and community engagement to foster an equitable economy. https://exchangeced.com/

Halifax Workers’ Action Centre Society • Community Mobilization for Workplace Justice • Halifax, NS • $40,000

The Community Mobilization for Workplace Justice program will empower low-wage and marginalized workers in Nova Scotia by creating a comprehensive framework that combines education, resource development, and civic engagement. Through a ‘train-the-trainer’ model, the Halifax Workers’ Action Centre will equip workers with the knowledge and skills to provide legal information within their workplaces and facilitate grassroots mobilization for progressive workplace legislation. www.halifaxwac.ca

Islamic Family & Social Services Association (IslamicFamily) • Civic Youth Engagement Training •Edmonton, AB • $35,000

IslamicFamily’s Civic Youth Engagement Training is designed to address systemic barriers to participation and representation within Edmonton’s social and civic sectors, particularly for equity-deserving youth from racialized communities. The Program helps develop a new generation of leaders equipped with the knowledge, skills, and networks necessary to advocate for their communities. By collaborating with key partners such as the Africa Centre, Bent Arrow, the City of Edmonton, and the Edmonton Public School Board, IslamicFamily provides participants with a series of educational workshops, mentorship opportunities, and cross-cultural dialogue sessions to empower youth, educate city and school board staff on cultural sensitivity, create shared resources that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion and promote institutional change. www.islamicfamily.ca

Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec • Accessing Rights in Prison Project • Montréal, QC • $30,000

With the Accessing Rights in Prison Project (ARiPP), the Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec will turn a successful pilot project at Joliette Institution for Women into an on-going program. ARiPP staff will meet with women to assist them with matters such as family, financial and administrative affairs, supporting grievances and complaints against the prison administration as well as delivering workshops on navigating the prison administrative and judicial systems. To augment the self-advocacy capacity of the women, they will train peer-advocate leaders who can help women when Elizabeth Fry staff are not present. In addition to the direct work with women in the prison, the program will invest in contacting organizations, inmate family members, health or child welfare system staff, and experts to help individual advocacy efforts. In Canada, Indigenous and Black women make up nearly half of the population in prisons. https://elizabethfry.qc.ca

The Pivot Centre for Collective Action • Frontlines and Fencelines • Montréal, QC • $20,000

Frontlines and Fencelines is a multi-year, multi-city community-driven project focused on connecting industrial-adjacent and equity-deserving neighbourhoods impacted by place-based environmental and climate injustice. The project focuses on two types of environmental injustice: local pollution caused by underregulated industrial neighbours in residential areas and eco-gentrification, where low- income people are displaced or excluded due to climate adaptation and/or greening initiatives. The project will support communities in Hamilton and Montréal to develop a collective understanding of local issues, to connect and share stories with other communities facing similar issues, and to implement shared strategies that build collective power. The Pivot Centre will further identify and connect with others to grow the network of industrial-adjacent communities and host an intercity forum. www.pivotcentre.org

Truly Alive Youth and Family Foundation Inc. • Empowering BIPOC Women for Social Justice • Saskatoon, SK • $35,000

Empowering BIPOC Women for Social Justice initiative seeks to combat gender-based racism and discrimination affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour women in Greater Saskatoon through advocacy training, leadership development workshops and digital storytelling sessions. The program is designed to equip BIPOC women with the skills to advocate for their rights and foster community leadership, create platforms to share their lived experiences and address systemic issues and promote social justice by dismantling structural barriers related to inequality and discrimination.

Four two-year grants totaling $129,965 per year:

Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia • Community-Driven Solutions to Food Insecurity and Poverty: The Living and Lived Experience Advisory Committee • Vancouver, BC • $20,000 each year

The Living and Lived Experience Advisory Committee will be composed of community members with direct experiences of food insecurity and poverty and will contribute to the strategic direction of Vancouver’s Gordon Neighbourhood House’s food justice and poverty reduction initiatives, ensuring under-represented voices are centred in decision-making. Committee members will receive comprehensive training on food policy and community engagement, consult with organizations and advocate for inclusive, culturally relevant food security programming across Vancouver and work closely with municipal staff, councillors, and other stakeholders to influence local policy changes that improve food security outcomes. This project offers a unique opportunity for lived-experience leadership to drive systemic change, improving not only food security but also broader community services. https://anhbc.org/

Dene Nahjo (MakeWay Charitable Society) • Hide Tanning Workshops • Yellowknife, NWT • $45,000 each year

