Anti-racism Grant Program

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Edmonton City Council approved funding for an Anti-racism Grant Program to support the Anti-Racism pillar of the Community Safety and Well-Being Strategy. This year, a total of $1.395 million in funding is available to local community and not-for-profit organizations.

Application Intake

The Anti-racism Grant Program is now accepting applications for 2024. Applications are due by Thursday September 12.

Learn about our virtual training sessions, grant assessment opportunities, as well as how to apply for the grant.

Program Outcomes

The grant program has 3 outcomes. Edmontonians:

Are more aware of racism and its impact and have a greater understanding of how to take action to address it
Will be knowledgeable of the community organizations that are working to dismantle individual and structural racism
Will work together to build a diverse, inclusive and equitable city

Grant Goals

The goal of this grant is to address Racism through Anti-Racism projects. Please review the grant guide and definitions in order to better align your project request to our requirements.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for the grant most appropriate for their initiative based on the intended outcomes of the project.

If you have any questions or need help please contact grants@edmonton.ca.

Training Sessions

All training sessions are now completed. For further information, please contact the Grants Office at grants@edmonton.ca.

Community Evaluation

Due high interest, registrations for community evaluators are now closed.

Grant Streams, Program Guide

The Anti-racism Grants Program has 4 Funding Streams:

Community Activation Grants

Grant Amount

Up to $15,000 each. $325,000 of total funds available.

Intended Use

To be used by communities and grassroots organizations to activate and animate projects and events led by and supporting youth or seniors, with priority given to intercultural and intergenerational anti-racist initiatives.

Local Anti-racism Capacity Building/Innovation Grants

Grant Amount

Up to $30,000. $400,000 of total funds available.

Intended Use

Focused on local grassroots organizations working on anti-racism activities and actions which address barriers to participation, promote healing and reconciliation, illuminate and combat structural racism and support sustaining developmental change, such as:

Projects to build relationships with other communities also impacted by racism
Projects that uplift the stories of people impacted by racism, community needs assessments and responses

Local Community Participatory Action Research Grants

Grant Amount

Up to $40,000. $320,000 of total funds available.

Intended Use

To be used by communities impacted by racism to support community-led research activities which address local issues and concerns specific to their communities.

Shifting the Perspective Grants

Grant Amount

Up to $50,000. $350,000 of total funds available.

Intended Use

This funding stream is specifically for not-for-profit organizations in the media and culture sector. Projects will support stories led by underrepresented communities to shift the narrative on racism.

Grant Program Guide 2024

Grant Priorities

As part of your application, you will also be asked to define what level of racism you will be addressing:

Interpersonal Racism (within interactions between people)

Involves negative attitudes towards others, expressed through conscious or unconscious actions like microaggressions, racial bullying, discrimination and hate crimes

Institutional Racism (within institutions and systems of power)

Is when organizations like schools or workplaces have rules and policies that unfairly benefit the dominant group over equity-deserving communities. This can lead to unequal results and advantages for the dominant group, even though these policies may not explicitly mention race

Structural and Societal Racism (among institutions and across society)

Refers to deep-rooted societal inequities that privilege certain groups while disadvantaging others based on race, affecting various social institutions and outcomes.

Systematic Racism Definition and Explanation

Organizations must clearly demonstrate how their project meets one or more of the Anti-racism Grant Program outcomes and how their project falls under 1 of the project focuses:

Mental Health
Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It has intrinsic and instrumental value and is integral to our well-being.

Employment
Engaging in work that is gainful in a secure and supportive environment, promoting not just economic productivity but also personal and professional fulfilment.

Education
Education is both the act of teaching knowledge to others and the act of receiving knowledge from someone else. Education also refers to the knowledge received through schooling or instruction and to the institution of teaching as a whole.

Disabilities
Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations (World Health Organization).

Food Security
Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. This category may also address the needs of culturally responsive foods.

Application Criteria and Requirements

Please review the following information before you apply.

