Dufferin County charities and non-profits eligible for grants

January 19, 2023 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Dufferin County non-for-profit organizations and charities can now apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to assist with their post-pandemic recovery.

The grants, known as the Community Service Recovery Fund (CSRF), are part of a one-time investment of $400 million by the federal government that will help community service organizations to adapt, modernize, and be better equipped to support community needs.

“Since the early phases of the pandemic, community service organizations have grappled with increased demand for their services, reduced revenues, and a greater need to make use of digital tools,” said Michele Fisher, executive director of Dufferin Community Foundation.

“Many of them are struggling to recover and adapt their services to the changing needs.”

The funding is designed to help charities, non-profits, and Indigenous governing bodies to strengthen their internal capacity in three areas: projects focused on recruitment, retainment and engagement of staff, volunteers and board of directors; projects investing in their internal systems and processes; and projects focused on program and service innovation and redesign.

“It’s pretty exciting to be able to support community services in this way,” said Shirley Boxem, team lead of the of the CSRF grants review team for Dufferin Community Foundation. “Throughout the pandemic, these organizations have stood up and served our community.

“We will be forever grateful to them. Now, through this fund, we can support projects that invest in their internal systems and processes, making them more resilient for the future.”

Dufferin Community Foundation (DCF) will be working with United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin and the Canadian Red Cross to review applications and administer the grants within Dufferin County. Each of the organizations will oversee one of the three program areas – Investing in People, Investing in Systems and Processes, and Investing in Program and Service Innovation and Redesign.

DCF will have $240,000 to support local projects that Invest in Systems and Processes.

Applications for funding can be submitted until Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.

To apply for the CSRF or to find out more information including how to apply, organizations can visit commuityservicesrecoveryfund.ca.