The City of Toronto is pleased to officially announce the recipients of its second Youth Violence Prevention Grant to support the de-escalation of violence in 23 priority communities across Toronto.
Through the grant, the City will allocate approximately $2.7 million in funding to 13 local community organizations and 12 grassroots partners for up to three years. The funding will help support programming in communities identified as Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and/or revitalization sites across Toronto.
The 2023 Youth Violence Prevention Grant recipients include:
The 23 communities served by this investment were selected based on a data-driven approach that identified many incidents in these communities. Applications were assessed through a two-stage process that prioritized youth voices from the priority community zones.
Youth were trained to review and recommend proposals and were supported by City staff throughout the process. This training and support, combined with the lived experience of the youth, ensures funding directly addresses the specific needs of the Toronto communities and neighbourhoods most impacted by violence. A total of 18 youth and 11 city staff were engaged in the review, assessment and funding recommendation stages across priority community zones.
Successful 2023 Youth Violence Prevention Grantees will also participate in the city-wide Youth Violence Prevention Network. This will help to strengthen multi-sector collaboration and build the community’s capacity to lead and deepen community involvement, as highlighted in the SafeTO: Toronto’s Ten-Year Community Safety and Well-Being Plan. More information is available on the SafeTO webpage.
Community violence stems from inequities in the city and diminishing social determinants of health that often leave young people and their families vulnerable. If left unattended, these inequities can create complex conditions, including expressions of community violence. Community-led, grassroots-led programming is understood to be a highly effective way to reach youth and implement violence de-escalation strategies in local communities.
The list of successful Grant recipients can be found on the Youth Violence Prevention Grant webpage.
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