Successful Applicants to HRI Small Grants Competition
2024
Fred Victor Program
Funding of $2,000 was awarded towards staff costs of the Regent Park (Toronto) program that consists of housing advocacy, community-action training, a partner action group, and community development initiatives.
Réseau Canadien de développement économique communautaire
$2,500 was awarded to this Quebec-based NGO to support its annual gathering of community economic development advocates (non-profits, co-ops, social enterprises, etc.) in October 2024.
Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan
Received $2,500 to help cover food, kits, and an out-of-house facilitator for a two-day, Regina-based suicide intervention training.
Turkey Tails Forest School
The Nova Scotia based not-for-profit was awarded $2,500 to support eight free spaces for BIPOC youth to attend in a week-long, outdoor summer camp for youth.
The North Grove
Based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, it was granted $2,500 to support its innovative trading community cupboard.
New Brunswick Coalition for Transgender Rights (NBCTR)
NBCTR received $2,000 to develop a database of provincial stakeholders for advocacy and to coordinate volunteers to help encourage political engagement.
Bullying Canada
$2,500 was awarded for the purchase of technical equipment for its helpline support responders.
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan
Was granted $1,350 to support its social media campaigns and political dialogues within Canada.
Barrie Families Unite (BFU)
BFU received $2,500 to hire a consultant to prepare budgets, and organize retail space, human resources, and marketing for the organization which provides essential supplies and support services to communities in need.
2023
K'atl'odeeche First Nation (KFN) Reserve
Based in Hay River, NWT, KFN received $2,500 to support cultural revitalization activities, in particular the creation of ceremonial wear, such as traditional ribbon shorts (for men) and ribbon skirts (for women) used by drumming groups at events.
Richmond Multicultural Community Services
Was awarded $2,500 to host (together with Vancouver Playback Theatre) a community symposium to engage the Richmond community in education, dialogue, and action-planning to support freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, and expression.
Leave Out Violence (LOVE)
$2,000 was granted to support the development and empowerment of 15 marginalized youth in Vancouver through a four-week series of workshops of Art and Social Justice.
Learning Disabilities Association of Saskatchewan (LDAS)
LDAS will provide staff training to be better equipped with suicide awareness and prevention through a grant of $2,500.
Mildred Hall School
Based in Yellowknife, NWT, the school was awarded $1,500 to support the school's Gender Sexuality Alliance Rainbow Club in making a safe, welcoming space for 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
A community activist
Was granted $1,150 to hold meetings with marginalized people to discuss dignity, inclusion, and humans rights, followed by personal beauty production for each participant and photos. An exposition of these photos will then be launched at Marpole Neighborhood House in Vancouver.
REALM Foundation
Was awarded $2,500 for their "Sharing Our Stores" initiative to create five short videos featuring an individual with a physical disability sharing how they have established personal volunteer support networks and how these networks have empowered them.
Réseau Canadien de développement économique communautaire
Based in Victoriaville, Quebec, it was awarded $2,500 to support "The Manitoba Gathering", an annual event for Manitoban community builders to connect and share ideas and successes.
Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society
Serves approx. 3,000 newcomers annually. It was awarded $2,500 to support programming and services to address the needs of vulnerable newcomers, principally women, through art.
Canadian Advisory of Women Immigrants (CAWI)
Based in Regina, it was awarded $2,200 to implement a culturally competent sexual and reproductive health education toolkit for immigrant communities.
John Howard Society of Manitoba
Received an award of $2,500 to assist 25 candidates clear their criminal records through JHSM's Record Suspension Program.
African Communities of Manitoba (ACOMBI)
Was awarded $1,400 to provide newcomers, seniors, and low-income families from the African, Black and Caribbean communities with access to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Afri-Can Connect Society
Supports African immigrants to get meaningful employment in Canada. Funding of $1,000 was given to support the creation of helpful online resources such as job hunting tips, information on workers’ rights, and guidelines on how hiring takes places.
John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights
Plans a 75th anniversary event for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year. $2,500 was granted for the provision of American Sign Language for accessibility.
Black Canadian Immigrant Settlement Services of Alberta Foundation (BCISSAF)
Received $2,500 to host a seminar on how families of colour and marginalized groups are treated before the law.
Growing Chefs
Based in Vancouver was awarded $2,500 towards their food literacy program. The program provides classroom gardening and cooking courses in vulnerable population areas, teaching where food comes from and how to access healthy local food.
Wild About Outdoor Learning Society
Was given $2,250 to amplify the Indigenous voice at their annual festival and ensure collaborative planning with the local indigenous community in the Vancouver area.
Saskatchewan Association of Immigrant Settlement and Integration Agencies (SAISIA)
Was granted $2,500 to create newcomer-friendly resources relating to the 2018 Newcomer's Handbook to Indigenous People's in Saskatchewan. This includes resources for people with English as additional language.
Carousel Theatre for Young People
Received $2,500 for workshops for teens to study drag history and performance.
East Centre Newcomer Welcome Centre
Was awarded $2,500 to create materials (posters, brochures, cards) for newcomers, immigrants (including temporary foreign workers and international students), and refugees informing them of their employment rights.
2022
University of Alberta Women in Leadership
Group and the Enoch Advisory Council (EYAC) was granted $2,500 for a leadership and networking conference for Indigenous youth.
Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (MARL)
Is working to develop a Youth Advisory Committee that explores the health and wellbeing of youth in Manitoba. The committee will develop a social media campaign for the public and create a guide for educational institutions to promote advocacy and resources regarding period poverty. $2,000 was granted towards this initiative.
Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto (MCC Toronto)
Is a Church and Human Rights Centre that works to address social justice issues such as the legal rights for same-sex couples to marry and adopt in Canada. $2,500 was awarded towards initiatives to bring LGBTQ+ nationals who are in desperate need of resettlement to Canada.
Conseil Migrant
Based in Montreal, Conseil Migrant needed to improve its website to reach more people and deliver information on the ways to improve the physical and mental well-being of migrants efficiently. HRI granted $2,500 towards this initiative.
Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
Was awarded $2,500 to support human rights education sessions, workshop facilitators, interpreters, training materials, and resources.
Saskatoon Sexual Health
Was granted $2,500 to help campaign for the protection of reproductive rights in the province of Saskatchewan.
Inclusion PEI
Received $2,500 to create and deliver presentations on how changes to the PEI Social Assistance Act impact individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Sanctuary Health Vancouver
Was granted $2,500 to provide funding for medical services for people excluded from medical coverages due to their immigration status.
Agir Montréal
Was awarded $2,500 towards a project highlighting art work by LGBTQ+ refugees and immigrant.
Canadian Voices Against Racism
Received $2,000 to maintain a database of police-involved killings in Canada targeting Black, indigenous and racialized communities.
Black Healing Centre
Provides specialized, culturally appropriate care for the Black community of Montreal. It was granted $1,500 to help fill a gap in psycho-social support.
Canadian Centre for Victims of Armed Conflicts
Received $2,500 to create and publish an online guide for children ages 10-14 about refugees, their rights, why they left home, and their experiences as refuges in Canada.
A community worker
Who works with street-involved substance abuse and sex workers in Montreal was awarded $1,500 to prepare and hand out tailor-made pamphlets informing these groups of their rights.
TransSask
Helps individuals transitioning, inter alia, to navigate how to change one's name and/or gender on official documents and was awarded $2,500.
2020 (Special call for anti-racism initiatives)
A newcomer to Canada from Iran
Was awarded $2,000 to support the illustration and publication of a children’s book she wrote about sharing cultures at school following her son’s experience with bullying at school.
The Writers’ Exchange
Is a community group that supports under-resourced children and youth in Vancouver to become confident and excited about reading and writing, and their own potential. It was awarded $1,500 towards the support of BIPOC mentors to update its volunteer training manual and website to better reflect and serve the community.
Branch Out Theatre
In Toronto is a community arts collective that facilitates community engagement, creative play and critical reflection. HRI granted it $2,000 towards an initiative to engage newcomer youth in the city in leadership, communication and theatre skills, and provide a forum for them to express, address and raise awareness about their lived experiences of racism.
CoffeeRun
An avid runner in Winnipeg began CoffeeRun to make exercise more accessible to under-represented populations in the city and encourage individuals of all races, ages and exercise levels to attend and bring awareness of health and physical activity back to their communities, families and friends. Group members are encouraged to share a coffee or tea from their own cultural backgrounds at the end of each session. $1,000 was awarded towards a running shoe, bib and athletic clothing drive for the group.
A Metro-Vancouver school
Was awarded $2,000 to create a short documentary video to prompt discussion and learning from BIPOC members of the community about their experiences and thoughts on racism, anti-racism, and equity in Metro Vancouver.
Somerset West Community Health Centre
Is located in an area of Ottawa with a large number of immigrant, refugee, vulnerable, and racialized populations. HRI awarded the Centre $2,000 to engage community members in a series of conversations on racism and anti-racism and to share their experiences.
A dance instructor
Was granted $2,000 to create a resource for Winnipeg dance studios on how to render make-up, hair and costume planning more inclusive for BIPOC dancers, and not only Caucasian dancers.
Just Food
Is a community development organization in Ottawa working towards just and sustainable food and farming systems. HRI awarded the organization $2,000 to support a series of facilitated learning and discussion sessions focused on building concrete skills to identify racial discrimination, racial justice, and ways to build inclusion and conflict resolution tools that volunteer leaders can use.
Rotary Club of Chilliwack
Was awarded $1,000 to install Free Little Libraries and launch a backpack program to promote literacy.
Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (MARL)
Promotes human rights education. It was granted $1,700 to print and ship anti-racism workbooks to students and teachers in Winnipeg’s inner-city area.
Coquitlam Heritage
Received $1,750 to collaborate with the African Descent Society and create an online exhibit demonstrating the important contributions peoples of African descent have made to the Lower Mainland.
2019 (Greater Toronto and Ottawa regions)
Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre (EORC)
Was granted $2,000 to help publish a children-friendly book for school students between the ages of 8 and 12 which explains the articles of the Universal Declaration in simple and age-appropriate language with illustrations.
Aurora House
Is a transitional home for survivors of human trafficking. It received $1,200 to hold an event that would feature two survivors sharing their stories, tips on how to recognize trafficking, and how Aurora House can support survivors.
2018 (Metro Vancouver region)
Domestic Abuse Services (DAS)
Provides safe housing for mothers and children fleeing domestic abuse. HRI awarded DAS $1,332 to offer free Internet service to families in Eva’s House. This will provide safe, convenient and comfortable access for families to seek employment, interact with agencies, and meet educational needs.
Point Grey Secondary School
Was awarded $200 to paint a set of school steps in the rainbow colours representing the LGTBQ community. This rainbow staircase will serve as a welcome to all students and families, encourage acceptance, and promote a school culture of care and inclusiveness.
Sir Alexander Mackenize Elementary School
Was granted $1,500 to create a gesture of reconciliation through an art installation focused on Residential Schools. The art piece would have every student and staff design a small wooden tile as a piece of the larger installation. This installation will henceforth become the place to meet and continue discussions on reconciliation.
