(1) grants totalling $439,000.00 be approved as outlined in Appendix 1, 1999 Grants Allocations;

(2) the $5,000.00 balance be held in reserve for appeals subject to a further report recommending the allocation of this reserve; and

(3) the appropriate City of Toronto officials be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

(A) Program Objectives and Funding Categories:

The objectives, which must be met by all requests, are:

Applications can be made in one or more of the following funding categories:

(B) Program Priorities:

The allocation of the Access and Equity Grants Program are determined in the context of strategies to:

(C) Eligibility Criteria:

The organization:

(D) Selection Criteria:

The Project:

(A) Method of Application and Assessment:

Applications were made available in February 1999 along with Guidelines and Criteria. Four information sessions were held in February, 1999 for interested applicants. Sessions were held at Metro Hall and Civic Centres in Scarborough, Etobicoke and North York. Applications were returned to the Access and Equity Unit by March 4, 1999.

Applications were assessed by staff of the Access and Equity Unit. Two teams of staff interviewed new applicants. Recommendations were discussed by a larger staff team, which included the staff of the access and equity unit who are involved in community based activities.

Recommendations are based on the need of the community being targeted by the project, priority of the activity with respect to identified needs within Toronto, the potential long-term impact of the project, the ability to complete the project, as well as the administrative capacity of the organization. Consideration has been given to the financial viability of the proposal, the state of development of the organization, its track record in the community as well as its level of financial need. Other sources of funding are included in grant applications as well as funding sought and approved from all other levels of government.

(B) Conditions:

All recipients of grants and non-financial support are required to adopt and implement the City’s Anti-Racism, Access and Equity policy approved by City Council in December 1998.

Agencies receiving support are required to acknowledge the City’s financial support in their communication materials.

Additional conditions can be placed upon agencies to ensure that program objectives are met. In June 1999, the conditions recommended by the Community Services grant program for the following organizations are supported by the Access and Equity grant program. These are:

(C) Synopsis of Allocations:

The following statistics provide a synopsis of the funding recommendation and a comparison with 1998 allocations:

(D) Analysis of Allocation:

Fifty-eight applications were received of which 53 are recommended for funding. Of the five applications which are not recommended for support, one applicant, Spirit of the People, was forwarded to the Recreation Grants program and has been recommended for funding out of that program (without a transfer of funds). Four applicants did not meet the program criteria. The reasons are outlined in Appendix II.

Twenty-five new applicants are recommended for funding with amounts ranging from $2,500.00 to $12,000.00. Of the 29 returning applicants, nine applicants are recommended for increases in funding, two applicants have been recommended for a decrease in funding, and 16 applicants have been flatlined.

Five applications were received from the Somali community. The agencies are seeking funds to develop and deliver workshops on hate crimes, human rights, racism, systemic discrimination and civic participation. Since the agencies are located in different geographical areas of the City and are serving different segments of the Somali population, therefore, all five applicants are recommended for funding.

(1) Cross Cultural Communications Centre $3,500.00

(2) Women Working with Immigrant Women $2,800.00

(3) Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation $3,500.00

(4) Urban Alliance on Race Relations $7,600.00

(1) Access Action Council was formed in 1987 and incorporated in 1994, to promote ethno-racial access and equity within the human service delivery system. The Council is seeking funding to undertake a needs assessment to examine the "lived labour market" experience of immigrant and refugee youth, particularly those young people who have been unsuccessful in their attempts to integrate into the Canadian labour market. This needs assessment will examine seven groups of immigrant/refugee youth including Somali, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese, Korean and Portuguese. (Recommended: $15,000.00).

