Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The Laidlaw Foundation is offering PopUp Grants to youth groups and grassroots organizations.
Each year, there is a new theme for this grant stream based on important and current issues. Previous themes include: Healing the Land, Racial Justice and Youth Mental Health Awareness, Consent Culture, Disability Justice, Election Mobilization and Civic Engagement, etc.
More increasingly, Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities are feeling the brunt of mounting social insecurity. Young people continue to be vocal and active about the ongoing barriers their communities face. From financial insecurity and increased systemic inequities such as anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity, they see an opportunity to support youth concerned about the ongoing impacts of colonization and capitalism by creating collective action within their communities to support issues including, but not limited to:
- Food Insecurity
- Housing Insecurity
- Life Affordability
- Financial Insecurity
- Lack of access to sufficient healthcare resources (e.g., mental, reproductive, maternal, gender affirming care, physical, etc.)
- Job and Wage Insecurity
- Overpolicing and its impact on community safety
This fund will support Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities dealing with increasing social insecurity and lack of resources to access support. Echoing South African disability activists, the PopUp Grants 2023 espouse the “Nothing about them, without them” slogan. Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth know how best to support their own communities. When it comes to collective and community support, they want to amplify multiple perspectives including leadership from Black and Indigenous communities.
Projects Could Include
- Awareness campaigns to navigate systemic oppression, e.g., life affordability in times of inflation, mental Health and social insecurity, increasing ODSP and OW rates, etc.,
- Advocacy efforts, e.g., lobby day, speaking with elected officials, petitions,
- Community networks to feed vulnerable members such as food programs, community gardens, upkeeping community fridges, etc.,
- Educational campaigns to encourage employers and job hubs like Charity Village to post salaries and hourly wages in job postings,
- Collective advocacy and policy efforts around renovictions and tenant protections,
- Projects addressing affordable housing,
- Programs supporting Queer and Trans youth to access gender-affirming care (legal name change, binders, etc.)
- Concerted efforts to support mutual aid requests, and more.
- Projects should adhere to current and most up to date health and safety guidelines. Please consider how your project could pivot should COVID-19 restrictions change during the duration of your project.
Funding Information
- To recognize this, Laidlaw Foundation is launching PopUp Grants up to $5,000 to support projects and events created by youth that address social inequities through collective and community support.
Eligibility Criteria
- Youth-led groups, organizations, and/or visionaries between the ages of 14-30. These can be new grassroots groups, collectives, incorporated nonprofits, or charitable organizations,
- All activities should take place in Ontario or be Ontario-focused,
- Project length should be from 3-6 months,
- Project must address social insecurity, and
- Priorities: Black-led, Indigenous-led, Two-Spirit, Queer and Trans-led initiatives
Ineligible
- Adult-led groups, organizations, and visionaries (over 30 years old),
- Activities taking place outside of Ontario,
- Projects coming from for-profit entities,
- Projects that don’t align with the theme,
- Fundraising campaigns,
- Capital projects,
- Direct financial support to for-profit enterprises,
- Endowments,
- Sponsorship of events and conferences,
- Ongoing operating expenses that are unrelated to the proposed project,
- Projects involving partisan political activities, and
- Projects involving strictly religious purposes or activities.
For more information, visit PopUp Grants.