National Programs
Social Justice
Community foundations are strong supporters of organizations that work to meet communities’ most urgent needs, such as homeless shelters and food banks. But we also recognize our responsibility to dig deeper, to consider the root causes of pressing problems like poverty.
Community foundations are in a unique and powerful position to help. Our long-term perspective, broadly-focused grantmaking, and wide network of local connections gives us a solid understanding of both our communities’ needs and strengths.
Community Foundations of Canada’s focus on Social Justice helps community foundations leverage these assets to tackle social injustice and economic inequality.
Objectives
- Provide resources and tools to help community foundations address fundamental social, economic and environmental issues
- Convene communities of practice and support foundations developing social justice initiatives
- Collect and disseminate learning and stories
Initiatives
Impact
- Early and ongoing support from The Ford Foundation and the Atkinson Charitable Foundation allowed CFC to provide new tools, research and learning opportunities to community foundations, many of whom are now fighting poverty through a range of innovative strategies
- In 2008, with the support of the Government of Canada’s Social Partnerships Program, CFC worked with six community foundations to develop From Good Causes to Root Causes, a web-based toolkit focused on poverty-reduction
- Media across the country reported on the ground-breaking partnership developed by CFC and the Law Commission of Canada and its publication of
Unsettled: Legal and Policy Barriers for Newcomers to Canada
CONTACT
Sara Lyons
Program Director
slyons@cfc-fcc.ca
613.236.2664 ext. 331
NEWS
- Hamilton Community Foundation is taking a determined, multi-level approach to poverty reduction.
- The Winnipeg Foundation’s five-year initiative focuses on improving life for children in one neighbourhood and one school