(2) Afghan Association of Ontario, incorporated in 1984, was established to aid the Afghan immigrant and refugee community. The organization is seeking funds for a project to increase the awareness of human rights and race equity issues for Afghans in Toronto and will translate, print and distribute hate crime/human rights educational materials into Farsi. This project will raise the "Awareness of Afghanis on Human Rights and Race Equity in Toronto". The project will target the Afghan population living in Toronto. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(3) Anti-Racism Action Centre (Trustee: Cross Cultural Communication Centre) is a service delivery model developed by a steering committee of community based organizations to address the lack of services available to individuals who have been victimized by racism. Their 1999 project is to train staff in handling complaints, promote the services of the centre, establish relationships with community agencies, institutions and government agencies to ensure referrals, develop a complaints handling manual, assist victims of racism, document incidents and maintain a hotline. This is a unique project and fills a gap which has been substantiated through a feasibility study. (Recommended: $10,000.00).

(4) Artists Against Racism (AAR) is an organization that was founded in 1996 to promote anti-racism in Canada by producing a series of anti-racism posters, billboards, concerts, booklets, etc. This organization is requesting funds to undertake their 1999 Public Education Campaign which includes posters in subways, interior transit sites and restaurant/bars. In addition, AAR will provide slide advertisements for movie theatres, television, public service announcements, school videos featuring artists and students across Toronto and a violet ribbon campaign in record and drug stores, schools, award shows, concerts and festivals. Their target audience is young people from elementary schools to mid-twenties. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(5) Association of Integration of Expatriates from Eastern Europe and Asia incorporated in November 1998. The mandate of the association is the integration of the Russian speaking diaspora in Canada. The Association of Integration of Expatriates is seeking funding to support a series of seven Russian Cultural Heritage events. These sessions will explore the traditions, spiritual life, national food, past and modern history, literature, art, etc. of Russian Culture. (Not Recommended: Did not meet Access and Equity grants program criteria. Project emphasis is on organizing a series of Russian Cultural Heritage evenings that will profile Russian, food, literature, history etc.

(6) Baluchi Canadian Association (Trustee: East York Family Resources Organization) founded in 1998 and incorporated in 1999, assists Baluchis to adapt to Canadian society and to assist them in gaining access to community and government services. This organization is requesting funds to conduct a needs assessment and to educate members of the Baluchi community on human rights and civil and criminal law. (Recommended: $5,000.00 seed money).

(7) Canadian Arab Federation was founded in 1967. It represents the interests of the Arab Canadian community by identifying issues of importance for the Arab Canadian community and addressing them appropriately through public education, language training, community development, media and government relations. The Federation is requesting funds for continued support of its anti-racism help desk which focuses on combating racism against Arabs, providing support for those who have been victims of racism and the development of materials to reduce the stereotyping of Arabs and anti-Arab racism. This year’s activities will focus on the Arab community’s ability to gain access to public institutions, as well as anti-racism leadership and media skills. (Recommended: $12,000.00).

(8) Canadian Ecuadorian Foundation for Social Development was founded in 1988 to provide family counselling, to members of the Hispanic community. In addition, the Foundation is representing two other organizations (Latin Mission and Embajadoresdes Folkore Boliviano that promote and sustain the folkloric traditions of Ecuador and Bolivia. They are requesting funds to raise awareness around issues facing the Ecuadorian community, particularly with youth. (Recommended: $5,000.00 seed money).

(9) Canadian Polish Congress was founded in 1944 and incorporated in 1948. The Canadian Polish Congress is an umbrella organization representing over 250 groups and organizations active in Polish-Canadian communities across Canada. This organization seeks funding to conduct a symposium entitled "Polish-Canadians in the 21 Century" for September 1999 on barriers identification to public sector services. It will subsequently conduct access and equity workshops on how to gain access to public sector services. The target audience is the Polish-Canadian community in general. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(10) Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA) was founded and incorporated in 1987 to promote knowledge and enforcement of human rights among disadvantaged groups and individuals. The Centre also assists low-income people whose human rights may have been violated when attempting to attain adequate and affordable housing. CERA seeks funding to form a coalition named Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) which will consist of housing seekers, housing and community organizations working collaboratively with key players such as landlords, business people, public figures and media to promote equal opportunity and equity strategies in the rental housing market. (Recommended: $10,000.00).

