Local Leadership Grant

The Local Leadership Grant is closed for 2025.

 

The Local Leadership Grant program provides $5,000 for resident-led community groups to help them inspire their neighbourhoods with events and activities that support the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy.

 

The Local Leadership Grant supports resident-led projects that focus on at least one of the five domains of the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy:

  1. Economic Opportunities: such as a jobs skills workshop, certification workshop or employment forum
  2. Healthy Lives: such as a nutrition workshop, wellness day or gardening event
  3. Participation in Civic Decision Making: such as a community speak out event, leadership training or civic action forum
  4. Physical Surroundings: such as a community beautification event, neighbourhood walking tour or community art event
  5. Social Development: such as an educational workshop/forum, back to school event or neighbourhood festival

The Local Leadership Grant also prioritizes the leadership and participation of Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Metis), Black and equity-deserving groups within Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, Emerging Neighbourhoods and other communities of focus. Learn more about your neighbourhood. Learn more about the City’s commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

A group can apply for $5,000 for their project. Project activities must be implemented between July 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.

Group Eligibility

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Applicants must be a resident-led group consisting of at least 3 members and group members cannot reside in the same household. Groups with 3 or more members are eligible to apply. All group members must live in Toronto and will need to provide an email address, phone number and postal code.
  2. The Group Lead must be a resident of Toronto and must identify which Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy (TSNS) Community Network they live in. Find out what TSNS Community Network you live in.
  3. Group projects must offer community-based activities that demonstrate alignment with at least one the five domains of the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy.
  4. If you are serving food, one group member must have a Food Handler Certificate or be willing to participate in training to receive a Food Handler Certificate. A free training session will be offered for eligible groups.
  5. All groups must be in good standing and eligible to receive a grant from the City of Toronto. All groups must comply with the Grants Policy. Your group must not be in debt to the City of Toronto or be part of an active investigation.

Ineligible applicants include:

  1. Groups with all members living in the same household
  2. Groups without 3 members who reside in Toronto
  3. Non-profit organizations, self-employed Individuals, registered businesses, for-profit businesses, landlord/tenant and condominium boards, corporations, political parties, BIAs, staff of the City of Toronto, members of City of Toronto Council
  4. Social enterprises or ventures
  5. Grant-making organizations, industry or trade associations
  6. Religious organizations with mandates that cannot show a clear separation between religious and community service functions
  7. 2024 Local Leadership Grant funded groups that have not submitted their 2024 completion report

Local Leadership Grant groups can only submit one application. The first application that is submitted will be the application that is reviewed.

Eligible project costs

Application budgets can include projects costs for:

  • Project supplies and materials
  • Space rental
  • Project Coordination to support planning, organizing and implementing your project. Compensation for the project team can be a maximum of $1,500.
  • Compensation for Elders and honoraria for People with Lived/Living Experience and volunteers
  • Transportation
  • Planning and development
  • Developing and supporting partnerships
  • Delivery materials and participant-related costs
  • Evaluation
  • Interpretation and translation for events and communications
  • Childminding
  • Small Capital costs

Ineligible project costs

Requests for the following purposes are not eligible for consideration:

  • Fundraising events
  • Subsidies for individuals (e.g., scholarships or educational bursaries)
  • Donations to Charitable causes
  • Reserve Funds
  • Major capital costs
  • Debt repayment or deficit funding
  • Political or religious activities

Contact communityfunding@toronto.ca  about any capital cost items prior to submitting your budget request. Major capital costs are not eligible for funding. Minor capital expenses, such as equipment to support virtual activities or paint supplies for a beautification project, may be eligible with City approval and are conditional on an incorporated non-profit owning the equipment after the project is completed.

    Project events/activities must be:

    • Held within the TSNS Community Network geographic area of the Group Lead
    • Open and free for residents
    • Held in a public and accessible space
    • A one-time event or series of events that are completed with 30-day period
    • Held between July 1st, 2025 – December 31st, 2025

    Space permits are not required to be booked to be eligible to apply for the Local Leadership Grant. Groups are encouraged to contact the relevant community or City of Toronto space to inquire about their permit processing timeline. Understanding these details will help ensure your project timeline accounts for necessary processing time. Trustees can work with successful groups to finalize event/activity locations.

    Grant projects cannot:

    • Have a cost to participate and/or have a fundraising component
    • Be connected to a pre-existing agency or City-run program
    • Be a reoccurring, established or annual project
    • Be private or invitation only

    If you are unsure about the purpose of your event/activity, please contact your Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy Community Development Officer.

