City of Toronto: Identify ‘N Impact Grant Program in Canada

Deadline: 6-Oct-22

The City of Toronto is seeking applications for its Identify ‘N Impact (INI) Grant Program to support youth-led initiatives in Toronto.

Purpose

• The purpose of the Identify ‘N Impact Grant Program is to:
  • Help promote youth engagement and community safety in the City of Toronto
  • Support youth to turn ideas into action
  • Support emerging (new, small, grassroots) youth-led groups
  • Motivate and encourage Most Vulnerable People (MVP) youth to become involved in their communities

Funding Information

• Groups are able to apply for up to $17,000 per project as follows:
  • Project Costs: $15,000 for youth to lead and deliver projects up to one year in length.
  • Capacity Building: $2,000 will be provided to groups that express a need for capacity building supports such as training and mentorship.
  • Accessibility Costs:  $2,000 in additional funds may be made available for projects involving Deaf youth leaders / participants and youth leaders / participants with disabilities. These funds may be used to support the youth leading the project and/or youth participants.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Projects
  • The grant supports a by-youth-for-youth approach and projects that address issues outlined in the Toronto Youth Equity Strategy (TYES).
  • All projects must support one or more of the following TYES priorities:
    • Mental health
    • Skills development
    • Increasing access to educational attainment
    • Community safety / violence prevention
    • Youth friendly spaces
    • Arts
• Project proposals will be given priority if they:
  • Work with and/or engage MVP youth, or have a focus specifically on Black, Indigenous and/or 2SLGBTQ+ youth
  • Involve youth from/and or based in one of the 31 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs) in the City of Toronto. Use the Find Your Neighbourhood tool to find out which neighbourhood you live in or are offering your project activities. Scroll down to the bottom of the webpage to see a list of all 158 neighbourhoods and whether they are a Neighbourhood Improvement Area (NIA).
• Eligible Organizations
  • INI was developed to support emerging (new, small, grassroots) youth-led groups. Your group is eligible to apply if it:
    • Is youth-led and includes at least three or more youth, ages 15 to 29 years old.
    • Is based in Toronto (use the Find Your Neighbourhood tool to find out which neighbourhood you live in).
    • Is a non-profit that is proposing project activities that will run in Toronto only.
  • For the INI grant program, a group is considered “youth-led” if the following criteria are met:
    • A majority of the group’s leadership are youth between the ages of 15 to 29 years old.
    • The group makes decisions about its activities independent from any other community organization.
    • Youth are the leaders in the project planning/design, management and delivery.
  • Youth-led groups that are not incorporated and do not have audited financial statements can still apply for INI funding. If recommended for funding, your group will work with an Organizational Mentor (OM), also referred to as a trustee or administrative partner. Groups will be provided with a list of potential Organizational Mentors to choose from. Funded groups are also able to work with an existing trustee if the City of Toronto’s trusteeship requirements are met.
  • Organizational Mentor (also referred to as a trustee or administrative partner)
    • An Organizational Mentor (OM) is a non-profit or charitable organization that works with you to provide the financial and management support needed for the project to succeed.
    • OMs can provide coaching, training, and templates to help strengthen your project’s effectiveness and project delivery.
    • The OM provides financial accountability for the funding if a group does not have the financial systems or organizational structure to do so.
    • The OM will provide insurance coverage for the project activities.
  • Qualified OMs are incorporated non-profit or charitable organizations with recent audited financial statements.

For more information, visit https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/community/investment-funding-programs/identify-n-impact-grant-program/