(11) Chinese Canadian National Council (Toronto Chapter) was established in 1980 to promote the rights of Chinese Canadians and to encourage their full and equal participation in Canadian society. The Council is seeking funding for its ongoing activities as well as their "Anti-Racism Community Empowerment Project-Leadership Training and Advocacy". The leadership training project will consist of a roundtable planning session, series of workshops, and a training retreat. The target audience for this project are members of the Chinese Canadian community, living or working in Toronto who are fully bilingual, willing to continue to be involved in ongoing advocacy /community education and victim assistance initiatives. (Recommended: $20,000.00).

(12) Coalition of Visible Minority Women (Ontario) Inc. was incorporated in 1986 to support immigrant and visible minority women to participate and contribute fully to the economic, social and political life of the community. This organization is seeking funding for its ongoing activities as well as for conducting educational workshops on hate crimes and access, networking with other agencies and organizations, and advising all levels of governments on new legislation and policies. (Recommended: $12,000.00).

(13) Council of Agencies Serving South Asians incorporated in 1991, is an umbrella organization, established to advocate for service access and equity for the South Asian community. It seeks funding for its ongoing activities as well as for the continuation of their "Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate Project for the South Asian Community". It will maintain the hotline on hate crimes, provide appropriate assistance and referrals to victims, promote awareness in the community, conduct workshops for ethno-specific staff and the general public. They will also continue to advocate on areas of concern to CASSA’s membership and the South Asian community at large. (Recommended: $20,000.00). The funding level reflects operational support.

(14) Cross-Cultural Communication Centre (CCCC) was founded in 1972 as a community education and resource centre, which develops programs and educational materials on anti-racism. It conducts training courses and workshops, provides consulting services, publishes and distributes books, and houses a unique library collection of print and audio visual resources available to the public. The Centre is seeking funding to continue its ongoing anti-racism programs. CCCC’s target audience is comprised of immigrants, newcomers, people of colour, community organizations with an anti-racism mandate and government institutions. (Recommended: $35,000.00). The funding level reflects operational support.

(15) Culture Link Settlement Services of Toronto, incorporated in 1992, assists immigrants through a full range of programs dedicated to facilitating the independence and full participation of newcomers in Toronto. Culture Link seeks funding for its "Youth Participation Program" which will address the hate, intolerance and isolation faced by newcomer youth in schools. This program is a follow-up to the Newcomer Youth Conferences in 1997 and 1998. Part of the funding sought will be used to organize the 3^rd Annual Newcomer Youth Conference. This conference will target newcomer youth in Toronto’s secondary schools, as well as parents and teachers. (Recommended: $5,000.00)

(16) Dejinta Beesha Somali Multi-Service Centre was established in 1994 by a coalition of Somali organizations to foster the positive settlement and integration of Somalis into Canada and to support Etobicoke agencies and the larger Etobicoke community in recognizing the positive contribution Somalis make. This organization provides counselling, information and referral services on employment, housing, social welfare benefits, immigration, education, health issues, legal aid, Children’s Aid and other special needs. They also assist members of the Somali community by providing advocacy services and community development to lessen the impact of access barriers for the Somali community. They are seeking funds to deliver educational workshops for the community to address the issues of hate crime against Somali Muslim women. (Recommended: $2,500.00).