Organizational Eligibility

Eligible organizations must be 1 of the following:

Organizations registered (and in good standing) under 1 of the following acts:
- Alberta Societies Act
- Non-profit Private company
- Non-Profit Public Company
- Extra Provincial Non-profit Company
A local grassroots organization or interested individuals may be funded with a fiscal agent

Ineligible Organizations

Ineligible Organizations include:

Municipal departments or other governmental organizations
For-profit organizations and enterprises
Organizations that have overdue or incomplete accounting and reporting relating to any grant previously awarded by the City of Edmonton

Eligible/Ineligible Expenses

Eligible Expenses

The program provides funding assistance for initiatives, new programming or resources for anti-racism projects within Edmonton. Eligible expenses include:

Staffing costs specific to the initiative
Honorariums
Program and project material and supplies
Printing and communications
Training expenses
Travel expenses, within Edmonton
Evaluation expenses
Insurance
Food Expenses, maximum 25% of the budget (exceptions may apply)
Administrative costs and fees up to 15% of the total project costs such as
- Legal fees
- Accounting and booking fees
- Bank and financing related charges
- Ongoing operational expenses such as rent,lease payments and facility maintenance
- Fiscal agents
Short-term rental of space for projects and programs

Ineligible Expenses

Program funding cannot be used for expenses related to:

Cultural Events and Festivals
Time and labour provided towards preparation of funding applications, fundraising including costs for fundraising campaigns and websites for fundraising purposes
Endowments, charitable donations, bursaries, developing business cases or proposals for funding, donor recognition, and gifts (with the exception of gifts for Indigenous protocols)
Project expenses that are incurred before the application has been received
Capital and facility upgrades, renovations and construction
Debt reduction, financing charges and interest payments on loans
Administrative costs and fees that exceed more than 15% of the total project costs such as:
- Legal fees
- Accounting and booking fees
- Bank and financing related charges
- Ongoing operational expenses such as rent, lease payments and facility maintenance
- Fiscal agents
Direct government lobbying or partisan political activities, such as activities related to advocacy, must demonstrate non-partisan approaches

Application Checklist

The following items are required with your application:

Completed budget template

You must also provide the following information if you are a registered organization and/or provide this information for your own fiscal agent:

Certificate of incorporation (First time applicants) and/or Annual Proof of Filing
Copy of most recent AGM minutes (Quorum and approval of financials should be included in these minutes)
Most recent signed year-end financial statements (2 years) (see financial statement example) and Year-end Bank Statement and Bank Reconciliation (required if your financial statements are internally reviewed)

Download Printable Application Checklist

Application Forms

Carefully review and complete the appropriate application form and budget template.

Please note: this form requires a Google account. If you do not have one, contact Grants@edmonton.ca for more information about submitting your application.

We recommend that you first download a practice form below, review the questions, prepare your answers and then copy and paste your prepared answers into the actual application form.

Practice Form (PDF version)

Final Reporting

A final project/program report is required approximately 3 months after the project is complete.

Before you submit the form, please carefully review the Final Report Practice Form .

Submit Final Report

Note: this application requires a Google Account. If you do not have one, contact Grants@edmonton.ca for more information about applying.

2023 Grant Recipients

Project Ready Matching Grant

Organization	Program Name	Approved Funding ($)
Everactive Schools	Intercultural Connections through Traditional Games	25,000
Free Play for Kids Inc.	Welcome To Play: A Community-Led Initiative To Provide Barrier-Free Opportunities For New Refugee Kids and Youth In Edmonton To Experience Social Inclusion and Belonging in Edmonton	25,000
Action for Healthy Communities Society of Alberta	Let’s Talk Youth Anti-racism Workshop	25,000
Hope for Tomorrow’s Shade Association Canada	Belonging’ - Refugee Children Intercultural Digital Storied Project	25,000
The Good Samaritan Society	Expanding GSS’ EDI & Reconciliation Initiative	25,000
Francophonie Canadienne Plurielle	Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Alberta's Newcomers	25,000
Black Canadian Women in Action Society	BCW Anti-racism Toolkit	25,000
Total Project Ready Matching		$175,000

