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

• setting up  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

Current Grants

Calgary, Alberta
ALLIES has awarded CRIEC a grant to expand its mentoring initiatives, and to grow corporate and community partnerships. CRIEC will also coordinate a strategy to engage with and source talent from Professional Immigrant Networks (PINs).

Halifax, Nova Scotia
ALLIES has awarded the Halifax Regional Municipality a grant to implement a comprehensive employer awareness and engagement program. A key initiative under this program is the Connector Program, led by the Greater Halifax Partnership., The Connector Program recruits “connectors” to refer immigrants to a minimum of three people in their own network. Each of them is encouraged to refer the immigrant to  three other professionals in their field. This initiative helps newcomers build a professional network that can be an invaluable asset to them in their professional life.

Montréal, Québec
ALLIES has awarded a grant to La Conférence régionale des élus (CRÉ) de Montréal, an association of elected officials, community and business leaders focused on the socioeconomic development of the Montréal region.

The CRÉ is leading Alliés Montréal, a multi-stakeholder group that will undertake a combination of initiatives to draw attention to the challenges immigrants face in the labour market and the value their skills bring to improving our economy.

Toronto, Ontario
ALLIES has awarded TRIEC a grant to build a mentor support and professional development program and to design an evaluation framework to measure the impact of the Council’s work. The grant will also be used to enhance TRIEC’s communication tools to build awareness among employers on the business case for hiring and retaining skilled immigrant talent.

Closed Grants

Edmonton, Alberta
ALLIES has awarded a grant to the Edmonton Social Planning Council. Led by the Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC), employers, citizens and institutions have come together to deal with the region’s fast growing economy and significant labour market shortages. As its first action item, ERIEC developed a mentoring program for Edmonton.

North Bay, Ontario
ALLIES has rewarded a grant to the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre (NBDMC) to explore the viability of a human resources support services centre that will serve small and medium-sized enterprises in North Bay, Timmins and surrounding areas.

Read an analysis of the report

Peterborough, Ontario
ALLIES has rewarded a grant to the New Canadians Centre of Peterborough to establish a mentoring program for skilled immigrants. The grant also includes funding for a public awareness campaign to promote the program.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
ALLIES has awarded a grant to the Saskatoon Community Foundation. This grant will support the creation of an immigrant employment council that develops local interventions and solutions to meet the needs of both Saskatoon’s employers and skilled immigrants who live in the region. Many large employers have to look outside of Saskatchewan to meet their labour needs.

Toronto, Ontario
ALLIES has awarded a grant to JVS Toronto to offer a cross-cultural group mentoring program with Professional Immigrant Networks in the Greater Toronto Area. The program has assisted skilled immigrants in building their professional networks to find employment.

Vancouver, British Columbia
ALLIES has awarded the Vancouver Foundation a grant to lead the Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IECBC) to address the challenges immigrants face in finding employment that matches their education and professional experience. The Council has engaged employers, government, settlement organizations, and other key stakeholders to develop solution-based programs that facilitate the labour market integration of skilled immigrants.