BOF Grants for Arts and Culture, and Criminal Justice focused initiatives

Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) aims to help dismantle the impacts of systemic anti-Black racism by allocating resources to community organizations which undertake initiatives that impact the quality of life in Canada's Black communities.

In 2023, we are launching a grant program through funding from the TD Ready Commitment. 

The focus areas for the BOF Grant Program will be Black-led, Black-serving and Black focused not-for-profits and charities (B3s) leading impactful initiatives in the areas of Arts and Culture, and Criminal Justice, which are two of BOF’s key priority areas.

Connection to grant objectives/criteria

At this time, BOF is providing grants in support of 2 program streams – Arts and Culture, and Criminal Justice. The stream selected should reflect the primary focus of the proposed project activities. 

Below are some examples of priority focus issues in the areas of arts and culture, and criminal justice.

Arts & Culture:

• Systems change: collaboration initiatives that leads to system-wide changes for sustainability  
• Capacity Building: initiatives that build governance, operations capacity, to increase impact
• Mental Health and Well-being  

Criminal Justice: 

• Reintegration programs: programs or services that help individuals re-enter into society
• Prevention & supports: programs or services that reduce risk of incarceration 
• Mental Health and Well-being

Eligibility criteria

• Must be a *Black-led, Black-focused and **Black-serving organization;
• Must be a registered Canadian not-for-profit organization or charity;
• Must have an existing project in the areas of arts and culture, or criminal justice, which meets the granting program criteria, or a proposed project for which funding has already been secured;
• Must have an online web presence (i.e. website, social media, etc);
• Must be able to show up-to-date financial statements;
• Must be able to provide a project budget for the initiative for which funding is being sought;
• Cannot have any outstanding tax debt – or should have an up-to-date payment plan (demonstrating at least two (2) months of on time payment of outstanding tax debt); 
• Organization cannot have declared bankruptcy

*Black-led:

At least two thirds of the leadership (e.g. board of directors, executive, management team) must self-identify as Black

**Black-serving:

Significant portion of program activities prioritize serving Black communities of Canada

Black Opportunity Fund recognizes and is committed to reduce the power imbalances inherent to funder/fundee relationships and to use an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. We use trust-based participatory decision-making processes so the communities who are most impacted by our work have a say in how we carry out our mandate.

Please direct program related questions to: 

bofgrants@blackopportunityfund.org

About Black Opportunity Fund 

Black Opportunity Fund (BOF)is a community-led registered Canadian Charitable organization, that supports a prosperous, healthy and thriving Black Canada by challenging anti-Black racism in two ways. First, we respond to long standing underinvestment in Black communities.  We do this by delivering sustainable and needs-informed capital streams, managed by Black people for the benefit of Black communities, which disrupt ineffective and disempowering contemporary funding practices. Second, we work nationally to strengthen collective actions by Black organizations and leaders, helping them to create new and more impactful ways to support and advocate for our community.

BOF prioritizes initiatives around education and youth, health, women and gender, criminal justice, entrepreneurship, arts, culture and recreation, and food insecurity, that impact the quality of life in Black communities across Canada.

Black Opportunity Fund fulfills its mandate by:

• Facilitating access to capital for Black-led businesses to drive economic empowerment through the disbursement of loans, equity investments and other funding support.
• Providing grants to Black-led not for profits and charities, who are leading initiatives that impact the quality of life in Canada’s Black communities.

Black Opportunity Fund recognizes and is committed to reduce the power imbalances inherent to funder/fundee relationships and to use an anti-oppression and intersectional lens. We use trust based participatory decision-making processes so the communities who are most impacted by our work have a say in how we carry out our mandate.

Before proceeding with your application, please review this applicant guide to using the SurveyMonkey Apply Platform. 

Black Opportunity Fund’s Registered charity # 727678070 RR 0001

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