(17) Desh Pardesh was incorporated in 1994 with the mandate to facilitate new artistic expressions and encourage the development of diasporic South Asian arts, culture and politics. The members of Desh Pardesh are South Asian artists, cultural producers and other community volunteers. They are seeking funding to conduct four workshops to take place from fall 1999 to early 2000 on the following topics: (1) health and social services; (2) education system; (3) hate crimes and police violence; and (4) poverty and homelessness. The workshops and panel discussions are intended to demonstrate the impact of social policies on immigrant Canadians with respect to eliminating racial, gender and sexual orientation discrimination. They are targeting the young Diasporic South Asian community, as well as other socially and politically active communities, and arts and culture organizations. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(18) Desi Queer (Trustee: Central Toronto Youth Services) was formed in 1998 to address the concerns and needs of lesbians, gays and bisexuals in the South Asian community, as well as their family members. They are seeking funding to undertake a video entitled "Building Bridges: Addressing the Needs of Families of South Asian Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals". This video is intended as a public education tool to deal with issues of coming out to families, homophobia, isolation and fear. The video will be widely distributed and will also be housed in public libraries. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(19) Federation of Chinese Canadians in Scarborough (FCCS) was established in 1988 to promote greater participation and integration of the Chinese community in the City’s social, cultural, economic and political life. Their 1999 request for funds seeks to build on the project started in 1998. This project entitled AACTcess II, will provide mentoring, support and training to youth in the Chinese community on combating racism, discrimination and barriers to access . (Recommended: $6,000.00).

(20) Ghanaian Business and Professionals of Canada (GBPC) was founded in 1993 to encourage and support economic development in the Ghanaian Canadian community through business and professional training initiatives and job placements for youth. GBPC seeks funding to organize three workshops specifically geared towards providing Ghanaian women, particularly single parents with the required information and resources to fully gain access and participate in trades and professions. Their 1998 needs assessment survey specifically identified Ghanaian single women/parents, who provide sewing and hair-braiding services, as needing basic business skills. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(21) Heritage Skills Development Centre, incorporated in 1994, was established to provide skills development to African Canadian women. It seeks funding for a project entitled "Improving Ethno-Racial Access and Civic Participation of Low-Income and Marginalized People Project". This project will involve a series of workshops which will focus on developing methods and strategies for civic engagement of ethnic and minority women. Topics will include (1) description of the structure and function of local government; (2) description of the role of local government; and (3) demonstration of the methods of gaining access to local government. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(22) Hispanic Development Council is an umbrella organization of 64 agencies providing services to the Spanish-speaking community which focuses on social and economic development issues. Funds are requested for its ongoing activities, as well as, to undertake a conference and a series of community discussions with the Canadian Hispanic community focussing on empowerment through community education, understanding of the community’s needs and priorities regarding access and equity. This project will also involve the creation of a documentation centre for community and non-community members. (Recommended: $20,000.00). The funding level reflects operational support.

(23) Historical Connexion was incorporated in 1998 as a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, non-religious, non-profit organization to maintain and disseminate the historical connections of African people to Canada, including but not limited to their first arrival, their role, their achievements, and their contributions. They accomplish this mandate by providing customized seminars, internet workshops, interactive activities, research services, historical content providers and program consultants for students, educators, heritage organizations and the general public. Historical Connection is seeking funds for their linkages and Strategic Associations Project that will utilize the internet as a vehicle to educate elementary and secondary students on the historical and present contributions of people of African descent. (Recommended:$5,000.00).

(24) Human Rights and Race Relations Centre, incorporated in 1994, has undertaken a number of initiatives and events for the promotion of multiculturalism, human rights, and improved race relations. The Centre is seeking support for a project entitled "Discrimination in Access to Legal Profession." This project will involve a conference of foreign-trained lawyers (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, Sri Lanka) with the purpose of developing strategies to ensure access for these lawyers to the legal profession in Canada. It will then undertake a dialogue with the Law Society of Upper Canada to implement these strategies to ensure greater access. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(25) Jamaican Canadian Association, incorporated in 1971 maintains and supports the cultural heritage of Jamaicans and other people from the Caribbean/Canadian and African/Canadian communities. It provides programs and services designed to enhance and facilitate social, economic and cultural integration. The Association is seeking funds for its Access to Justice: Caribbean and Black Legal Information and Resource Centre project. Funds are required to ensure clients are able to obtain access to legal information, referrals, advocacy and mediation services. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(26) Korean Canadian Women’s Association, incorporated in 1985, provides culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate family and social services, settlement services to newcomers from Korea, community development, and advocacy services to eliminate racism, sexual discrimination and violence against women, youth and seniors. They are seeking funds to develop a phone-line to report racism and discrimination and to organize a series of anti-racism workshops for Korean women. Issues arising from the workshops will be identified and reported to the City of Toronto. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(27) Latino Canadian Community Association of Scarborough, incorporated in 1995, promotes programs and provides services of counselling, information, orientation, referrals, translation and interpretation to the Latino-Canadian community of Scarborough. They are seeking funds to develop and implement a series of information sessions for the Spanish-speaking community of Scarborough on gaining access to and utilizing mainstream services (i.e. social services, educational services, police services, justice system etc.). This project will also involve the development of a booklet on obtaining these services. (Recommended: $5,000.00 seed money).

