The Government of Canada highlighted federal investments of up to $96 million. This includes $82 million which will be disbursed through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI) to fund approximately 1300 Black-owned projects, in the space of two years. The investment will be used to fund projects that include renovations and equipment.

The grant will be partly delivered through intermediary organizations that allocate funding to projects that support capacity building at the grassroots level.

In a press release, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development said, “Today, we are taking meaningful action to improve and increase funding for this initiative. More eligible organizations will be able to deliver important projects to benefit Black Canadian communities across the country.”

The government will be creating a new advisory group to provide consultation on the design and delivery of this initiative. The group will consist of 15 members and is expected to be in place by late 2021. The selection process is currently underway.

After recognizing the fact that the funding is an important step towards supporting the Black community, the MP mentions that more work remains to be done and the government is fully committed to doing so.

Eligible projects were selected from existing applications from an initial call for proposals that were announced in January 2021. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) assessed the eligibility of the applicant/organization. To be considered eligible, organizations were required to include information in their application demonstrating that they are a not-for-profit organization, Black-led group, have the mandate to serve Black Canadians, and are registered as a legal entity.

According to ESDC, the full list of projects will be made available on the official Open Government site under proactive disclosure for grants and contributions, once all funding agreements are in place.

The remaining funds of approximately $14 million will be allocated to intermediary organizations so they can build the necessary infrastructure needed to serve Black Canadian communities.

The three intermediary organizations under the SBCCI are Tropicana Community Services, Black Business Initiative, and Groupe 3737.

These intermediaries will work with applicants who have previously applied for Capacity Building funding to support eligible project activities. The recently announced additional funds are expected to be transferred to the Intermediaries by Summer/Fall 2021.