Children, Youth & Families Grant Recipients
Since 2016, we’ve made more than $21 million in grants to inspiring charities that support children, youth and families.
Featured Grant Recipients
We’re proud to highlight some of our exceptional long-term partners. These organizations support youth and families through education, economic opportunities, access to mental health support, and increased food access.
Teach for Canada
$1,975,250 over eleven years
To work with northern First Nations to recruit, prepare, and support committed teachers, in order to make education more equal.
Pathways to Education
$1,000,000 over four years
To help youth graduate from high school and break the cycle of poverty.
Community Food Centres Canada
$700,000 over seven years
To foster health and social connection in communities across Canada through Community Food Centres.
Right to Play
$450,000 over four years
To build leadership capacity in Indigenous community partners and help children overcome adversity through the transformative power of play.
Second Harvest
$450,000 over three years
To improve fresh food access for food insecure youth across the GTA through collecting surplus food, combating hunger and food waste simultaneously.
Up With Women
$425,000 over five years
To empower women to rebuild their careers after violence and homelessness.
Covenant House
$390,000 over five years
To provide comprehensive support to nurture all elements of health and wellbeing for youth experiencing homelessness.
EntrepreNorth
$260,000 over three years
To empower Indigenous and community-based entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses and livelihoods across Northern Canada.
MABELLEarts
$247,000 over four years
To support the transition of MABELLEarts’ food security response from a food bank model into a micro-business and social enterprise that unlocks economic opportunity for local residents.
2025/2026 Grant Recipients
In our 2025/2026 granting year, we continue to support community-based and led initiatives across Canada that advance equity in mental health, food security, education, and economic opportunity.
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Community Music Schools of Toronto$75,000 of $225,000 To provide free, culturally grounded music education and holistic supports for children and youth in Toronto
Year 1 of 3
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Human Nature Counselling Society$22,000 to To deliver land-based mental health education in collaboration with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers through the Guam Guam Specums (‘Strong Flowers’) Program in Victoria
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MakeWay Charitable Society – East Scarborough Storefront$100,000 To support women from diverse backgrounds to access meaningful employment in Toronto’s social services sector
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Renascent Foundation$62,000 To deliver holistic, family-centered mental health support for youth impacted by addiction
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Take a Hike Youth Mental Health Foundation$50,000 To provide school-based mental health counselling integrated with outdoor experiential programs for youth in Ontario
2024/2025 Grant Recipients
In 2024/2025, the Peter Gilgan Foundation continued support for initiatives advancing education, food security, and youth mental health—helping sustain long-term impact in communities across Canada.
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Access Community Capital Fund$40,000 to support the Women’s Business Launch program for newcomer women in the GTA
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Blue Door$85,000 to provide construction training and wraparound support to create pathways to stable careers for youth and young adults
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Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre$50,000 to provide essential mental health interventions for children and youth in Toronto who have experienced abuse
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Business in the Streets$90,000 of $270,000 to deliver entrepreneurship programs and income-generating experiences for youth facing barriers to career-development
Year 1 of 3
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Canadian Mental health Association, York and Simcoe Region$5,000 to support the Mobile Youth Walk-In Clinic offering Cognitive Behavioural Training for youth in York and Simcoe
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Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa$50,000 to provide tailored academic and socio-emotional support for youth supported by the child welfare system
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Community Food Centres Canada$100,000 of $300,000 to foster health and social connection in communities across Canada through Community Food Centres
Year 3 of 3
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Covenant House$90,000 to develop inclusive, trauma-informed mental health resources for youth experiencing homelessness in Toronto
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Dress for Success$50,000 to address employment barriers for diverse women in Toronto through the BIPOC Women’s Career Cohort
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Fed Urban Agriculture$10,000 to engage youth in hands-on urban agriculture training and mentorship
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Focus Forward for Indigenous Youth$34,000 to support the Traditional Skills and Entrepreneurship program for Indigenous youth in NWT.