(28) League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada was established in 1970 to combat racism, prejudice and bigotry, and to eliminate racial discrimination and anti-Semitism. The organization is seeking funds this year as a follow-up phase of the 2^nd International Symposium on Hate on the internet to be held in Toronto in March 1999. These training initiatives will be taken into schools in Toronto not only to raise awareness of the increasing problem of hate on the internet but also to develop skills and strategies for students and educators to counter this problem. This initiative will strengthen community partnerships with schools and between diverse communities themselves, in working together to counter hate and bias crime in Toronto. (Recommended: $12,000.00).

(29) Metro Association of Family Resource Programmes (MAFRP) was established in 1994 to help the 124 family resources programs in Toronto develop the necessary skills to evaluate their own organization. This organization is seeking funds to complete an Anti-Racism Policy Resource Manual and to feature the themes of access and equity, anti-racism and diversity at MAFRP’s bi-annual, 2-day Conference, in November 1999. They will be targeting all the FRP community including staff, volunteers, board members, and program participants. (Not Recommended: Project has an internal focus and since 1994 has already received substantive City staff support.)

(30) Midaynta-Association of Somali Services Agencies was incorporated in 1992. It is a coalition of 12 Somali community-based agencies. It is requesting funds to hire a part-time project coordinator to organize a series of eight workshops to educate newcomers from the Somali community on human rights, political participation, hate crimes and how to respond to hate activities and systemic racism. These workshops will be conducted through its member agencies to increase access to participation. (Recommended: $2,500.00).

(31) National African Integration & Families Association Inc. was incorporated in 1994 to advocate, identify and address the distinctive cultural, traditional, religious and linguistic needs of Continental African Canadians within the criminal justice system. They are seeking funding for a project directed at improving the black community’s access to services and at facilitating access to the decision-making of the Toronto Police Service so that barriers preventing equal participation are identified and eliminated. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(32) Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants was founded in 1978 and is a coalition of 142 community-based agencies providing services to immigrants and refugees. It acts as a coordinating, resource, research and advisory body for its member agencies, the federal, provincial and municipal governments, and the community at large. Its goal is to strive to ensure a just, fair and equitable society and to strengthen the capacity of the immigrant and refugee serving organizations in responding to the needs of their clients around issues of racism. The organization is seeking funds for its ongoing activities, as well as, to hold three professional development workshops and two educational/information sharing sessions for settlement workers in the immigrant and refugee sectors. (Recommended: $15,000.00). The funding level reflects operational support.

(33) Parkdale Intercultural Association was incorporated in 1979 and provides educational and settlement services for immigrants and refugees living in the Parkdale area of Toronto. This organization is seeking funds to build upon and expand its Newcomer Civic Participation Program, a Youth and Anti-racism initiative and the Access-to-banking project. They will be inviting speakers to inform and lead discussion on relevant topics such as access and equity in employment, housing, justice, and immigration. Their audience will be drawn from their agency programs for newcomers including LINC classes, community kitchen project, community public education program and settlement services and the broader newcomer community in Parkdale. (Recommended: $14,000.00).

