Funding

The objective of the ALLIES funding program is to advance the appropriate employment of skilled immigrants through:

  • the seeding of local immigrant employment councils
  • strengthening the capacity of existing and viable local immigrant employment councils
  • finding new and creative solutions and partners to meet our mission

ALLIES provides three kinds of funding support. They are:

  1. Start-Up Grants – to create or set up an immigrant employment council where none exists in large urban centres in Canada
  2. Resource Grants – to build capacity, expand programs, engage in employer outreach or advance policy perspectives in existing immigrant employment councils/networks
  3. Innovation Grants – to test new, innovative and strategic immigrant employment solutions with other stakeholders

Guidelines

Applicants should submit a letter of interest (no more than 3 pages).

This letter must include:

  • objectives of the proposed program or initiative
  • planned activities, deliverables and intended impact
  • budget for the project and funding request to ALLIES (note budget can be submitted as a separate document)
  • capacity of the collaborative/organization to undertake the project

If the application fits within the scope of eligible activities, we will request a full proposal.

All requests for funding are subject to a formal review and assessment by the ALLIES Steering Committee. All funding decisions are final.

Please send your letter of interest and or questions about ALLIES funding to Peter Paul.

1. Start-Up Grants

Eligibility for funding:
Funding proposals must come from, or be sponsored by, a registered charity with the objective of creating a collaborative of city leaders, agencies and local employers dedicated to conceptualizing and implementing local immigrant employment solutions.  Funding preference will be given to those applications where there is evidence of interest/participation of essential partners.  An eligible community is one that is:

  • experiencing labour market growth and demand and are home to a community of skilled but underemployed immigrants; OR
  • experiencing labour market growth and need to attract and retain skilled immigrants to strengthen and grow their economy.

Eligible activities include:

  • establish a multi-stakeholder council to address challenges that skilled immigrants face and develop a plan for engagement.  The proposed council will include significant local employers, all three     levels of government, community agencies, immigrant leaders educational institutions, labour and regulatory bodies
  • develop and implement a tangible project that advances immigrant employment in the community that has the buy-in of all stakeholders, and in particular local employers.

Grant amount:
One-time grants of up to $60,000 will be awarded to organizations to establish an immigrant employment council and implement an action-oriented project.

2. Resource Grants

Eligibility for funding:
These funds will be granted to immigrant employment councils or networks. In all cases, ALLIES will have a pre-established relationship with these councils or networks.

Eligible activities include:

  • building and expanding local programs aimed at ensuring that skilled immigrants are attached to suitable employment
  • advancing policy and program  perspectives (convening policy tables and producing policy briefs or position papers which provide concrete recommendations and solutions grounded in the local context)
  • undertaking various forms of employer outreach to connect local employers to skilled immigrants

Grant amount:
One-time grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 will be awarded.

3. Innovation Grants

Eligibility for funding:
These funds will be granted to any registered charity that creates a new, innovative and strategic solution that helps skilled immigrants overcome the systemic barriers they face when seeking employment

Eligible activities include:

  • new ways of connecting skilled immigrants to employers
  • new ways of engaging small and medium-sized businesses
  • new ways of using communications and media for building public education and awareness around immigrant employment
  • new ways of engaging Canada’s mainstream institutions (health, education, law, media, regulatory and licensing bodies etc.) in immigrant employment solutions
  • other ideas

Of particular interest to ALLIES are partnerships with organizations/stakeholders that are not currently involved in our efforts, who have national reach and/or whose ideas can have impact on the national context.

Grant amount:
One-time grants of up to $ 100,000 will be awarded.

Please send your letter of interest and or questions about ALLIES funding to Peter Paul.