On February 8, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, announced that Foundation for Black Communities was selected to enter into negotiations for the administration of the $200 million Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund. The Foundation for Black Communities is a national, Black-led and Black-serving organization whose proposal demonstrated strong partnerships and significant support from Canada’s Black community.

The Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund will provide long-term sustainable funding and self-sustaining resources for Black-led organizations to better serve Black Canadian communities. Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving non-profit organizations and registered charities are key to the Government of Canada’s fight against anti-Black racism and inequities across the country. 

“In Canada, diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice,” said Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion. “Our government recognizes the systemic barriers that Black Canadian communities have faced and continue to face. The Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund will provide direct support to Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving non-profit organizations and registered charities across the country to help in the fight against systemic anti-Black racism. This selection is a significant step toward building a more inclusive and more equitable Canada where no one is left behind.”
 

Quick facts

• In recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, Budget 2021 committed up to $200 million to establish the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund dedicated to supporting Black-led, Black-focused and Black-serving non-profit organizations and registered charities and organizations serving Black communities in Canada and related social initiatives. 
• Under the Endowment Fund, pending negotiations and signature of a contribution agreement, ESDC will provide the Foundation for Black Communities $199,476,227 in up-front multi-year contributions.
• Prior to running the Call for Proposals in October 2022, the Government of Canada ran two extensive rounds of engagement in 2021 and 2022 with members of Black communities across Canada to inform the design, delivery and implementation of the open and competitive selection process.
• In further recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, the Government of Canada created the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. Since 2019, the Government has made $175 million available through the Initiative to support organizations that promote inclusion and celebrate the contributions of Black and Afro-descendant communities in Canada. 
• Recognizing that Canada’s fight against racism is far from over, Budget 2022 provides $85 million over four years, starting in 2022–23, to support the launch of a new Anti-Racism Strategy and Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

Canadian Flag Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash.