Building Safer Communities Grant

Expand and launch preventative programs that facilitate youth and community connections, strengthen youth capacity, build positive pathways including employment, recreation, mentorship as well as awareness and education around the realities of gang involvement.

Example projects

• Recreation programs and/or mentorship programs for youth
• Employment programs for youth
• Parenting/caregiver support and/or system navigation programs for parents/caregivers /youth
• Delivery of programs within or accessible to relevant communities to ensure youth and their families has access to programs and services where they are most likely to engage.

Potential measures of success

• Increased participation from target population and populations currently underserved, specifically programming for young women and Indigenous youth (measure: number of participants, level of satisfaction related to tailored programming)
• Increased partnerships/collaboration between community agencies (measure: new collaborations)
• Increased participation in a greater number of programs and services (measure: number of participants and an increase in new programs/services)
• More accessible hours provided after hours (measure: number of programs offering services during flexible hours, level of satisfaction related to accessible hours)
• Closer proximity to relevant programs and services (i.e., shorter geographical distance) and/or accessible virtual programming (measure: level of satisfaction related to accessibility of programming)
• Robust program evaluation which measures impact of programming before and after (measures: to be determined)
• Increased access to programs to improve community-led youth supervision
• Increased knowledge and capacity to apply ARAO, decolonial, and trauma-informed approach (measure: number of staff and volunteers trained from service providers, pre/post level of knowledge)
• Increase in specific number of programs for Indigenous youth (measure: number or new/expanded programs)
• Increase in participation of Indigenous youth in programming (measure: number of self-reported Indigenous youth participating in programs)
• Increase in leadership/staffing/mentors of programs and services of those with relevant lived experience from priority populations (measure: number of staff self-reported to have relevant lived experience and representative of priority populations)

Checklist for required components

• Program and/or service offers youth and families strategies and support to prevent involvement in youth violence including guns and gangs. Project facilitates youth and community connections, strengthens youth capacity, and builds positive pathways including employment, recreation, mentorship as well as increased awareness and education around the realities of gang involvement.
• Applicant has identified and tried to eliminate barriers to access by reviewing hours of operation, policies, locations, languages, and staffing.
• Project demonstrates an anti-racism, anti-oppression and decolonization lens and trauma-informed approach to programming and services through leveraging key community partners to enhance culturally appropriate program options will be prioritized.
• Program/service will be available free of charge, near neighbourhoods where the target populations reside or frequent and will be offered during hours where there is currently a lack of programming/services.
• Applicants provide a clear rationale around recommended hours of programming. If the program or service will involve any start/stop periods to best serve the target population (i.e., after-school programs may ramp up or down at certain points during the year), these periods should be accounted for in the project plan and an explanation for how the grant funding will remain purposeful during these times should be highlighted.
• Project will start in 2023 and work towards sustainability after March 2026.

Expand and launch programs that support youth exiting gangs through comprehensive wraparound services.

Example projects

• Services for gang-exiting youth who are ready to re-integrate into the community such as housing supports, mental health and crisis support, employment and training, peer mentorship.
• Innovative approaches to providing services that are accessible beyond the typical 9:00am-5:00pm hours, including 24/7 services if needed (partnerships and collaborations, piloting of services, etc.).
• Access to emergency shelter through the provision of wraparound care and increased sense of belonging. This may include piloting new collaborations between agencies with complementary mandates. More robust programming for older youth (approx. 18-25 years old) who are transitioning into adulthood and need critical life skills.

Potential measures of success

• Pilot/launch of new and/or innovative programs such as mentorship, employment opportunities, skill development (measure: number of new and/or innovative programs)
• Robust program evaluation to help test the programs and identify improvements (measures to be determined by applicants)  Scaling of existing programs to increase participation, adding more robust programming, new locations etc. (measure: satisfaction of youth, new locations, related to accessibility of programs)
• Pre/post program evaluation that demonstrates the effectiveness of comprehensive support services (measure to be determined by applicants)
• Increase in number of participants (youth and families/ caregivers) (measure: number of youth and family/caregiver attending programs, demographic information.)
• Increase in coordination and access to multiple services/supports through streamlined approach (measure: pre/post knowledge of youth-serving service providers of resources and referral pathways, number of warm referrals from primary agency that match the needs identified by the youth)
• Increase in new and/or innovative collaborations between agencies with complementary mandates (measure: number of agencies reporting new and/or innovative collaboration)
• Increased coordination between services for transition age youth (measure: level of effective coordination)
• Sustainable model for ongoing collaboration between agencies developed (measure: sustainable model developed)

Checklist for required components

• Program/service focuses on strong support systems (safe housing, employment, recreation, families) to prevent and provide early intervention to reduce youth gang involvement.
• Project outlines system-wide programs/services that are accessible for youth in need of intervention, diversion, and reintegration support. Support provided needs to exist beyond the typical 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. hours and facilitate seamless transitions between agencies as youth move through key life stages and into adulthood.
• Applicants have identified and tried to eliminate barriers to access by reviewing hours of operation, locations, offering services in different languages and/or with interpretation and staffing.
• Project demonstrates an anti-racism, anti-oppression and decolonization lens and trauma-informed approach to programming and services through leveraging key community partners to enhance culturally appropriate program options.
• Program/service will be available free of charge, near neighbourhoods where the target populations reside or frequent and will be offered during hours where there is currently a lack of programming/services.
• Project will start in 2023 and work towards sustainability after March 2026.

Programs or initiatives should be targeted to youth 16 years and older.

Yes, you can apply for more than one eligible program. If you are applying for more than one program a separate grant application is required for each program.

Funding and accompanying funding agreements will be provided as soon as November 2023. 

The legal status of the applicant must be a non-profit, registered charity, community organization and/or volunteer organization with non-profit goals. Seed funding for smaller scale or start-up agencies or programs may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Non-profit organizations that do not have a charitable registration number, but would like to apply for a grant, can do so through a “sponsor” organization.

We strongly encourage collaborative applications from multiple organizations. Together, we can leverage the strengths and expertise of diverse organizations to develop and implement community-based solutions that address systemic barriers for youth, improve access to services, design new approaches and strengthen systems to work better for youth and their families

There is no minimum level of evidence required. We will consider all evidence that demonstrates the applicant has a strong track record of positive social impact. Any measures or evaluation completed that can support intended impact will be welcomed. 

Yes, administrative costs up to 15% will be considered for this process.

Both new and existing initiatives can apply. For existing programs, if the proposed initiative is part of a larger project, there must be a clear demonstration that the Building Safer Communities Grant request will be supporting a new activity or program.

Funding cannot be used to support current programs and ongoing core operations as they exist currently. Applicants are asked to explain the change they are making to the program.

Funding is for up to 3 years - 2023-2024, 2024-2025, 2025-2026. Annual updates on the progress will be required and further outlined in the funding agreement for successful applicants.

We anticipate notice to successful applicants will be shared in October 2023 with funding to follow in November 2023.

Currently, there is not a set minimum or maximum for funding requests. As a guideline, funding requests should scale appropriately to your proposed program model as well as be well within your current capacity/experience as an organization. The Building Safer Communities Grant aims to provide opportunities for several organizations to work in collaboration to foster the greatest impact for youth in Hamilton.