Shifting the Perspective

Organization	Program Name	Approved Funding ($)
Tourangeau Healing Society	Reclaiming Slate: Shifting the Perspective on MMIR and the Legacy of Residential Schools	34,670
C-Tribe Society	Project C-Black	75,000
The Mosquers Film Festival	The Mosquers Film Festival and Incubator	74,470
Walkthrough Entertainment Society for the Interactive Arts in Alberta	Game Discovery Exhibition (GDX 2024) - Indigeneity Summit	75,000
Edmonton Amhara Association	Unheard Voices of Amhara	75,000
Ribbon Rouge	Kinfest: Creating an African, Caribbean, and Black Arts Community	74,500
Skirts Afire	Nehiyaw Nikamowina ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ (Cree Songs Concert)	35,000
Philippine Edmonton Events and Arts Society	C.U.E. Connect, Unlearn, Expand 2 and Publish with Polyglot	7,610
Total Shifting the Perspective		$451,250

Community Activation Stream

Organization	Program Name	Approved Funding ($)
University of Alberta Black Student’s Association	Building Bridges: UABSA's Anti-Racism Event Series	10,000
Step Up Antiracist Association	Step Up Anti-racist Workshop	10,000
Shoot for Peace	Shoot for Peace Edmonton Pilot Project	10,000
	StandinGirls Anti-Racism Project: Francophone Black Girls and Young Mothers	9,660
W.P. Wagner Catchment	Journey to Anti-racism Year 2	10,000
Liberian Friendship Society of Canada	Unison in Diversity: Eliminating Racism Together	10,000
Horn Youth Services Foundation (KULAN)	Intercultural Anti-racism Exchange	6,834
Raising Resilient Children	Raising Resilient Children	9,226
Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization (SCERDO)	Strive for Ending Discrimination in Alberta	10,000
Edmonton Multicultural Coalition Association	Young at Heart	10,000
Council of Somalia We Care	Combatting Racism and Discrimination	10,000
Edmonton Multicultural Innovative Society	Building Bridges	5,300
Individual	Legacy Keepers: Empowering Black Elders	8,970
Southwest Muslim Community Centre (SMCC)	Valuing Cultural Safety and Anti-racism in Edmonton	9,950
Somali Bantu Jareer Weyne Society of Alberta	Seniors Uniting for Anti-racism: Bridging Cultures and Generations	10,000
United Cultures of Canada Association	Understanding Racism Experiences of Ethnic Communities in Edmonton	10,000
Sherbrooke Community League	Anti-racism Seminars	2,500
Garacad Development Society	Waano Mentorship Program	10,000
Institute of African Advancement	African Youth Intercultural Transformation Event (AYITE)	10,000
Soo Dhowow Seniors Support	Ayeeyo’s Corner	4,999
The Cultural Enclave for African Seniors	Cultural Brides - Sharing Stories, Voices, and Wisdom	10,000
Sinkunia Community Development Organization	Youth Stories on Racism	10,000
Northern Alberta Malayalee Hindu Society	Anti-racism Conference led by NAMAHA	10,000
Total Community Activation		$207,439

Local Participatory Action Research

Organization	Program Name	Approved Funding ($)
Addis Synergy Family Services	Ethno-racial communities and racism: Impact on well being	30,000
Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta	Impacts of Structural Racism and Ableism on Access to Housing and Economic Security of Black People with Disabilities in Edmonton	30,000
Edmonton Multicultural Coalition Association	Count me in! Dismantling Racism, Empowering Voices and Fostering Awareness in McCauley Neighborhood	30,000
Edmonton Institute for Diversity Equity Research and Studies	Combating racism at the workplace	29,808
United Cultures of Canada Association	Understanding racism experiences of ethnic communities in Edmonton	16,976
Institute of African Advancement	Racialized Newcomers and Post-migration Experiences (RNPE)	30,000
Total Local Participatory Action Research		$166,784

