Government funding will provide community facilities, including synagogues, mosques, community hubs, and Jewish and Muslim schools and childcare centres, with up to $20,000 to help better protect their spaces from hate-motivated incidents, graffiti, vandalism, or other damage.
Grant funding can be used for measures such as hiring security staff, surveillance cameras, security assessments, cybersecurity and building repairs.
It's meant to address the rise of hate incidents against religious and minority groups, particularly amid the recent spike in antisemitism and Islamophobia. The new funding, prioritizing Jewish and Muslim communities, will expand the province’s Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant, helping faith-based and cultural organizations implement measures to ensure community spaces remain safe and secure. The application portal opens today.
“Acts of antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate have no place in our community,” said MPP Vic Fedeli.
All faith-based, cultural, 2SLGBTQQIA+, First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Urban Indigenous organizations who need support and meet the criteria are eligible to receive funding; however, priority will be given to those that primarily serve Jewish and Muslim communities.
Based on 2021 StatsCan Police Reported Hate Crime data, Jewish and Muslim communities are among those most targeted.
Meanwhile, the Organizational Capacity Building (OCB) component of the new Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program (MARP) is accepting calls for proposals.
The OCB component will help organizations build and strengthen their internal capacity to advance anti-racism and promote intercultural and interfaith understanding, provide equitable opportunities, promote dialogue on multiculturalism and anti-racism, and build an understanding of disparities.
The OCB component Call for Proposals will focus on:
• initiatives that are led by or serving the communities of focus in Canada’s AntiRacism Strategy (Indigenous, Black, racialized and religious minority communities), as communities with lived experiences of racism;
• community-based organizations in order to support them in their daily efforts to drive positive change;
• initiatives that reach into rural and remote locations across Canada
Applications are being accepted until Thursday February 22, 2024.
Find full details and eligibility criteria at Organizational Capacity Building — Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program
