Community Foundation grants $120K to six groups

The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough is awarding funding totalling $120,000 to the Elizabeth Fry Society, GreenUp, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, Kawartha World Issues Centre, New Canadians Centre and Trent University’s First Peoples House of Learning.

GreenUp will use the funding on mentorship to “introduce young people to green building, food security, cycling skills, climate adaptation, and water protection,” according to executive director Tegan Moss.

The First Peoples House of Learning, in partnership with the Lovesick Lake Native Women’s Association and Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre, will use the funding for monthly Two-Spirit Circles at Trent serving local First Nations, Inuit and Métis people who selfidentify as Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer and gender diverse.

Other funded projects include:

Elizabeth Fry Society’s Peer Mentor Program, which is aimed at cultivating an intergenerational 2SLGTBQIA+ community of support to build uplifting connections between older and younger members of these communities and help decrease isolation.

Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre’s online platform to offer different courses and training modules that advance gender equality and focus on issues that survivors of sexual violence face such as the impacts of victim-blaming, and bystander intervention training.

The New Canadians Centre’s family literacy program to support newcomer women and their children who are isolated because they face multiple barriers to social participation which in turn has a negative impact on their ability to advance their opportunities for social and economic participation in the community, and also to engage actively in supporting their children’s learning.

A Kawartha World Issues Centre community workshop series on gender equities.

The Community Foundation of Peterborough has made these grants possible through Communities for Gender Equality which is supported by a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund, with support from the federal government.

“We are thrilled to support six local organizations who are working to advance gender equality in our community,” stated Jennifer DeBues, executive director of the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough.

“Investing in their work is key to supporting women who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.”

Established in 2009, the Community Foundation of Peterborough has attracted more than $13 million in endowed and long-term funds and provided more than $6 million in funding for projects “that build community vitality.”