Dufferin Community Foundation is urging local charities and not-for-profit organizations to apply for a Community Service Recovery Fund (CSRF) grant to assist with their post-pandemic recovery.
The Community Services Recovery Fund is a historic one-time investment of $400 million by the federal government that will help community service organizations to adapt, modernize and be better equipped to support community needs.
The aim is to especially help organizations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since the early phases of the pandemic, community service organizations have grappled with increased demand for their services, reduced revenues, and a greater need to make use of digital tools. Many of them are struggling to recover and adapt their services to the changing needs,” said Michele Fisher, Executive Director of Dufferin Community Foundation.
The grants are designed to help charities, non-profits and Indigenous Governing Bodies strengthen their internal capacity in one of these three areas:
- Investing in People: Projects that focus on how organizations recruit, retain, engage and
support their personnel, including staff, volunteers and boards of directors - Investing in Systems and Processes: Projects that invest in the systems and processes involved
in creating the internal workings of an organization’s overall structure. - Investing in Program and Service Innovation and Redesign: Funding will support one-time
projects primarily focused on program and service innovation and redesign using information
gained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dufferin Community Foundation is pleased to be working with United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin and the Canadian Red Cross to review applications and administer the grants in Dufferin County, with each organization overseeing one of the program areas.
The Foundation will have $240,000 to support local projects that “Invest in Systems and Processes.”
“It’s pretty exciting to be able to support community services in this way,” said Shirley Boxem, CSRF Grants Review Team Lead for Dufferin Community Foundation.
“Throughout the pandemic, these organizations have stood up and served our community. We will be forever grateful to them. Now, through this Fund, we can support projects that invest in their internal systems and processes, making them more resilient for the future.”
Applications for funding can be submitted now until February 21, 2023
For more information including an applicant guide and an interactive quiz to determine where and how to apply, organizations can visit https://communityservicesrecoveryfund.ca/.