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Fred Victor$100,000 to strengthen food access for individuals and households experiencing food insecurity across Toronto
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Gakinaamaage – Teach For Canada$250,000 of $1,000,000 to To work with northern First Nations to recruit, prepare, and support committed teachers, in order to make education more equal
Year 3 of 4
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Girls Incorporated of York Region$50,000 to deliver culturally appropriate mental health supports to girls, young women and their families across the GTA and the Chippeqas of Geogina First Nations Reserve
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Guelph Community Health Centre$100,000 expand food access programs via community pickup hubs across Guelph-Wellington
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Halton Food for Thought$60,125 to strengthen nutrition programs at 13 priority schools in Halton
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Horizons for Youth$15,000 to improve mental health programming for youth working to transition out of the shelter system
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Indigenous Friends Association$50,000 to support an education and digital literacy platform for Indigenous youth
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Indspire$50,000 support Indigenous youth pursuing postsecondary through the Building Brighter Futures program
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Leftovers Foundation$50,000 to support food rescue in Alberta and Manitoba
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Lionheart Foundation$50,000 to deliver community-based mental health services for youth aged 12–25 in Calgary
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Loving Spoonful$39,396 to engage youth to learn diversified vegetable production skills and increase dignified food access at the Kingston Community Training Farm
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MABELLEarts$75,000 of $225,00 to support the transition of MABELLEarts’ food security response from a food bank model into a community-led micro-business and social enterprise model
Year 2 of 3
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Malvern Family Resource Centre$90,000 to scale food security initiatives in the Malvern community and promote access to local food at Malvern Urban Farm and Farmers Market
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OCH Foundation for Healthy Communities$25,000 to support youth living in Ottawa Community Housing prepare for post-secondary eduction and employment through the Youth Futures leadership program
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Operation Come Home$50,000 to deliver wraparound supports for youth at risk of dropping out of high school through the Diversion Works project
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Parents of Black Children$50,000 to connect Black youth to culturally appropriate mental health supports
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Pathways to Education$250,000 of $1,000,000 to support 250 students with wraparound education programming to succeed in high school
Year 2 of 4
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Raising the Roof$128,649 to expand affordable property management tenant services in the Greater Toronto Area
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Second Harvest$150,000 of $450,000 to strengthen food rescue and delivery operations to provide food access for children and youth in the Greater Toronto Area
Year 2 of 3
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Seeds of Diversity$15,000 to empower youth engaging in local food systems through the Waterloo Region Youth Food Market
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Seneca Polytechnic$100,000 of $300,000 to support young people to overcome barriers to postsecondary education
Year 1 of 3
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The Learning Enrichment Foundation$35,000 to address employment barriers for youth in the GTA
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The Neighbourhood Group Community Services$50,000 to support Youth Awoken mental health services for youth in the Taylor Massey Oakridge community
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The Stop Community Health Centre$30,000 to provide dignifed access to fresh food for community members experiencing food insecurity
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Toronto District School Board – STEP to Construction$100,000 to support the STEP to Construction program for high school youth interested in a career in the trades
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United Way of Greater Toronto$75,000 to empower youth facing barriers to employment with hands-on training in starting up, sustaining and scaling of employment social enterprises
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United Way Windsor Essex$100,000 to improve post-secondary retention and completion rates for equity-deserving youth through the On Track to Success program
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Up With Women$100,000 of $300,000 to help women, gender-diverse, and single parent families build a sustainable pathway out of poverty
Year 1 of 3
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YMCA of Northern Alberta$50,000 to support the Youth Transitions Program (YTP) for primarily Indigenous youth in Fort Chipewyan
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YMCA of Oakville$80,000 of $250,000 to support the Y Mind mental wellness program for youth in Oakville
Year 2 of 3
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Youth Without Shelter$75,000 to support youth experiencing homelessness stay on track to graduate high school through the Stay in School program
2024/2025 GTA Community Grants Program Recipients
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Back 2 Basickz$14,950 to provide youth in the Jane-Finch community with education and hands-on experience in local food systems
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Beat the Streets$14,600 to support the Work it Girl preemployment and recreation program for girls aged 13-18 in Toronto
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Birchmount Community Action Council$15,000 to increase access to fresh, locally grown food for residents facing food insecurity in Birchmount and Ionview through the Nourishing Futures food security program
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Black Creek Community Farm$ 4,500 to support the Market Garden Youth Program, a youth-led food justice and economic empowerment program in the Jane-Finch community
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Black E.S.T.E.E.M$15,000 To support the Coded VR Project for Black girls interested in STEM in Toronto
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BTC Be the Change$11,200 to address math and english education disparities for Black youth through the Elevate Black Futures: Academic Success & Pathways program
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Canadian South Asian Growth and Support Services$14,920 to engage 20 parent-child teams in hands on community cooking sessions
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Community Share Food Bank$8,250 to support the Overland Environmental Learning Garden in North York
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Endless Possibilities Hope Development Organization$12,900 to prepare youth in Scarborough for postsecondary through the Endless Mentorship & Career Development Program
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Flemingdon Park Ministry$15,000 to engage newcomer women and youth in sustainable farming and cooking with farm-fresh produce