Local Anti-racism Capacity Building/Innovation

Organization	Program Name	Approved Funding ($)
Hargobaa Society of Alberta	Unity in Diversity: Building Bridges for a Better Tomorrow	10,000
Aiya Collective	Chinatown Cultural and Wellness Series	27,571
Gradual Rising of Women (G.R.O.W.) Foundation	Edmonton Building Bridges: Fostering Anti-racism Capacity and Innovation for Inclusive Hiring	30,000
Southwest Muslim Community Centre (SMCC)	Ending Racism Together in Edmonton	29,950
Jewish Family Services	Embedding Anti-racism: Newcomer Language Learning	30,000
Stable Family Development Centre	Building Bridges of Equity: Empowering Edmontonians to Confront Racism and Foster Inclusion	30,000
Alberta Hate Crimes Committee Ltd.	Educate. Recreate. StopHate (Anti-Hate Campaign/Video/Event)	30,000
Edmonton Amhara Association	Integrating Mainstreamed-Antiracism Practices in Trainings that Build Outstanding Youths in the System (IMPACT-BOYS)	30,000
Edmonton Centre for Race and Culture	Systems Innovation Approach to Anti-Racism	30,000
Black Owned Makers Inc. Trade Name - Feed the Soul YEG	Black Culinary Digital Strategy and Visibility Program	30,000
Alberta Immigrant Women & Children Centre	Collaborative opportunities of newcomers and indigenous communities	29,960
Urji Women Support Association of Edmonton	Promoting Inclusion of Black women and Anti-Racism	27,130
Edmonton Multicultural Coalition Association	A Thousand Steps	30,000
Sinkunia Community Development Organization	Overcoming Racism Through Dialogue and Peer Support	30,000
Garacad Development	EmpowerHub: Digital Inclusion and Knowledge Sharing	30,000
Brian Webb Dance Company	Speaking through Dance: Person to Person	14,930

2022 Grant Recipients

Project Ready Matching Funds Grant

(up to $25,000 each; $75,000 available in total) — For community non-profit and local grassroots organization's anti-racism initiatives that have received approved funding and require some matching contribution.

Centre For Intellectual Excellence Ltd. will bring together professional experts, educators, community leaders, government officials and corporate CEOs in a three-day workshop to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion best practices.	$25,000
Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation will support the Indigenous Cultural Partnership, which is a collaboration between the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and Indigenous-led organizations in Edmonton.	$25,000
Sisters Dialogue Inc. will create an awareness campaign to foster understanding and create safe spaces for reflection, connections, and healing with Muslim women and girls.	$20,000

Local Community Participatory Action Research Grant

(up to $25,000 each; $50,000 available in total) — For communities impacted by racism, to support community-led research activities that address local issues and concerns specific to them.

Black Canadian Women in Action Society will conduct research examining the barriers preventing Black Canadian women from entrepreneurship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).	$25,000
World Sikh Organization of Canada will conduct surveys and focus groups with Sikh youth in the Edmonton area to determine the extent and impact of bullying and racism that they experience.	$24,872

Local Anti-racism Capacity Building/Innovation Grant

(up to $15,000 each; $150,000 available in total) — For local grassroots organizations working on anti-racism activities and actions that address barriers to participation, promote healing and/or reconciliation, illuminate and combat systemic and structural racism, and support sustaining developmental change.

Focas: Foundation For Oromian Culture Education And Art Services will focus on direct anti-racism advocacy and development of resilience against racism and discrimination in newcomer and immigrant children and youth.	$15,000
Standing Together (Fiscal agent: YWCA) organized a commemorative walk for survivors and inter-generational survivors of Canada’s residential schools on September 30, 2022	$15,000
Urji Women Support Association Of Edmonton will create a weekly sharing circle for Black Muslim women.	$14,861
Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education will create a safe accessible space for Spanish-speaking women who are undocumented to learn about issues related to employment, rights, access to City resources, and training.	$14,995
Stop Race-Based Hate (Fiscal agent: John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights) will expand Stop Race-Based Hate, a free online tool that aims to educate and empower people to speak out against racism.	$14,270
Above Your Service will support Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers in teaching people experiencing homelessness about ceremonies such as smudging and storytelling.	$10,000
Indo-Canadian Women’s Association of Edmonton will provide a facilitated session and tour of the Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park for Indo-Canadian Women’s Association of Edmonton's membership, staff, volunteers and stakeholders.	$6,055

2021 Grant Recipients

Local Anti-racism Capacity Building/Innovation Grants

2021 Recipients

Edmonton Culture Society - The Art of Anti-Racism in Our Neighbourhood	$10,000
Free Play for Kids Inc - A Pilot Project to Provide Social Support & Crisis Diversion for BIPOC Children & Youth in a Barrier-Free After School Recreation & Leadership Program	$10,000
Garacad Development Society - Standing Tall - Empowerment through the Challenges of Racism	$10,000
Parkdale Cromdale Community League (in partnership with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society) - Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Art Installation and Awareness Sessions	$10,000
Roots of Resilience Education Foundation - Reclaiming Our Voices	$10,000
Sisters Dialogue Inc. - I Rage - Healing through Art and Prayer	$9,800
The Black Bookshelf Project - The Black Bookshelf Project	$10,000
United Cultures of Canada Association - No Place for Racism in My Canada	$9,920
Velma Carter Centre for African-Canadian Women - VCC Women's Workshop	$10,000
Youth Restorative Action Project (YRAP) Ltd. - Indigenous Justice Initiative	$10,000

