$26 million supporting 251 local programs and services Ontarians rely on most

The Fort Frances Museum and Cultural Centre has been named as one of 251 organizations to be awarded part of a $26 million grant, aimed to support non-profit organizations across the province. The fund is through the seventh and final round of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) Resilient Communities Fund.

The Museum was awarded an $84,800 grant for the 2023-2024 term, to “build its resilience and sustainability by engaging expertise to develop tailored plans to increase and enhance digital offerings, learning opportunities, community curation, placemaking, and cultural tourism.”

The Resilient Communities Fund was created in August 2020 to help Ontario’s non-profit organizations address pandemic-related challenges so they could continue to provide local services. To date, this fund has supported 3,299 projects with $294 million in support.

“Non-profit organizations are critical to continue to deliver valuable programming and services to those who need it the most.”

Eligible non-profit organizations are provided with grants of up to $200,000 over a two-year period to recover and build capacity, resilience and sustainability. The full list of this year’s grant recipients can be found on the OTF website.

Over the last four years, Resilient Communities Fund grants have made a significant difference in communities across Ontario. They have enabled non-profit organizations to deliver essential programming and services across Ontario. The other organizations supported for 2023-24 in the Northwestern region include::

• The Children’s Centre Thunder Bay is using its $200,000 grant to acquire resources to provide education and training to prevent and mitigate impacts of adverse childhood experiences and improve community outcomes.
• The Canadian Mental Health Association, Kenora Branch, will use its $40,600 grant to provide trainings, supports and resources to support the mental wellbeing of staff and the changing needs of community members.
• The Kenora Sexual Assault Centre received a $100,000 grant to provide regular counseling, stress management training, peer support, and flexible scheduling to help crisis line volunteers cope with crisis response stress.
• The United Way of Thunder Bay will use its $118,800 grant to launch Community Volunteers Corps to modernize volunteer recruitment and training, and support the volunteer needs of multiple organizations.
• Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services has been awarded $147,100 to provide a single point-of-contact service coordination for victims affected by Human Trafficking and reducing re-victimization.
• The Regional Food Distribution Association of Northwestern Ontario received $195,900 to improving the operational efficiency and distribution logistics of its emergency food service to rural and remote communities.
• The Friends of the Finnish Labour Temple was awarded $150,000 to hire two Digital Outreach Workers to create programming for Indigenous, diverse and vulnerable communities and provide technical services and training.
• The Corporation of the Township of Terrace Bay received $99,100 to develope a comprehensive 10-year, Recreation and Culture Master Plan to lead the municipality in the development of future parks, recreation infrastructure, services and program delivery.

As the government returns the Ontario Trillium Foundation to its Seed, Grow and Capital grant streams in 2024-25, it will continue to make investments to support communities across the province as they adapt to the changing needs of Ontarians.

“This year, the OTF is pleased to invest in 251 non-profit organizations to help them recover and build their capacity and resilience. These investments remain essential to helping organizations deliver programs and services, improving the well-being of Ontarians. As the OTF wraps up this final round of the Resilient Communities Fund, we want to thank the Government of Ontario for supporting the non-profit sector through this fund which has helped over 3,000 organizations recover during and after the pandemic,” said Bill Walker, Chair of the Board, Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has supported thousands of community organizations over the past four decades by investing in community-based initiatives and strengthening the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. Please visit the OTF website for a full list of grant recipients and details on how OTF might be able to help your non-profit organization.