(34) Planned Parenthood of Toronto was founded in 1961 and is a community based agency whose purpose is to promote healthy sexuality by educating, supporting and encouraging women and men in informed decision making. They are seeking funds to continue its peer education project TEACH B Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia B which began in 1993. This project will include training for their current TEACH peer educators to develop their skills and ability to deliver anti-homophobia workshops, with a specific focus on hate activity prevention, developing and evaluating workshop activities to address these issues and creating a Homophobia and Hate Activity Prevention Tool Kit to encourage ongoing anti-hate activity education. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(35) Portuguese Inter-Agency Network was incorporated in 1978 as an umbrella organization of Portuguese community agencies committed to ensuring the development of appropriate services to the Portuguese community. The organization is asking funds to partner with the Society of Portuguese Disabled Persons to compile and produce a Directory of Accessible Programs and Services for the Portuguese-speaking disability community which will be available throughout the community in churches, schools, doctors offices and community agencies. (Recommended: $10,000.00).

(36) Refugees and Immigrants Information Centre Toronto, Inc. is a multi-ethnic institution founded in 1996 which provides settlement education, counselling, interpretation and translation services to refugees and new immigrants. It also provides referral services for housing, employment, legal and health care. This organization is seeking funding to remove the barriers in searching for suitable employment for foreign-trained refugees and immigrants and assisting them to achieve their desired career goals. (Recommended: $5,000.00 seed money.)

(37) Roma Community and Advocacy Centre was incorporated in 1998 to promote and develop the interests of Canadian and newly-arrived Roma and to provide education, information, cultural and related services to assist in the settlement and further development of the Roma community. This organization is seeking funds to organize the first Roma Conference in Toronto. The main goal of this conference will be to determine compatible goals and mechanisms for mutual support and co-operation among those representatives of the established and newly-arrived Roma communities residing in the greater Toronto area. Roma representatives from the diverse language groups from Hungary, Czechoslovakia, ex-Yugoslavia, Romania and Albania will be invited. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(38) St. Joseph’s Women’s Health Centre, formed in 1989, is a multi-disciplinary group of women who provide integrated programs and services to address the broad determinants of health; with a particular focus on trauma issues. It is seeking funding to undertake a project to provide support, information and training to immigrant and refugee women employed within the home care and personal care sectors. This project will involve the design and delivery of three educational workshops and the production of a train-the-trainer manual to home care workers employed at five separate work sites. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(39) Scarborough Network of Immigrant Services (Trustee: Catholic Cross-Cultural Services) was founded in 1998 to provide a forum for ensuring accessible services to immigrants, refugees and ethno-racial communities as well as improving coordination of service delivery in Scarborough. It seeks funds to produce a community development guide that will provide a set of knowledge and skills to ethno-specific and other marginalized immigrant and settlement agencies in Scarborough. The guide will describe a variety of strategies, case studies and scenarios on how to advocate and represent community issues and needs to mainstream delivery institutions in such areas as housing, education, health, policing etc. This guide is intended to strengthen the level of participation and partnerships by ethno-specific agencies within the larger society and at the same time ensure a greater awareness and responsiveness to the needs of diverse clientele by mainstream service deliverers. (Recommended:$12,000.00).

(40) Silayan Community Centre founded in 1979 is a social service agency delivering immigrant settlement programs primarily to the Filipino community throughout Toronto. They are seeking funds to provide educational workshops for service providers entitled "Demystifying Some Generalizations about Filipinos". Community workers from shelters, service agencies, social workers from the Children’s Aid Society, probation officers etc., will be invited to learn about the culture of their Filipino clients as well as their social, economic and family situations. (Recommended: $6,000.00).