Project Ready Matching Grants

2021 Recipients

Council of Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage - Project Saqqara	$25,000
Latitude 53 Society of Artists - Chinatown anti-oppression workshops and projects	$10,000
PHIDEAS Philippine Edmonton Events and Arts Society - UNLEARN: Communities Come Together to (Un)Learn Biases	$3,896.75
Ribbon Rouge Foundation - ArtSpace: Telling ACB Stories for Change	$24,979.50

Local Community Participatory Action Research Grants

2021 Recipients

Family Advancement Association - System Mapping of African Diaspora Nonprofits To Promote Collaboration	$25,000
Multicultural Family Resource Society - Growing and building our communities together: Healing and working together to address racism	$24,995

Frequently Asked Questions

I am an individual and am not affiliated with a registered organization. Can I apply for a grant?

All projects must be supported by an eligible fiscal agent/supporting organization. Individuals (youth applicants, for example) can partner with a fiscal agent/supporting organization that will be responsible for all financial accountability and reporting requirements.

My group does not include Black, Indigenous or people of colour. Are we still eligible to apply for a grant?

Yes; however, the project must address a BIPOC community identified need and demonstrate BIPOC community involvement. Higher priority will be given to projects facilitated by organizations that can demonstrate that they are BIPOC-led and/or have the involvement of partner organizations from other diverse communities in the development, delivery and follow up of their projects. Higher priority will also be given to organizations that have an operating budget under $250,000/year and have not received prior City of Edmonton funding.

Can I apply for more than one grant?

Yes; however, applicants cannot resubmit an application for the same project until written notification of the outcome of their current application is made by the City of Edmonton.

I have already applied for a City of Edmonton grant. Do I have to submit all of the same required documents again?

Yes. These documents are a requirement of this grant program and are required in order to assess your application eligibility.

Am I eligible to receive this grant if I have outstanding Final Reports for other City of Edmonton grants?

If you have any final reports that are overdue, then your file is no longer in good standing with the City of Edmonton - this is an outstanding report. You must complete all your final reporting requirements associated with your other City of Edmonton grants before any further grants can be awarded or released to your organization.

If you have a current grant with the City of Edmonton that is not closed - that is, in progress - you are welcome to apply to this grant.

When will I be notified about the outcome of my application?

The grant will be closing on September 12, 2024. We hope to have an evaluation and review of all applicants done by mid November. Applicants will be notified by the end of November 1, 2024.

My organization is not based in Edmonton. Can we still apply for a grant?

The Anti-racism Grant Program supports projects developed by grassroots and non-profit organizations based in Edmonton. The organization's mailing address must be in Edmonton.

My organization currently receives funding from the City of Edmonton. Can we still apply for a grant?

Yes; however, higher priority will be given to organizations that have not received prior City of Edmonton funding. Lower priority will be given to organizations that receive ongoing funding from the City of Edmonton and organizations with operational/programme budgets supported through other governmental systems and structures.

I have additional questions. Who should I contact?

If you have additional questions, you can reach out to the Grants office at Grant@edmonton.ca.

Contact Us

Title	Community Grants Office
Email	grants@edmonton.ca
Phone	780-496-4933

Anti-racism Grant Program

Application Intake

Program Outcomes

Grant Goals

Training Sessions

Community Evaluation

Interpersonal Racism (within interactions between people)

Institutional Racism (within institutions and systems of power)

Structural and Societal Racism (among institutions and across society)

Organizational Eligibility

Ineligible Organizations

Eligible/Ineligible Expenses

Application Checklist

Application Forms

Final Reporting

2023 Grant Recipients

2022 Grant Recipients

2021 Grant Recipients

2021 Recipients

2021 Recipients

2021 Recipients

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Links

Contact Us