An on-the-land program for Indigenous peoples will teach traditional Dene hide tanning techniques as well as instruction on how to manage a bush camp. Facilitated discussions will focus on decolonization, Indigenous resurgence, Indigenous leadership values, climate action and modern land claims. CDF has previously funded this initiative, and this grant will support the work of the Hide Camp Director and Program Coordinator for Community Mentorship and Staff Professional Development camps in 2025 and 2026. Outcomes of this two-year initiative will include: an expanded network of hide tanners across Turtle Island, more collaborations amongst hide camp participants and increased understanding of Indigenous knowledges, protocols, and relationships. www.denenahjo.com

Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO)• Advancing Solutions and Building Capacity for Access to Land, Capital, Knowledge and Community for Equity- Deserving Farmers • Guelph, ON • $44,965 each year

The BIPOC Farmer Network seeks to transform Ontario’s sustainable agricultural sector by supporting educational and community building efforts for BlPOC farmers and overcoming land access barriers for new, young, and equity-deserving farmers. EFAO and the National Farmers Union-Ontario will build from previous work funded by CDF in 2023 and Spring 2024 to strengthen the Network through gatherings, information sessions and engaging members in land-access related policy development and education. These interconnected efforts will strengthen the capacities and skills of BIPOC farmers to build resilient ecological farms and communities that mitigate climate change while promoting climate and social justice. https://efao.ca/bipoc-farmer-networ

FCJ Refugee Centre • Refugee Help in Refugee Hands • Toronto, ON • $20,000 each year

Refugee Help in Refugee Hands is an innovative new project for adult refugee claimants to prepare for their Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada hearings. Through this free service, refugee claimants will learn about the process in detail through an accessible toolkit. Materials will cover key aspects of hearings, such as the types of questions that may arise, who will be present, and tips on how to manage stress during the process. Refugee Help will also offer guidance on what to do after the hearing, particularly for those whose refugee claims are rejected. www.fcjrefugeecentre.org

Environment

12 one-year grants totaling $434,099

David Suzuki Institute • Climate Emergency Unit • Saltspring Island, BC • $49,000

The Climate Emergency Unit is a five-year initiative that seeks to shift leaders and governments in Canada into climate-emergency mode, encouraging them to adopt ambitious policies that address the climate crisis. Funding supports the Youth Climate Corps campaign, a large-scale climate and job strategy to train and employ young people in green jobs. The campaign is youth-led by chapters across the country. Training, strategy and organizing will be supported by Climate Emergency Unit team members.. https://www.davidsuzukiinstitute.ca

Common Horizon Commun • Make Them Pay • Montréal, QC • $30,000

Common Horizon Commun (CHC) is launching the Make Them Pay campaign to address the shared roots of the affordability and climate crises by encouraging bold government action. The campaign advocates for a federal Excess Profits Tax on industries with unrestrained profits and disastrous climate impacts. CHC is focused on base-building to develop a skilled network of young workers with the power to effect long-term political change. They will host town halls, organize sit-ins and hold workshops to train grassroots organizers and equip community members with the skills and confidence to take meaningful action. https://commonhorizoncommun.org/

Community Forests International • Common Ground • Sackville, NB • $25,000

The project mobilizes citizen climate action in the Maritime region by amplifying common ground in relationships among settlers and First Nations and by providing access to the emerging conservation economy. This is the third grant supporting Land Back, Indigenous-led conservation and nature-based economies, through the ongoing Common Ground project. Project activities will extend collaboration with new and existing partners to advance training, convening, and knowledge-sharing among settlers, the three Wabanaki nations in New Brunswick as well as the Mi’kmaq Nation in Nova Scotia. https://forestsinternational.org/

EcoSchools Canada • School Board Climate Action Planning • Toronto, ON • $30,000

A 2023 study revealed that only four of 380 school boards in Canada have approved climate action plans. To address this gap, EcoSchools is launching a new project focused on Climate Action Planning at the school board level intended to provide guidance, support and resources to board staff on themes including baselining carbon emissions, energy, infrastructure and policy. This one-year pilot project will design and implement a leadership and advocacy program for high school students and develop a promotional video and budget to help those students act. https://ecoschools.ca

EnviroMuslims and Faith and the Common Good • Celebrating and Empowering Faith Groups and Canadian Youth in Taking Climate Action • Toronto, ON • $48,000