(41) Skills for Change, incorporated in 1982, primarily assists immigrant and refugees to gain employment. It seeks funding to conduct action research with foreign-trained tradespersons to identify barriers to their social and economic integration. Up to 50 tradespersons will participate in a survey and/or focus group which will start with an anthology of individual stories. This project will attempt to document the systemic barriers to the recognition of prior learning and credential; record attempts and obstacles to obtaining employment commensurate with skills, and explore options for institutional change. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(42) Somali Committee for Racial Justice (Trustee: Somaliland Canadian Society of Metro Toronto) incorporated in 1998 assists the settlement and post-settlement services of Somali immigrants in Toronto and vicinity. Their services include general counselling, referrals, job search techniques, assisting refugee claimants, community development programs, advocacy, cultural events, etc. They are seeking funding to develop and deliver workshops to educate the Somali community about racism and systemic discrimination. The overall objectives are to provide the community with information and resources that will help them respond appropriately and to promote mutual dialogue and understanding among diverse communities in Toronto. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(43) Somali Community Information Centre, incorporated in 1997, was established to advance the interests of the Somali community in Etobicoke. Financial assistance is requested to conduct four workshops covering issues which are of particular importance to visible minorities. The topics of these workshops are hate motivated crime, policing and security, race relations, discrimination and access to services. These workshops will target refugees, immigrants, Muslims and Somalis. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(44) Somali Youth Association of Toronto, incorporated in 1992, provides young people information on existing services in relation to different settlement issues. The mandate of the organization is to educate young Somalis to rely on themselves and to mobilize the community to bring their efforts, resources and expertise together in order to provide Somali youth with the information they need to excel in education. They are seeking funding to design and deliver a series of workshops on racism, discrimination and related subjects geared to Somali youth. (Recommended: $6,000.00).

(45) Spirit of People - Applied for a "Canoe Project". The application was forwarded to the Recreational Grant Program where it is being recommended for funding.

(46) Sudanese Community Association formed in May 1995. It is seeking seed money to organize the community and to provide an avenue for the enhancement of Sudanese culture and heritage, the development of positive values and to identify the growing needs of the community. Many research projects have identified that African communities suffer from the highest levels of unemployment and this initiative is to attract Sudanese Canadians to articulate their needs and problem solve through collective efforts. (Recommended: $6,000.00 seed money).

(47) Tamil Anti-Racism Committee (Trustee: Tamil Eelam Society of Canada) is a coalition of Tamil organizations established to address the discrimination and racial violence the community is experiencing. They are requesting funding to conduct monthly discussions on anti-hate and racism activities, a public forum, two workshops and a training session for volunteers. Activities will include continuing a dialogue with the police regarding racial stereotyping of Tamils and networking with other ethnic groups in Toronto regarding their progress in fighting hate activities. (Recommended: $8,000.00).

(48) The 519 Church Street Community Centre was established in 1975 and serves many communities within downtown Toronto including the homeless, families, gays and lesbians, people with addictions, seniors, and developmentally handicapped adults. The organization seeks funds to continue the Victim Assistance Program, which provides support to victims of hate-motivated violence based primarily on sexual and/or gender orientation. It will provide assistance to victims of gay and lesbian bashing, document incidents, liaise with the police and other institutions, produce an annual audit of document incidents. (Recommended: $14,000.00).

(49) Toronto Community Training and Social Services (Mothers Against Poverty), incorporated in 1994, provides sole support families and individuals on social assistance help in obtaining employment or co-operative home businesses. They also provide the children of these families with homework and meal club. They are seeking funds to conduct a project to identify co-ordinate, develop and build the capacity of African-Canadian community-based agencies to deliver teen leadership training. This project will involve a series of workshops for youth program leaders and coordinators of four African-Canadian organizations, addressing the following issues: civic engagement, racism and community leadership. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(50) Toronto Youth for Christ, incorporated in 1995, assists young people in attaining their full life potential through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are seeking funds to develop a Youth Café Outreach Centre in Markham. This Centre will provide opportunities and space for youth to congregate and voice their concerns, develop young artists potential, and provide opportunity for employment. This Centre will also be open to all youth. (Not Recommended: The Centre’s services appear to be catered to youth in Markham and does not meet Access and Equity grants program criteria).

