Rapid Response Funds

To build on our relationships with donors and funders to raise some much-needed funds for our shared platform projects and grantee partners, MakeWay has launched two funds: The Rapid Response Fund for Changemakers and the Rapid Response Fund for Remote Communities. The goal of both funds is to quickly and flexibly drive capital directly into communities (including via projects) as they respond to immediate and long-term threats of COVID-19.

Rapid Response Fund for Changemakers

The Rapid Response Fund for Changemakers is focused specifically on the Shared Platform. Projects are experiencing COVID-19 in many different ways—providing essential community support, creating innovative ways to deliver programming online, advocating for vulnerable communities, and making difficult decisions around staff employment. There is a lot of uncertainty about the short and long-term impacts of COVID-19 and gaps despite funder flexibility and government support programs.

The fundraising goal for this fund is $300,000. We do not know how achievable this goal is, but we will do everything we can to raise these funds. We will continue to reach out to our institutional funders and individual donors, and it is also being promoted via Canada Helps, who are offering matching funds of up to $1M. 

The fund has been designed with flexibility in mind so that projects with a range of financial needs can apply. Our ability to meet these needs will, of course, depend on the funds raised, and the criteria will reflect that.  

Based on project feedback, funds are awarded in three areas: Mobilize, Stabilize, and Strategize. 

Applications only require a short paragraph detailing your proposed activities. A breakdown of the budget is not required. As such, there will be no formal reporting required (though we hope projects would like to share their stories informally with our donors).

These funds will not be subject to any overhead allocations when they are received by projects. You will receive the full amount. Core support costs have already been allocated at the source to cover the cost of the work, and Tides Canada has also made a contribution to the fund to keep this as low as possible.

Mobilize and Stabilize

  • Mobilize: Immediate funding for projects providing critical support/resources to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications demonstrating support for vulnerable communities will be prioritized.  Distributed in $3,000 or $5,000 grants. 

  • Stabilize: Short-term funding for projects with realistic plans to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications demonstrating how these funds will contribute towards a broader financial resilience strategy will be prioritized. Distributed in $3,000 or $5,000 grants.

Strategize

Strategize: Longer-term funding for projects who are rethinking what the post-pandemic era looks like. Distributed in $7,000 or $10,000 grants. Proposals demonstrating collaborative and innovative solutions will be prioritized.

Rapid Response Fund Grant Recipients

We will continue to share information about the grant recipients as they are selected. Thus far the following projects have received funds:

