Micro-grants to nonprofits will prioritize initiatives aimed at rural, remote communities
The Law Foundation of Ontario (LFO) has outlined the next steps for the ‘Together for Justice’ project, which arose from its approval of a $1.5 million strategic partnerships grant to the Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) last April.
“This is the Foundation’s first grant to and collaboration with CFC,” said Noah Aiken-Klar, the LFO’s director of grants and programs, in a news release.
“The Together for Justice partnership is an opportunity to strengthen Ontario’s access to justice ecosystem,” added Alyssa Becker, CFC’s network initiatives manager. “It will give CFC, local foundations, and the Law Foundation space to connect and learn from each other, and it creates pathways for systems change.”
CFC serves as the national leadership organization for the country’s more than 200 local community foundations, 51 of which are Ontario-based. Due to their regular interactions with their respective communities, member foundations have local knowledge, donor networks, and links with grassroots organizations.
According to the LFO, in September, CFC brought the Algoma Community Foundation, the Kawartha Lakes Community Foundation, the Perth and District Community Foundation, the Sudbury Community Foundation, and the Windsor-Essex Community Foundation into the ‘Together for Justice’ project.
Subject to CFC’s ongoing oversight, these five community foundations will receive funding to spearhead the project at the local level and issue micro-grants valued at a maximum of $25,000 to up to six local nonprofit organizations.
The LFO will offer additional resources and guidance throughout the project. In its news release, the LSO expressed its expectation for all grants to comply with its eligibility criteria, including prioritizing access to justice initiatives targeting Ontarians in rural, remote, or northern communities.
“We’re excited by the opportunity to tap into the knowledge and networks of community foundations and to help increase the legal literacy, capacity, and connections of organizations who are tackling access to justice in rural, remote, and northern Ontario communities,” Aiken-Klar said.
According to the LFO, the five community foundations will each host up to three community tables next year, during which grantees can discuss insights and strategies for addressing the justice-related needs of their respective communities.
All organizations involved will get honoraria to help them participate in these gatherings.
“Bringing together local organizations to be part of creating the solutions and transforming funding mindsets shifts power into local communities,” Becker said in the LFO’s news release.
Afterward, the LFO, CFC, and the five foundations will meet to wrap up the project and collaborate on a report with recommendations for possible next steps.