This environmental collaboration will gather faith groups to share discussion, build relationships and train youth leaders. Funding supports two initiatives. Firstly, Faiths4Climate Conversations 2025 will provide a safe space for knowledge-sharing to develop lasting relationships between different faith groups and encourage networking and collaboration. Secondly, the Canadian Climate Collaborative will focus on preparing youth from equity-deserving communities for work in sustainable industries by providing opportunities to learn from sustainability professionals of colour. www.faithcommongood.org; www.enviromuslims.ca

Indigenous Youth Roots • In Motion • Toronto, ON • $25,000

The In Motion program supports QTBIPOC youth (18-29) across Turtle Island (Canada) with a focus on environmental sustainability and youth empowerment. This Indigenous-led program emphasizes the bond with nature and addresses the root causes of climate change by integrating Indigenous knowledge and the guidance of Elders, aiming to foster cultural and environmental resilience. In Motion will offer a week-long, immersive experience where youth connect with the land, build relationships, and learn Indigenous ways of environmental stewardship, followed by an eight-part online workshop series that fosters Indigenous-centered solidarity and workforce preparation. https://indigenousyouthroots.ca/

Mno Aki Land Trust • Mno Aki Land Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy • Georgina Island, ON • $30,000

Mno Aki, with support from the Global Indigenous Development Trust, is working to secure a $1 million land donation in King Township, ON. This initiative is an opportunity to pilot an Indigenous approach to land assessments and stewardship, bring together a breadth of stakeholders, strengthen cultural connections, and practice traditional stewardship. This proposed land assessment process will offer Indigenous communities the ability to re-establish traditional governance over lands and waters, helping address and mitigate the effects of the global climate crisis. Funding supports Mno Aki in building internal capacity by developing strategic planning, a stakeholder engagement strategy and a land assessment process. https://mnoaki.org/

Padma Centre for Climate Justice • The Fair Shares Project • Victoria, BC • $49,000

A joint initiative between the Padma Centre and the Climate Emergency Unit, The Fair Shares Project aims to provide a climate action advocacy hub for immigrant and diasporic communities from the Global South in Canada. The Project will address this gap in climate advocacy in Canada through community organizing across diasporic communities in BC and then by collaborating with climate justice leaders and organizations across Canada to engage the public and demonstrate to policymakers the need for Canada to do its fair share to solve the climate crisis.

Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency • Imagination Infrastructure for Just Transition in Wood Buffalo • Ottawa, ON • $35,000

SCALE-LeSAUT, in partnership with Arts Council Wood Buffalo, Iron & Earth, Indigenous Curatorial Collective, and the Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society, will launch a two-year pilot project in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, AB, to develop “imagination infrastructure.” This artist-led initiative supports the community’s transition away from oil sands dependence by fostering creative problem-solving through arts-based approaches. The project will host four artist residencies focused on themes of just transition and community resilience. Artists will engage residents, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities, through workshops, public art interventions, performances, and community visioning sessions. www.culturedeclares.org/declarers/scale-lesaut/

Shake Up the Establishment • Shake Up Your Community • Hamilton, ON • $49,000

Shake Up Your Community (SUYC) is an action-oriented incubator pairing youth with local organizations to improve existing campaigns’ intersectionality and design new ones with climate-impacted communities. SUYC offers community connections, specialized training and an inclusive environment to sustain diverse young leaders’ activism, advance local climate justice and support under-represented groups in the environmental sector. The program provides youth with mentorship, resources, and the connections needed to lead grassroots advocacy in their communities, drive environmental protection, and enhance well-being. www.shakeuptheestab.org

The Calgary Climate Hub • Advancing Climate Justice – Action for Equity • Calgary, AB • $25,000

Advancing Climate Justice – Action for Equity is a new program of the Calgary Climate Hub, in partnership with the University of Calgary’s Social Work department, to advance climate justice across Calgary’s communities by supporting greater BIPOC action/leadership within the local climate movement through community outreach and engagement that explores the intersection of climate concerns and inequity, citizen priorities and climate solutions. The initiative will develop a Climate Justice Toolkit. www.calgaryclimatehub.ca

Youth Climate Lab • Operation COP • Montréal, QC • $39,099

Youth Climate Lab works to mobilize youth to create a just, climate-resilient future. Funding will support Operation COP, a national education initiative that aims to train a new generation of Canadian youth to be expert engagers in the policy process. The goal is to empower groups who have been historically denied access to these spaces to create a communications strategy and in-person events to encourage critical dialogue about how to build a more just climate sector. In addition to the core program plan, individuals will be encouraged to create a plan of engagement for their local communities. www.youthclimatelab.org

