Item - 2022.EC29.3

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council delegate authority to the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, to allocate Community Service Partnerships funding until the end of the grant cycle in December 31, 2026.

2. City Council request the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, to report annually to the Economic and Community Development Committee on the grants approved through Recommendation 1 above.

Throughout the pandemic, not-for-profit organizations, grassroots and resident-led groups have assumed vital leadership roles in responding to the urgent and often exacerbated needs of Torontonians who are vulnerable. As a key funder of groups and organizations across Toronto, Social Development, Finance and Administration provided over $65 million in 2020 and 2021 to support the social service sector through ongoing and emergency grant programs.

In responding to the emerging situation brought forth by the pandemic, Social Development, Finance and Administration prioritized providing stable support for long-term funded groups while also targeting new and enhanced investments to address the City's reconciliation and equity goals and commitments to support already marginalized communities experiencing disproportionate impacts from the pandemic. The co-development of the Indigenous and Black-mandated Funding Frameworks with community leaders is representative of Social Development, Finance and Administration's commitment to a post-pandemic funding landscape that prioritizes support for Indigenous, Black-mandated and other equity-deserving groups. This report provides an update on the development of these two initiatives and details investments made to pilot approaches based on early findings of research designed to prioritize the voices of Indigenous and Black leaders.

Since 2018, Social Development, Finance and Administration has been on a path to increase demonstrable impact within the 176 organizations and 327 programs funded by the Community Service Partnerships grant program. Often considered core or backbone funding for a diverse group of Toronto not-for-profit organizations, stability of funding and services for Torontonians has been prioritized since the beginning of the pandemic. As we move into a post-pandemic environment, an extended year of continued funding is recommended as City staff work with sector leaders to begin to envision what a funding portfolio reflective of the City's goals and priorities will look like moving forward into the mid-2020's.

Finally, this report provides an overview of all grants approved with delegated authority since November 2020. These grants include those implemented to support the delivery of emergency programs to support marginalized Torontonians during the COVID-19 pandemic, grants to support the delivery of mental health services to those in neighbourhoods hardest hit by the pandemic, grants to support communities as they heal in the aftermath of violent incidents, as well as those designed to support youth and resident leaders to implement initiatives to support their communities.