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Green Thumbs Growing Kids$15,000 to support the School Gardens Land Back urban agriculture program in Toronto
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Impakt Foundation for Social Change$15,000 to support the employment pathways for newcomer and refugee youth
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Inno-Hive, an Innovation Learning Community$12,000 to engage youth in STEM-based urban agriculture training
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Laadliyan, Celebrating & Empowering Daughters$15,000 to connect young south asian women with experienced, representative mentors
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Mama’s Healing Garden$15,000 to increase access for Black, Indigenous, and marginalized community members to nutritious, locally grown food
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marketcityTO$15,000 to support the Public Markets Training Program & Implementation Network project
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PACT Urban Peace Program$10,000 to provide weekly boxes of fresh, nutritious produce to families experiencing food insecurity in Rexdale and Lawrence Heights
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Shining Lighte Youth Charity$2,000 to engage youth in Mississauga in hands on STEM education through the Tech Time Program
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Shoot for Peaceto engage Black and racialized youth to training and opportunities in digital media in Toronto
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SOSO World Ministries$15,000 to support the Nutritious Eating Guide project in increasing equitable access to nutritious food
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St. Philips Lutheran Church$15,000 to build access to fresh produce, cooking skills programs, and community meals for families experiencing food insecurity
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Sundance Commons$6,400 to engage youth from diverse backgrounds in the process of growing food and learning about sustainable farming practices through the Farming for Food Justice project
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The Bartley Skills Development Program$7,500 to support the Beyond Barbering entrepreneurship program for youth in Brampton
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The Journey Neighbourhood Centre$10,000 To support the Reading, Inspiration, Strength, Empowerment (RISE) program for youth in Brampton
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The Skills for Life Inc.$15,000 to deliver academic support, mentorship, and post-secondary preparedness
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Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Services$15,000 to promote gardening and cooking initiatives for newcomer youth living with autism
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Ubuntu Community Collective$15,000 to support the Access to Food and Farming project in Downsview Park
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Uprooted Black Earth Stewards$15,000 to support the Black Earth Stewards Trainee (BEST) program for youth in Brampton
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WMC Motherhood$4,080 to support the Nourish and Nurther food security program for Black mothers and their families
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Women & Children Precious Shelter$15,000 to improve food security for women and children who have experienced domestic violence in Brampton
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York Region Education Services$10,000 ro provide free robotics and coding education to underserved youth
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Zawadi Connections$4,650 to support the build of an school outdoor classroom with a native plant and food garden in Rexdale
2023/2024 Grant Recipients
In 2023/2024, we awarded grants across our four funding themes: Education and Economic Opportunities, Children and Youth Mental Health, Food Security and Systems. We also ran our second year of the GTA Community Grants Program and have partnered with 16 grassroots organizations doing incredible work within their communities.
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The Alex Community Health Centre$100,000 to connect at-risk youth in Calgary, Alberta to mental health supports through the Youth Health Bus and Community Health Bus programs
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Breakfast CLub of Canada$125,000 to support the First Nations School Nutrition Program
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Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada$75,000 to support the Connections Mental Health program
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Community Food Centres Canada$100,000 of $300,000 To foster health and social connection in low-income communities across Canada through Community Food Centres
Year 2 of 3
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Community Music Schools of Toronto$75,000 of 225,000 To enable free, culturally informed music education and wraparound supports for children and youth in Toronto
Year 2 of 3
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Covenant House Toronto$85,000 to provide mental health services for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness and trafficking
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Discovery House Family Violence Prevention Society$20,000 to improve counselling services for children and youth affected by domestic violence in Calgary, Alberta
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EveryMind Mental Health Services$20,000 to support counselling and therapy services for youth in the Region of Peel
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Fora: Network for Change$50,000 to support the Rise on Boards program
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The Fort Whyte Foundation$10,000 to support the FortWhyte Farms-Growing Forward project
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Gakinaamaage – Teach For Canada$250,000 of $1,000,000 to To work with northern First Nations to recruit, prepare, and support committed teachers, in order to make education more equal
Year 2 of 3
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The Gatehouse Child Abuse Investigation & Support Site$15,000 to improve counselling services for young adults in Toronto who are affected by childhood abuse
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Growing Chefs! Ontario$50,000 to support the Learn to Grow, Grow to Give project
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Guelph Community Health Centre$50,000 to increase household food security for youth and families in Guelph
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Hackergal$20,000 to support girls in grades 9-12 gain access to STEM skills while leading their own coding clubs
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Halton Food for Thought$52,525 to enhance universal school food programming for 16 high priority elementary schools across Halton
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Hope Blooms Youth Sociak Entrepreneurial Ventures Inc.$20,000 to develop food-based social enterprise programs for marginalized youth living in low-income communities in Halifax
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Human Nature Counselling Society$25,000 to support the Guam Guam Specums (Strong Flowers) nature-based group therapy program in Victoria, BC
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Malvern Family Resource Centre$50,000 to support Malvern Urban Farm’s equity-focused food subscription box program