Two two-year grants totaling $100,000 per year:

Toronto Environmental Alliance (Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre) • Community action to support bold climate solutions in Toronto – Phase 2 • Toronto, ON • $40,000 each year

This project will provide pathways for members of equity-owed communities to engage in climate and climate justice decision-making in the city of Toronto. Previous project participants in the communities of St. James Town, Malvern, Downsview, and York South-Weston will rely on existing community climate visions and advocacy plans to strengthen local community organizing capacity and advance policy change. Together, community representatives will call for municipal politicians to invest in climate solutions that benefit impacted communities. These objectives will help realize a shared vision for a climate-safe, resilient and just future. www.torontoenvironment.org

West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation • Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air, and Water (RELAW) • Vancouver, BC • $50,000 each year

RELAW: Revitalizing Indigenous Law for Land, Air and Water was established in 2016 and is delivered by an Indigenous-led team. RELAW is a unique non-profit legal support and training program for Indigenous nations and individuals, delivered in a systematic, deliberative, and community-driven approach for contemporary law-making grounded in their ancestral oral legal traditions. Public legal education and communications is a significant component of this work. RELAW engages with partners and co-learners in a variety of ways including working side-by-side with Indigenous partners, whose Indigenous-led strategies to take care of their territories is about environmental sustainability, self-determination, inherent governance rights, and healthy, equitable economies for all. www.wcel.org/program/relaw

One three-year grant totaling $20,000 per year

Low Carbon Funders Group (Environment Funders Canada) • Toronto, ON • $20,000

Funding supports the Low Carbon Funders Group – a funder collaborative through which Canadian environmental funders support ten major environmental organizations in a coordinated and strategic effort to push for a low-carbon future in Canada through federal policy initiatives. https://environmentfunders.ca/collaborate/connect/working-groups/

Housing

Eight one-year grants totaling $250,000

Dalhousie University • The Eviction Prevention Partnership Program • Halifax, NS • $20,000

Three organizations will partner for this project – Dalhousie Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University Social Work Clinic and the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute – to enhance tenants’ rights through Nova Scotia’s Residential Tenancies Act. The first phase features an extensive review of how and why tenants are accessing justice in the province, including through tenancy information services, and dispute resolution providers. Researchers aim to understand what makes it more or less likely for a tenant to seek out legal information, what sources of information do tenants find helpful, and what factors influence whether they access legal services. The data obtained would be the first such overview of the modern Residential Tenancies process in Nova Scotia. The second phase of the project will produce a report that makes policy recommendations to the provincial government and provide workshops to tenants based on identified gaps in knowledge of the Residential Tenancies Act. www.ansji.ca

Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce • Community Land Trust Tax Policy • Kamloops, BC • $40,000

Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a proven way to combat the affordable housing crisis, but their effectiveness is hampered by federal tax laws that require donees to pay capital gains on any land given to a land trust. This initiative will promote the feasibility of a proposed amendment that would make donations to a land trust capital gains tax exempt and may offer incentives for individuals and corporations to donate their land to CLTs. A project coordinator will update tax and land trust materials to ensure accurate policy information, undertake community outreach through the Chamber of Commerce network, and work with other non-profits to advance this potential policy change with the federal government. https://kamloopschamber.ca/

Kensington Market Community Land Trust • A Community Owned Kensington Market • Toronto, ON • $40,000

Kensington Market Community Land Trust seeks to own property for the mutual aid of tenants who live and work in the properties they acquire, as well as for the benefit of the community where those properties are situated. To ensure the Land Trust remains rooted, accountable, and reflective of Toronto’s Kensington Market, funds will support the creation of a new staff position to mobilize public engagement and community organizing, conduct public education, update internal policies and strategic plans, and collaborate on advocacy campaigns. The role will provide organizational stability and allow KMCLT to remain focused on building the organization’s role in their community. https://kmclt.ca/

Madhu Verma Migrant Justice Centre • Le Refuge • Fredericton, NB • $40,000

Refugees and migrant workers in New Brunswick face workplace abuse and housing precarity. To address this fundamental housing need, Madhu Verma is proposing Le Refuge. The project is a first step towards establishing transitional housing for refugee claimants and migrant workers fleeing abuse in New Brunswick. The organization has identified a Trappist Monastery in Rogersville, NB as a potential site and funding will help develop a feasibility study, a financial strategy and a partnership and donorship strategy to acquire and sustain transitional housing that is responsive to the needs of precarious migrants in NB communities. https://www.madhucentre.ca/

