Community Program
We believe people and communities should be able to realize their individual and collective potential. They should have the chance to succeed in education, employment, housing, health and in other dimensions of well-being. Yet the growth and persistence of poverty in Toronto diminishes human potential and the quality of community life.
We believe in the power of community - people coming together, sharing a common hopeful vision for the future while working on issues they care about today. We want to support the deep commitment of individuals and organizations in our city that are building lasting solutions to issues of poverty. These individuals and organizations are seeking ways for people to have opportunities to earn a decent living, build assets, and develop vibrant social networks. They are supporting low-income people to have a strong voice in the discussions and decisions that affect their lives. They are striving to promote positive changes in our institutional structures and policies in order to address challenging social problems. They are engaging a broad range of people to join together in this work.
Our program is designed to encourage opportunities and resilience in these people, organizations, and the low-income communities they work with. We hope to enrich the development of strong community voices and comprehensive, long-term approaches to issues of poverty. We focus on building success through three key Foundation strategies (How We Work): supporting dynamic leadership; nurturing innovative approaches to persistent problems, and encouraging dialogue and learning to inform action.
We have two interrelated program themes:
Communities in Action >
Leadership in Action >
Within the context of our program we define community broadly. It may be a geographic community - such as a neighbourhood; a community of common bond - such as ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation; or a community of common interest - such as a group of temporary workers or parents.
We expect our program to evolve as we learn from both our experiences with projects on the ground and our exploration of emerging ideas and issues. We will also maintain flexibility in our program in order to respond to issues and opportunities as they arise over time.
Communities In Action Guidelines >
Leadership In Action Guidelines >
Application Deadlines >
Advisory Committees >
Grants Awarded >