Anti-Racism Community Safety Funding (ARCSF) Program

The Anti-Racism Community Safety Fund (ARCSF) was a one-time program designed to support local initiatives and outcome-based activities in four areas that will promote anti-racism approaches to community safety in Edmonton. Requests for funding are being considered for projects and initiatives that range in scope from $150,000 - $250,000.

Four focus areas that have been identified as priorities by the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee to support are:

Community Justice: Promoting interventions for youth and BIPOC communities at risk, including encouraging the positive exchange of views and co-creation of solutions among Edmonton’s BIPOC Communities in areas such as restorative justice, crime prevention, victim services and youth justice committees
Mental Health: Bridging gaps and providing spaces for Edmonton’s BIPOC communities’ healing and wellness
Employment: Reducing barriers to hiring, providing leadership training and workplace skills training, including encouraging partnerships between employers and employees
Social Participation: Encouraging BIPOC communities to participate in community sport, the arts, and culture, as well as the creation and changing of public narratives

Funding Goals and Objectives

All projects must align with at least one of the following ARCSF goals and objectives of the City’s approved Anti-Racism Strategy:

Reducing, with the intent of eliminating, incidents of racism and hate-based violence in Edmonton.
Dis-empowering the causes of such violence, i.e., to dis-empower racism in all its forms, and empowering anti-racism into as many layers as possible in the city.
Stimulating healing and facilitating recovery for communities affected by hate-based violence.
Increasing a sense of solidarity and connectedness between all diversities and communities in Edmonton.
Increasing knowledge of anti-racism in Edmonton and among our partners

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

Eligibility Requirements for Organizations

Organizations eligible to apply for ARCSF program funding

Eligible organizations must:

Be a registered not-for-profit* (and in good standing) under any of the provincial/federal acts for at least 1 year,
Be an Edmonton-based local non-governmental, community and not-for-profit organization,
Be an Edmonton-based local academic institution working on local projects,
Be in good standing with the City of Edmonton (up-to-date financial and program reporting complete, no outstanding invoices from the City of Edmonton)

*GBA+ (Gender-Based Analysis Plus)

GBA+ is a process to examine how policies, programs and services impact individuals and groups. The plus (+) prompts us to consider multiple identity factors such as age, race, gender, sexual orientation, geography, income and ability/disability. The goal of GBA+ is to ensure that the needs and experiences of people with diverse identities are properly considered in all government programs, policies, and partnerships. This includes everything from how the City conducts consultations, to neighbourhood design, to procurement and contracts, to the way it delivers services.

GBA+ is about equity. The City uses GBA+ as its equity analysis tool.
Your organization may use other equity analysis tools or processes. The core questions GBA+ asks are, who is excluded, what are the impacts of the exclusion, and what are we going to do about it?

GBA+ or equity analysis will require applicants to:

Identify through research and engagement how the problem their project is aiming to address may impact groups with different and intersectional identity factors.
Ensure that the views of those who are underrepresented, or may be differentially impacted, are consulted on the project’s design.

Eligible Expenses

Project staff salaries and benefits directly related to project delivery;
Consultant fees to deliver the project;
Honoraria, stipends or similar payments to the project staff or others;
Capital costs or expenditures (such as renovation expenses);
Website development or upgrades and computer equipment or software specifically related to the implementation of the project;
Travel and accommodations within Alberta;
Insurance (recipients must ensure that any public events funded by the Program are covered by appropriate insurance);

Ineligible Expenses

Expenses incurred before receiving written confirmation of your funding approval;
Any type of Director’s fees for volunteer members of Boards or other governing bodies;
Ongoing communication productions such as newsletters, newspapers, magazines, journals, or radio and television broadcasts;
Budget deficits, debt reduction, organizational reserves or endowment funds;
Contributions to fundraising campaigns or other fundraising events;
Religious and/or politically partisan activities.

Recommended Award Recipients

Total Awards: $1,174,000

African Canadian Civic Engagement Council (ACCEC)

The ‘Women and Gender Based Violence Prevention Program’ serves Black women from different intersectionalities. Among the demographics served and who sought out services are Black women and children of African descent living with the intersectionality of being displaced, Muslim, 2SLGBTQ+, refugees, non-status, and survivors of violent crimes. The main components of the program:

Court navigators: Black women and girls are assisted by ACCEC's court navigators with emergency protection orders, relocation, trauma-informed care, letters of advocacy, and referrals to ACCEC's legal clinic in collaboration with legal aid Alberta and the legal community.
A resource navigator: that assists women and girls who are fleeing violence or are survivors of violence, and successfully assists with housing, temporary income support, employability and skills development, and connection to cultural and safe spaces.
Solidarity and connectedness: promote community empowerment capacity building, reconnection, healing and empowering survivors of violence.

Award: $250,000

Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education

UNDOCUMENTED: Making Connections and Empowering Communities, aims to address mental health and social participation of the undocumented community in Edmonton. This project aims to address a gap in the racialized Edmonton community by giving intentional and explicit focus to engage precarious peoples without immigration status. The project aims to raise awareness in Edmonton on the realities faced by undocumented families and fight negative stereotypes that contribute to their fear and anxiety. The project will be in partnership with Migrante-Alberta.

There are 5 main components of this project:

Safety toolkit
Family support groups
Youth support groups
Migrants sensitivity training to Edmonton school staff, leadership and students
Support from mental health professionals

Award: $246,000

Canadian Mental Health Association

Design of Community Responses to BIPOC Experiences of Mental Health - This project will empower Edmonton Distress Line crisis responders and natural leaders in ethnocultural communities to provide mental health support to racialized Edmontonians who are victims of race-based hate. The intended participants in this project are racialized community members in Edmonton who may need mental health support stemming from incidents of race-based hate or may support family, friends, and community members who do.

This could be people who have experienced it personally, or family, friends, or community members experiencing mental health distress due to acts of race-based hate they personally experience, are supporting a person close to them, or are re-traumatized due to news about or otherwise hearing of these acts.

Award: $250,000

Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers

Rainbow Home: Addressing Racism and Homophobia to Create a Safe and Welcoming Edmonton for LGBTQ+ Newcomers - Many LGBTQ+ newcomers face racial discrimination due to their race, many of them being a person of colour. In addition, LGBTQ+ newcomers face homophobia and transphobia which increases their vulnerability and raises concerns of their safety.

For LGBTQ+ newcomers creating safe spaces, a sense of belonging and fostering an anti-racist environment is essential. Increasing awareness on homophobia and transphobia is equally important. LGBTQ+ newcomers often experience isolation due to language barriers, lack of culturally relevant activities and supports within LGBTQ+ mainstream community and/or newcomer services, and arriving in Edmonton alone or not having family support due to their sexual orientation. Many are not connected or hesitant to come out within their ethno-cultural communities, especially if they experienced discrimination in their home country.

Award: $250,000

Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues

Creating Intercultural/Anti-Racism Dialogues in Edmonton Community Leagues - This project will bring together grassroots BIPOC organizations with the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues in ways that create dialogue and learning that has not happened before. Partners will collaborate on innovative and transformative anti-racism and intercultural experiential learning for Community Leagues throughout the city and support the creation of anti-racism policy statements and action plans to become more inclusive spaces.

This project builds on lessons learned from the Edmonton SafeWalk pilot, particularly the need for trust and relationship building between League members and newcomer and BIPOC neighbours.

Award: *$178,000

*Partial Award due to limited funds available