National Indigenous Homelessness Council • National Indigenous Homelessness Strategy • Calgary, AB • $40,000

The National Indigenous Homelessness Council (NIHC) is developing a five-year strategic plan to address the critical issue of Indigenous homelessness in Canada. This plan will serve as the foundation for a National Indigenous Homelessness Strategy and complement the National Housing Strategy’s Reaching Home program. Indigenous communities experience homelessness at disproportionately high rates due to systemic barriers, historical injustices, and socio-economic challenges. The strategic plan aims to fill existing gaps in the national housing framework by providing a culturally relevant and community-driven approach that focuses on culture, data, governance, knowledge, funding, capacity, reconciliation, and relationships. The plan will be developed in close collaboration with the NIHC’s 36 Indigenous Homelessness Stream community member organizations. https://nihc-cnasa.ca/

Thompson Okanagan Housing Co-operative (Sorrento Centre) • Creating homes in rural BC • Sorrento, BC • $20,000

The Thompson Okanagan Housing Co-operative has initiated construction on a 31-unit non-profit housing co-operative in the Village of Chase in rural British Columbia and funds will support the development and implementation of a resident-led management model as well as ongoing networking and collaboration. The completed project will house more than 50 seniors, working families, singles, Indigenous people, women, 2SLGBTQ+, wildfire evacuees and others who have been pushed to the margins in the rural housing market. The Co-op addresses housing insecurity and homelessness in a rural region with few housing options by developing affordable housing and engaging the wider community. www.sorrentocentre.ca

Relèven (formerly Trinity Centres Foundation) • Leveraging Church Owned Lands to Build Affordable Housing Nationally • Montréal, QC • $25,000

Relèven (formerly Trinity Centres Foundation) seeks to expand their existing Faith Property Strategy Course, a pilot project that supports faith communities in evaluating their properties for potential community redevelopment in Ontario and Quebec. Funding supports the creation of a national initiative to assist faith communities to reimagine their properties with a view to community impact and a particular focus on affordable housing. Relèven has a specific goal of identifying five viable housing projects and offering pre-development support to bring projects to a state of readiness for development. https://releven.org/

Two Steps Home Inc. • Two Steps Home • Toronto, ON • $25,000

Two Steps Home is advocating for “Cabin Communities” as part of the solution to Toronto’s unsheltered homeless crisis, offering an interim-to-long-term alternative to current emergency housing models. This adaptable approach, developed with Toronto Shelter and Support Services, will evolve in sync with rising needs and can be erected, serviced and operational in six to seven months. Communities will be comprised of up to 50 cabins and shared facilities and can be located across 70 vacant City-owned or Housing Now sites. Once long-term affordable housing is completed, residents can transition into it, freeing spaces for other unsheltered households. Funding will support advocacy, community outreach and engagement with the City of Toronto to approve a pilot Cabin Community project. This model can be replicated across Ontario and Canada. www.twostepshome.com

Seven two-Year Grants totaling $250,000 per year

10 Carden Shared Space • Community Real Estate Investment Trust • Guelph, ON • $36,000 each year

The Community Real Estate Investment Trust (C-REIT) project aims to mobilize collective action among non-profits in Guelph and beyond. The initiative will map current non-profit-owned assets, identify those at risk of external acquisition, and engage local communities in preserving these vital properties by developing governance, legal, and financial frameworks tailored to community needs. Beyond addressing the challenges posed by the financialization of real estate, C-REIT hopes to create a scalable model for community-owned real estate, providing non-profits with access to capital to preserve and expand their assets, including affordable housing and community spaces. https://10carden.ca/

ACORN Canada • Developing a tenant-centric Canadian Renter’s Bill of Rights • Toronto, ON • $40,000 each year

The federal government unveiled a Blueprint to advance a Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights (RBR). As it stands, the Blueprint lacks clarity and does not include mechanisms to hold provinces and territories accountable. ACORN is encouraging the federal government to actively engage tenants in the process and force provinces and territories to guarantee policies that provide protections for renters, such as rules against excessive rent increases or evictions. To accomplish this, ACORN will engage tenants to understand the housing policy changes tenants would like to see, produce recommendations based on that outreach and meet with government officials to encourage adoption of the policies. https://acorncanada.org/

Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness • Vote Housing 2.0 • Calgary, AB • $10,000 each year

