We funded 20 volunteer centres across Ontario to deliver the 2010 ChangeTheWorld: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge. Go here for a list of these 20 centres and more information about the Challenge.
Support for Nonprofit Organizations
Current Projects
We are funding these initiatives in 2009/10 as part of our support for volunteerism and the voluntary sector.
We provided project funding to a leading Ontario Franco-Ontario organization, Le centre canadien de leadership en évaluation (Le Clé). This funding will support a provincial cross-sectoral Francophone project, Espace Leadership. Espace Leadership will help increase the organizational capacity of Francophone organizations in Ontario, particularly Francophone ethnocultural organizations that demonstrate capacity building needs. These organizations will learn how to expand their capacities for governance, leadership and evaluation by developing five personal leadership modules in six regions of Ontario. Up to 200 leaders and staff from 20 Francophone organizations across Ontario are expected to benefit.
Small projects that promote social enterprise and social innovation.
Name of organization that received funding
Brantford Arts Block
How the project promotes social enterprise and social innovation
Two-day conference, Turning Ideas into Practice, in March 2010
The conference goals are to transform municipal recommendations on the creation of a cultural district in downtown Brantford into viable projects. Participants will work with leading cultural/creative sector organizations to explore innovative business models, develop networking opportunities and generate practical ideas and projects that meet the needs of the community and show the most potential for success.
Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto
Spaces for Social Innovation: Sharing the CSI Model
The Centre will produce a How to Build a Shared Space Guide that documents its successful shared spaces model. This project will expand the nonprofit sector’s social innovation capacity by:
- Producing tools and templates to support new shared spaces
- Developing training materials for shared space practitioners and
Imperial Cotton Centre for the Arts in Hamilton
Imperial Cotton Social Enterprise
This project will provide 16 small organizations and social entrepreneurs with shared space, mentoring assistance and training workshops. This support will help them help launch new projects or strengthen existing projects in the local arts and creative community.
Leadership Ottawa
Sharing the 3i Summit Model
Our support will help this organization follow up its successful November 2009 two-day community summit and follow-up workshops with an innovative citizen engagement model that encourages local action to address global issues. It will share the model with nine other community leadership programs across Ontario, including Leadership Thunder Bay, Leadership Peel and Leadership Windsor-Essex .
Ontario Nonprofit Network in Toronto
Ontario Nonprofit Trend Watch Report
This organization will assess whether it is feasible to prepare and publicize an annual report that compiles and assesses research, issues and trends in Ontario's nonprofit sector. Such a report would provide nonprofits, foundations, governments and other stakeholders with information needed to make better policy and funding decisions. If feasible, the project will develop a social enterprise business plan based on a subscription model.
Pillar Nonprofit Network in London
Innovation & Resilience Forum
This will be a one-day community discussion in May 2010. One hundred people from the nonprofit sector in London and Middlesex will explore and share innovative solutions and new ways to generate and save money in tough economic times and beyond. Participants will be encouraged to join two to three Action Groups so they can learn as much as possible about how to create action plans that develop key relationships and innovative opportunities.
Capacity Waterloo Region (Tides Canada)
Peer Learning Network
This five-year pilot will provide a learning forum and networking opportunities to support increased innovation, collaboration and leadership in the nonprofit sector. Our funding will support joint educational events that will help connect than 60 nonprofit and social enterprise leaders and business leaders.
United Way/Centraide in Ottawa
Community Campus-Multi-Tenant Nonprofit Centre
The United Way of Ottawa is working with Leadership Ottawa, Volunteer Ottawa and the Ottawa Chamber of Voluntary Organizations to form a multi-tenant nonprofit centre for Ottawa's nonprofit sector. Such a centre will reduce costs, increase sustainability and support creative idea-sharing, capacity building and joint action. They plan to develop a three-year strategic plan to promote creative idea-sharing, capacity building and joint action within the community campus.
Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington
Together 2009 & Together 2010: Sharing our Story
The centre plans to create an electronic toolkit on how to hold an annual general meeting. They will base this toolkit on learnings from two innovative annual general meetings. One of these meetings was successfully held in 2009, and included five local Guelph organizations. Another is planned for 2010, and it will also include several organizations. The centre will share this toolkit with other nonprofit organizations across Ontario. It will be a working model they can adopt in their communities to save costs and raise the profile of participating organizations.
Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada in Toronto
Young Social Entrepreneurs’ Outreach
We are supporting a pilot project that will help youth groups and youth in Toronto create social enterprises themselves. We are funding a series of workshops, informal learning opportunities, networking events and direct, customized mentoring support with established social entrepreneurs and experts. The project also includes monthly discussion groups and round tables on funding.