    Group Name Project Name Community Coordination Plan Cluster Area
    2024 Local Leadership Grant Recipients
    Achievers Dream Youth Summer Break Sports Leadership and Recreational Program Black Creek Humber Summit
    BLACK Leaders of Tomorrow Civic Leadership Academy for Black Youth Black Creek Humber Summit
    Hasco’s Kitchen Wellness Dinner Black Creek Humber Summit
    Jane and Finch Unity Organization Jane and Finch Unity BBQ Black Creek Humber Summit
    Karen Community of Toronto KCT Summer Camp Black Creek Humber Summit
    OK Youth! STEM Voices of Tomorrow Black Creek Humber Summit
    Anishinawbe Wellness Collective Wellness on the Land Black Creek Humber Summit
    All Together, NOW! DEEP SPACE Community Placemaking and Artmaking Social York Weston Pelham
    Concerts on Connolly Concerts on Connolly: Live Outdoor Community Concerts Series York Weston Pelham
    Friends of the Greenline Friends of the Greenline Present: Summer Park Café York Weston Pelham
    HerStory Wellness Group Flow and Glow: Pathways to Period Wellness York Weston Pelham
    Humber River Pals Stewardship Community Celebration York Weston Pelham
    Senior Vietnamese Walking Group Walks and Talks on Health York Weston Pelham
    The MOCHA Project Back 2 School Salon Read-a-thon York Weston Pelham
    Earth Work Visions Sonic River Journey York Weston Pelham
    Black and Zen A Return to Self – Wellness Gatherings for Women of Colour Downtown West
    NAWA Choir “Bidayat – Beginnings” Concert Downtown West
    North of Bloor + Gladstone Mutual Aid Dufferin Grove Wellness Day: Strengthening Community, Mind, and Environment Downtown West
    Cultural Connection Collaborative (3C) Community Play for Civic Action Downtown East
    Regent Park Women’s Health Social Circle Support Group Embracing Change Downtown East
    Resident Wellness Leadership Group Health Empowerment Week Downtown East
    Afro-Indigenous Group Niagara Falls Trip Downtown East
    Community Health Advocates Humber Summit Health Advocacy Day North Etobicoke
    Etobicoke North Youthful Seniors Empowering Community: Healthy Living in North Etobicoke North Etobicoke
    FoodToShare247 Nutrition for All North Etobicoke
    North Etobicoke Resident Council Back-To-School Bonanza North Etobicoke
    Toronto Black Tech Future Collective Toronto Black Tech Youth Boot Camp North Etobicoke
    Central Etobicoke Community Alliances (C.E.C.A) Collective Flourishing. The Growth and Prosperity of a Community as a Whole. South Etobicoke
    Today Not Tomorrow Great Leaders of Tomorrow South Etobicoke
    AlbArt Collective Creative Writing, Art Collage, and Wellness Workshop North York
    Bathurst Finch Women’s Group Building Local Capacity to Lead North York
    Shake It Up Dance and Mind Games North York
    Yaadein Journey through Memories North York
    E-Heroes Group Diverse Unity Fest East York Don Valley
    Kholvad 1970 Celebrating Seniors Who Arrived to Toronto in the 1970s East York Don Valley
    Stay Healthy Promoting Healthy Living Through Mindfulness and Gardening East York Don Valley
    Thorncliffe Park Youth Builders Garden Building Workshops East York Don Valley
    Thorncliffe Wellness Café Group Climate Heroes Celebrating Independence Day East York Don Valley
    42.1 Voices Scarborough’s Food Arteries North Scarborough
    Empowering Young Women Feeding Futures: Empowering Communities for Food Security North Scarborough
    Fundy Bay & Terry Fox Community Sports Summer Fun for Kids North Scarborough
    Nzuko Senior Circle Nzuko Senior Wellness Day North Scarborough
    We Produce Fresh Food (WPFF) Malvern Garden Party for Seniors North Scarborough
    Birchcliff Neighbours Unite South Scarborough Santa + Friends Walk/Run South Scarborough
    Clean and Green Toronto Initiative Group Cleaning the Rivers, Parks and Sidewalks in 705 Progress Avenue Area South Scarborough
    KGO Adult Literacy Program The Right to Read: A Community Conversation South Scarborough
    KGO Community Connect Celebrating Fatherhood (Father’s Day Event) South Scarborough
    KGO Movers & Shakers Bingo Bash and BBQ South Scarborough
    Oakridge Health and Wellness Group A Fun Day in the Prairie Drive Park South Scarborough
    Prairie Drive Park Harvest festival, Garlic Bulbs Distribution, Healthy Walking Programs South Scarborough
    The Scarborough SouthWest Group The Scarborough SouthWest Group South Scarborough
    Youth Propeller Economic Opportunities South Scarborough