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Martin Family Initiative$50,000 to co-create culturally-specific early childhood programming with Indigenous-led organizations across Canada
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Mood Disorders Association of Ontario$35,000 to deliver of Dialectical Behavior Therapy services to youth ages 14-17 and their families
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NPower Canada$150,000 to support the NPower Canada Youth Upskilling Initiative
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PATH Empoyment Services$10,000 to support the L.I.F.T. Youth Mentorship & Career Launch Program
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Pathways to Education$250,000 of $1,000,000 to support 250 students with wraparound education programming to succeed in high school
Year 1 of 3
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Right to Play International$100,000 to to bring play-based programming to Indigenous youth in three Saskatchewan communities
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Sarnia-Lambton “Rebound”$35,000 to support the Hub Integrative Youth Drop-In Service
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Second Harvest$150,000 of $450,000 to strengthen food rescue and delivery operations to provide food access for children and youth in the Greater Toronto Area
Year 1 of 3
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Seneca College$100,000 of $300,000 to support young people to overcome barriers to postsecondary education
Year 3 of 3
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Shad Canada$100,000 to provide transformational entrepreneurship and innovation programs for youth facing systemic barriers
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Social Planning Council of Ottawa$50,000 to deliver mental health services to immigrant and newcomer children and youth, while building community supports
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Spirit North$25,000 to promote positive youth development and employment for Indigenous youth in remote communities throughout Alberta and Ontario
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Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Foundation$50,000 to build on the success of the Family Navigation Project to increase engagement and meet the needs of equity deserving families in the Greater Toronto Area
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Thrive Youth Development Canada$50,000 to support accessible leadership-based education for youth 12-15 years old in the Greater Toronto Area
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Toronto District School Board – STEP to Construction$100,000 to prepare equity-deserving youth in the GTA for a meaningful career in the construction trades
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Toronto Foundation for Student Success$125,000 to support free and nourishing school food for children and youth through the Ontario Student Nutrition Program
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Trails Youth Initiatives$20,000 of $80,000 to support positive mental health and education factors through outdoor, recreational sessions for youth through the Four Seasons, Four Years, For Life program
Year 3 of 4
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United Way of the Alberta Capital Region$42,248 to support the All in for Youth Inner-City Youth Health Initiative
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Up With Women$100,000 of $300,000 to help families exit poverty through employment and entrepreneurship coaching
Year 3 of 3
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Venture for Canada$50,000 to support the VFC Fellowship Program
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Visions of Science$50,000 to support the STEM Launch program
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Water First$50,000 of $150,000 to support the Environmental Water Internship for Indigenous Youth program
Year 1 of 3
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Windmill Microlending$100,000 of $300,000 to provide wraparound supports for newcomer mothers accessing Windmill’s Loan Fund
Year 2 of 3
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YMCA of Greater Toronto$75,000 to support the Black Achievers Mentorship Program
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YMCA of Oakville$100,000 of $250,000 to support the Y Mind mental wellness program
Year 1 of 3
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Yonge Street Mission$67,229 of $202,257 to provide education supports for children in care or at-risk of entering care
Year 2 of 3
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Youth Employment Services$75,000 to strengthen programs and services targeting youth facing barriers to meaningful employment in the Greater Toronto Area
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Youth Empowerment and Support Services$50,000 to strengthen the mental health clinic servicing youth ages 15-24 in Edmonton, Alberta
2023/2024 GTA Community Grants Program Recipients
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Believe to Achieve Organization$5,300 to support the BTA: Rising Up program
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The Bike Brigade$14,500 to support the building of food security for community members through mutual aid
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Black Creek Youth Initiative$9,200 to support the Empowering Futures: Integrated Family Support program
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CaterToronto$15,000 to support the cTo Food Systems Train the Trainer program
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Creating Together EarlyON Child and Family Centre$15,000 to support the Early Years Literacy Program
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Green Thumbs Growing Kids$15,000 to support the Urban Roots Youth program
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Jane Alliance Neigborhood Services$15,000 to support the FutureTech Skills Accelerator program
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Mama’s Healing Garden$15,000 to support the Grow, Heal, and Thrive project
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The PACT Urban Peace Program$10,000 to support the Grow to Learn Fresh Food Box program
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Parkdale Project Read$15,000 to support the Food Box Programme
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Play Forever$15,000 to support the Skills for Tomorrow program
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St. Philips Lutheran Church$15,000 to support the Community Markets and Meals project
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Toronto Black Farmers- Afro Caribbean Farmers’ Market$15,000 to support the Afro-Caribbean Farmers Market’s Callaloo Cash program
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Toronto Futbol Athletic Advancement$15,000 to support the Downtown East Youth Council project
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Ubuntu Community Collective$15,000 to support Access to Food and Farming II
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Uprooted Black Earth Stewards$10,000 to support the Brampton Youth Farming Collective’s Grow Together Community Project
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York Region Educational Services$15,000 to support the Educational Enhancement Initiative
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Youth Now on Track Services$15,000 to support the Youth Employment and Skills Project
Past Recipients
For details of grant recipients from previous years please check out our Annual Reports.