Vote Housing 2.0 is an advocacy campaign aimed at shifting federal housing policy and accelerating an end to homelessness ahead of the next federal election. Building on the success of the 2021 Vote Housing campaign and the National Housing Accord, CAEH is forming a broad coalition that includes developers, co-op housing providers, the real estate industry as well as lived-experience experts and interest-holders from communities disproportionately impacted by homelessness and the housing affordability crisis. The project will identify an evidence-based policy platform focused on restoring affordability, ending homelessness, and improving housing equity to influence political parties’ agendas and policies. https://caeh.ca/

Happy Valley Goose Bay Housing and Homelessness Coalition • Healing Forest Green Space • Happy Valley Goose Bay, NL • $30,000 each year

Happy Valley Goose Bay Housing and Homelessness Coalition is a non-profit Indigenous-led organization whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness by providing supportive housing. Funding supports work with Indigenous seniors to create a Healing Forest green space. The idea is inspired by the National Healing Forest Initiative that promotes Healing Forests to honour residential school victims and survivors, their families and communities, and promote learning and reconciliation. Labrador had six Residential Schools, and the development of the garden is a healing journey for seniors and the community at large and will be used in the spirit of reconciliation, shared understanding and respect. www.rhinl.ca

North End Halifax Community Land Trust • North End Halifax ‘New Roots’ Community Land Trust • Halifax, NS • $36,000 each year

The North End Halifax “New Roots” Community Land Trust is a transformative initiative aimed at addressing the critical issues of housing affordability and security for African Nova Scotian residents. This ambitious project envisions the development of a 30-story building which will provide affordable housing units and create essential community spaces. New Roots’ strategy includes not only acquiring and developing housing within the North End but also expanding their efforts to secure affordable housing options in other locations. Funding will support community consultations, workshops, and feedback sessions to ensure residents have a meaningful voice in the development process, and to establish partnerships with local organizations, schools, and community groups to foster a broader dialogue and ensure inclusivity. The Land Trust also strives to address the legacy of land dispossession in the African Nova Scotian community and promote economic resiliency. www.nehclt.ca

OMRA Shelter Corporation • Rent Assist Allies • Ottawa, ON • $48,000 each year

Rent Assist Allies (RAA) will pair rent subsidies with volunteer supports to families with at least one adult and one child who are at risk of homelessness. It expands on OMRA’s model of providing rent subsidies to newcomers in Ottawa by broadening the population served and formalizing more comprehensive volunteer supports. (An evaluation funded by the Catherine Donnelly Foundation in 2023 demonstrated the success of the OMRA’s model. (Download the study) Project objectives include filling gaps in the existing rental subsidy supports, improving housing stability for families and helping recipients increase self-reliance. OMRA will begin serving families within months of initiating Rent Assist Allies and then document and demonstrate the worth of the project to attract sustainable funding and serve more families. https://omraottawa.org/

The Shift • Advancing Meaningful Engagement in Human Rights-Based Responses to Encampments • Ottawa, ON • $50,000 each year

The Shift’s two-year project will help cities better understand and implement a meaningful engagement process as they proceed with human rights-based community action plans to address homeless encampments. These action plans are required by the federal government as part of accessing funding streams that support municipalities to address homelessness and encampments. The Shift will develop a Meaningful Engagement Toolkit, co-designed with people with lived experience in homeless encampments, frontline workers, and city officials, to familiarize town and city governments with concepts, barriers and solutions for effective engagement. The Shift will follow the Toolkit with training sessions and collaborations with a city or cities to pilot a meaningful engagement process in specific homeless encampment communities. https://make-the-shift.org/

One three-year grant totaling $100,000 per year

Community Justice Collective • Expanding Collective Defense for Tenants • Toronto, ON $100,000 each year

Community Justice Collective (CJC) provides legal support to sustain the development of the organized tenant movement in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Tenant unions provide hope for immigrant and working-class communities wishing to increase affordable housing and prevent homelessness and displacement. When isolated, many renters blame themselves for conditions they face, but when connected with their neighbours, they can share common experiences of abuse, harassment, and eviction and identify tactics to fight against them. In Toronto, “financialized” landlords accounted for 65% of all multi-family dwelling units transacted between 1995-2022. This impacts the power imbalance between tenants and landlords and makes it necessary to organize at a greater scale. It also provides opportunities to identify common tactics employed by landlords with significant holdings and develop strategies to counter them. CJC’s goal over the next three years is to work more deeply with groups focused on that broader work and to continue to support existing tenant unions as well as the development of new tenant organizations. This is the third grant CJC has received from CDF since 2021. www.cjclaw.org