(51) Transportation Action Now Inc. founded in 1994, promotes accessible transportation for everyone in Ontario, to ensure independence and full participation in society for seniors and people with disabilities and to ensure accessible transit services are comparable to the general public. They seek funds to expand their capacity to provide support on accessible transportation for seniors and people with disabilities in Toronto. This project will focus on assisting the development of an accessible transportation policy, a City Parking By-Law for disabled drivers. This project will also involve a seminar on accessible transportation in February 2000. (Recommended: $5,500.00).

(52) Unemployed Professional African Women Association (UPAWA), incorporated in 1993 works to find permanent solutions to professional African men and women's unemployment, to lobby and advocate for change, to conduct workshops and to build a support system for unemployed African men and women. UPAWA is seeking funds to utilize video and literature as a means to examine and document cases of discrimination in employment against Black African immigrants in Toronto. They are currently being funded to develop a video that will profile selected cases. The outcome of this project will be used as a basis for UPAWA to set-up an "Anti-Black African Unfair Employment Practices Help Desk". The target audience for this project will be black African workers and their families, employers, employment agencies, social service agencies, and social workers. (Recommended: $5,000.00).

(53) Urban Alliance on Race Relations, incorporated in 1975, is an educational and advocacy organization. It uses social science research, community development and public education to promote racial harmony in Toronto. It seeks funds for its ongoing activities, as well as, to conduct a three-year educational and civic initiative entitled "Youth for Diversity". This will involve public forums that will attempt to engage service providers and community volunteers in youth violence and issues of diversity within and between ethnic-racial communities. As well anti-racism kits will be developed offering information and practical lessons about racism, and race-related matters to staff and youth at all partnered agencies. (Recommended: $35,000.00). The funding level reflects operational support.

(54) Vietnamese Association of Toronto incorporated in 1979 assists Vietnamese immigrants to integrate and participate in Canadian society. It promotes harmonious relationships within the community’s diversity and supports the preservation of the Vietnamese culture. This organization seeks funds to develop a project to address the critical issues pertaining to access and equity in the Vietnamese community and will focus on racism in the media, criminal justice and school system, hate activity, employment equity, policing issues and racial discrimination. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(55) Whyy Mee Family Counselling Foundation of Metropolitan Toronto, incorporated in 1989, is an organization that assists individuals who have come in contact with the criminal justice system for a variety of reasons. It also provides support to their families. Whyy Mee seeks funding to promote awareness and the need to eradicate anti-hate and violence among individuals by conducting a series of workshops. They are targeting these workshops to African, Caribbean, ethno-racial communities, and those who seek their services. (Recommended: $3,500.00).

(56) Women Working with Immigrant Women was formed in 1974 to provide a forum for women and agencies working with immigrant and refugee women of colour to exchange ideas, share information, develop a support network and promote the development of new skills. This organization seeks funding to conduct a project that will work towards eliminating barriers that keep Muslim women out of the manufacturing sector based on their vestimentary appearance. This will involve a series of workshops and the development of educational materials. (Recommended: $7,000.00).

(57) Working Skills Centre was incorporated in 1980 to provide immigrant women with opportunities to develop additional skills and upgrade qualifications, to receive assistance in overcoming social, economic and political barriers to integration and to provide programs that lead to economic self sufficiency. They are seeking funding to conduct a project entitled "New Ethnic Work Strategy". This project will assist immigrant women in developing their writing and language skills. The women will write articles on issues impacting their lives for a monthly news column. The public education component involves the production of these articles in eight languages for various ethnic community newspapers. (Recommended: $8,000.00).

(58) Youth and Women 2000 (Trustee: Canadian League of African Women), founded in 1995 is an organization which serves French African youth and women and the French Caribbean community in general. They seek funding to provide training to Board members and volunteers involved in delivering services to the French community, to enhance their knowledge in the following areas: anti-racism, human rights, sexual orientation, equal access to services, community development, hate activity and appropriate response. (Not Recommended: The organization has not responded to requests to complete the application package. In addition, the organization is located in Oakville which is not within the boundaries of the City of Toronto).