Project Amount Purpose
summerlunch+ $5,000 The summerlunch+ team is addressing an immediate food insecurity issue with their largest partner, The Neighbourhood Organization, who have had requests from over 600 families in low-income areas who need urgent support for food. The Neighbourhood Organization has funding for very basic food boxes consisting of shelf-stable pantry items, and summerlunch+ will supplement their basics with fresh fruit and vegetables. They will also partner with Second Harvest, which sources ‘rescued’ food for families. Many of these fresh foods may be unfamiliar, so summerlunch+ will provide recipes to avoid waste and get healthy food to hungry families.
Not Far From The Tree $5,000
Not Far From The Tree will proceed with the picking season to get fresh fruit to 35 social service agency partners that are experiencing record high levels of demand for food. To do so safely, they need to invest in sanitization equipment, including masks, gloves, cleaning products and clean, fresh re-usable bags to donate the fruit. Not Far From The Tree will also hire additional seasonal staff to support the increased care and sanitization of equipment sets spread throughout Toronto. They are mobilizing immediately to purchase and give away ~40 fruit trees (specifically elderberries and serviceberries) to vulnerable communities such as Thorncliffe Park that can benefit from having access to local, resilient food systems in their community.
Reel Youth $3,000 The long term impact of COVID-19 has pushed Reel Youth to develop new ways of engaging communities to produce films about the issues they care about, and their visions for positive change. This funding will help them develop new curriculum and ways of engaging participants to access their programming.
Northern Youth Leadership $5,000 NYL has seen a substantial decrease in revenues since April 1, 2020 from the economic impacts of COVID-19. This funding will extend the salaries of the current staff so that they can find additional sources of funding and secure the sustainability of youth programming this summer.
Northern Confluence Initiative $3,000 These funds will be used to create a podcast series that will tap into local expertise and make gardening accessible for First Nations communities in the Skeena region of British Columbia (Hazelton to Houston)
Canadian Freshwater Alliance $5,000 CFA is anticipating significant declines in revenues in the fall/winter. These funds will contribute to the cost of a temporary fundraiser to build two donor cultivation campaigns and a corporate pitch to target companies.
Farms at Work $3,000 Farms at Work have adapted their activities to contribute directly to supporting their community and local food businesses during the current pandemic. These funds will support a website that provides community resources on growing/finding food, including where to access emergency food and local farms.
East Scarborough Storefront $5,000 These funds will support the Storefront to work with 5n2 Kitchens and Square Roots GTA to urgently assist marginalized community members that have limited access to food support. The Storefront will identify people in need, Square Roots CTA will source local produce, and 5n2 Kitchens will prepare and deliver meals to people experiencing food insecurity.
Binners' Project $5,000 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Binners’ Project has suspended all social enterprise programming, leaving binners out of work. These funds will be used to provide an increased weekly stipend of $10 to members to help ease the stress of lost income and shifts and maintain engagement.
IndigenEYEZ $5,000 IndigenEYEZ is transitioning their school-based RESPECT program (Cultural Safety and Reconciliation in the Classroom) to online delivery in response to COVID-19. These funds will be used to re-design and deliver 5 online teacher training modules over the summer.
Community Resilience to Extreme Weather $5,000 CREW is continuing their ‘neighbour helping neighbour’ approach to emergencies that began before COVID-19 and has identified a need to support isolated seniors in need of food and mental health supports. Funds will be used to hold weekly virtual chats with seniors in St. James Town, by cell phone or tablet, over the next 3 months.
Hidden Harvest Ottawa $5,000 HHO has seen an increased demand for fresh, healthy food since COVID-19 and wants to address the needs of food agencies in a way that meets new COVID-19 public health requirements. These funds will provide additional harvest equipment so that Neighbourhood Leaders can continue harvesting food in a safe way this season.
Sea to Cedar $5,000 In a rapid response to COVID-19, and to support the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw youth they serve (ages 11-19), Sea to Cedar has partnered with Indigenous-led non-profit Akala Outdoor Education Society to create a digital youth network. The six-week pilot was incredibly successful, and these funds will support an additional 6 weeks of the program.
Dasiqox Tribal Park Initiative $5,000 These funds will be used to adapt summer cultural programming for youth and elders looking to get out on the lands in Dasiqox due to COVID-19 restrictions. For example, additional transportation methods may be required, as well as supplies and amenities related to COVID-19 protocols that mandate physical distancing and regular sanitizing.
Yotuni $5,000 Yotuni recently launched the Truth Empowering Nations (TEN) Digital Hub - a website and social media presence that features a mix of original and curated content that spotlights individuals and organizations representing and supporting First Nations and Indigenous communities. The TEN Hub has proved incredibly valuable during COVID-19 and these funds will be used to hire Indigenous youth to keep the platform running when it is needed the most.
Dene Nahjo $5,000 Due to COVID-19 limitations, all of Dene Nahjo’s planned programming for the spring, summer and fall of 2020 has unfortunately been cancelled. These funds will be used to run a modified, socially distant camp for the Dene Nahjo collective and their families to gather safely, access culture and hide tanning teachings, and continue to support each other through the pandemic.
Food Communities Network $5,000 Food Communities Network is a newer project that had planned to launch later this spring; however, when COVID-19 started they pivoted immediately to support communities with food insecurity. Their initial goal was 300 members in over three years; in fact, 600 have joined within 10 weeks! These funds will be used to continue immediate food provision, community food production, assisting farmers and identifying policy barriers to reducing food insecurity.
Together Project 
 $10,000 In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Together Project is delivering "remote social support" to vulnerable newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area. Post COVID-19, they envision a refined and strengthened Welcome Group Program that incorporates some of the unanticipated successes of "remote social support", especially those that lend themselves to scaling the program. These funds will be used to develop an evaluations framework to capture and integrate key learning from this pivot and consider how to incorporate findings into the approach to scaling.
Organizing for Change
 $10,000 In recent weeks Organizing for Change (OFC) has become a primary interface between the BC government and ENGOs on the evolving economic stimulus opportunity. These funds will contribute to polling research and analysis, strategy and materials development for a coordinated communications campaign: “Build Back Better BC”. This will create political space for government to occupy with programs that will make BC a leader in a low-carbon transition and other environmental co-benefits to its recovery program.
Our Living Waters
 $10,000 In response to COVID-19, the Our Living Waters Network has advocated for ‘a shade of blue’ in Federal green recovery plans. Their strategy includes 300+ shovel-ready projects which collectively support Canada's water security in many ways, including habitat restoration, natural infrastructure, data collection, and public education, as well as advancing planning, partnership building and reconciliation. These funds will support the continuation of this ‘blue recovery’ work, including outreach to government, creation of new resources and convening collaborative meetings to coordinate efforts with the freshwater community across Canada.
Share Reuse Repair Initiative
 $10,000 While many are emphasizing a “Clean Reset” with clean energy, Share Reuse Repair Initiative has identified a key opportunity to amplify sharing, reuse, and repair innovations in our local economies in the post-pandemic era. These funds will be used to formulate a post-COVID economic recovery strategy in consultation with key cross-sectoral stakeholders in BC. The strategy will outline hyperlocal SRR opportunities with varied models (e.g. cooperatives, social enterprises, public-sector, mission-based for-profit) focused around consumer goods and food, together with an implementation framework that identifies early, medium and longer-term actions.
Project Neutral
 $7,000 As climate change has grown into a major societal concern, people want to make meaningful changes in their lives and smart employers want to support them in this. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, a major opportunity has emerged for Project Neutral as a result of the fact that more people than ever before work from home. These funds will be used to develop ‘Green Employees’, a new employee engagement offering that will help workplaces to become leaders in confronting climate change with a data-driven campaign focused on real impact and actions that measurably reduce emissions.