Human trafficking is an issue that is often ignored and under-reported in Canada. Hundreds of women and girls are taken every year and forced to enter the sex-trade against their will, and for Indigenous communities, generations of colonial trauma means they are targeted more often for human trafficking.
Read MoreIn 2011, London Community Foundation identified a gap in the non-profit community: many organizations simply did not have the budget for professional development for their employees. LCF established the Vital People award to address this need and allow local agencies to nominate their employees for a professional development grant of up to $2,000.
Read MoreLondon Community Foundation (LCF) announced today it will provide $140,000 to local organizations working to support women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals working towards a future grounded in equity, inclusion and justice. The Fund is part of a partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, funded through the Government of Canada. London Community Foundation is one of the local community foundations across Canada that are taking part.
Read MoreThe J. Allyn Taylor Community Service Award is presented to a grade 10 or 11 student in London and Middlesex County who exhibits outstanding dedication to the community. This year’s recipient, Jennifer Lee, is a grade 11 student currently attending London Central Secondary School. As the founder of her school’s Social Justice Club and an active volunteer with the Canadian Cancer Society, Jennifer is a strong leader who demonstrates a desire to leave nobody behind at every turn and a deep care for her community.
Read MoreToday, the London Community Foundation announced $943,900 in grants as part of its annual Community Vitality Grant program. Funded by LCF’s Community Fund, this program supports high-impact, innovative, and collaborative initiatives that create systemic change in the London and Middlesex region.
Community Vitality grant recipients are chosen through a months-long deliberation process in which a panel of community volunteers, along with LCF staff, discuss and review project proposals put forward by local agencies.
Read MoreLondon Community Foundation (LCF) has launched its 2020 Vital Signs Report, Be the Change. Taking the pulse of our community, this special edition of Vital Signs amplifies voices from local leaders, delivering an urgent call to action to address longstanding structural issues and inequities that have been magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreIn 2019, Community Foundations of Canada, alongside the Government of Canada and several partner organizations, announced the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), a program that helps social purpose organizations advance their social enterprises to prepare to seek and accept investments. The goal of the IRP is to support these organizations move towards receiving social finance investment, including through the Government of Canada’s Social Finance Fund. CFC held its first round of funding through the IRP in winter 2020, the results of which are now publicly available.
Read MoreThe N’Amerind Friendship Centre is a non-profit organization committed to the promotion of physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual well-being of native people and in particular, urban native people. For many Indigenous Peoples living in London, the N’Amerind Friendship Centre is a safe, non-judgmental place where they can seek support for everything from pre-natal care to accessing employment and training opportunities.
Personal, face-to-face contact is a key component of every N’Amerind program, and with the pandemic forcing them to shut their doors, this essential aspect of their programming has been lost. And while social isolation is an issue in and of itself, many clients also lost access to food when N’Amerind’s regular programming ceased.
Read MoreRegional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of individuals and diverse communities living with, at-risk for, or affected by HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C (HCV). RHAC offers a comprehensive array of programming, counselling services and educational resources designed to erase stigma, support those affected by HIV/AIDS, and prevent its transmission.
Factors such as stress and precarious access to medication can make navigating the pandemic especially difficult for People Living With HIV/AIDS (PHAs), resulting in increased anxiety around risk of vulnerability to COVID-19.
Read MoreThe Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship is awarded annually to an Ontario choral conducting student, helping them pursue educational opportunities above and beyond their established academic curriculum. Usually a $1,000 award funded by the Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship fund and administered in partnership with London Pro Musica Choir, Medway High School and Amabile Choirs of London, this year’s award was increased to $2,000 thanks to the generosity of the Wilson Family Foundation at LCF.
We sat down with this year’s Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship recipient, Victor Cheng, to chat about his career aspirations, Ken Fleet, and the beauty of the human voice.
Read MoreThe Thames Valley Education Foundation (TVEF) is a registered charitable organization affiliated with the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) that fosters, supports and builds relationships in the community to provide enhanced learning opportunities for TVDSB students. The Caring Fund, one of TVEFs primary initiatives, was established to support students facing issues related to poverty or during emergencies.
The ripple effects of school closures and the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic were immediately felt by families throughout the community. Within just a few weeks, the number of requests for support through the Caring Fund had quadrupled.
Read MoreDeafBlind Ontario Services provides accessible residential and customized support services across the province, supporting adults with a combined loss of hearing and vision. They take a holistic approach to providing Intervenor Services that are customized to each individual’s unique needs, method of communication, and goals to increase their independence and enrich their life.
The pandemic has hit DeafBlind Ontario Services’ clientele particularly hard. Since much of the communication between intervenors and people with deafblindness is done through touch, social distancing has been all but impossible.
Read MoreIndwell is a faith-based charity based out of Hamilton dedicated to creating affordable housing communities that support people seeking health, wellness and belonging. What makes them unique is their supportive housing model – it also means they are far more hands on than a traditional housing agency would normally be. Because of this, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on their support services.
Read MoreThe John Howard Society of London and District (JHS London), is a not for profit, charitable organization that works with individuals who are at risk of, or who have come into conflict with the law. The John Howard Society strives for effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.
As an essential service, JHS London’s office remains open despite the pandemic and continues to provide critical justice and social services. Serving some of the most vulnerable individuals in our community, many of JHS London’s clients are experiencing poverty and homelessness, unable to find shelter during the pandemic as beds are full all over the city.
Read MoreToday, London Community Foundation (LCF) awarded $898,030 in grants to 30 local charities to support groups and individuals who are experiencing heightened vulnerability during the pandemic. The grants announced today are part of the Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF), funded by the Government of Canada.
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