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RBC Future Launch Community Challenge a call to action for youth

July 15, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Makayla Pereira

The RBC Future Launch Community Challenge is a call to action for youth in the community, aged 15 to 29.

The Community Foundations of Canada and the RBC Foundation have partnered to award youth members in over 150 small communities across Canada with a charitable grant.

In each participating community, youth and partner organizations with a charitable status will have an opportunity to apply for a grant to support a youth-led project that addresses one central question: 

What is your boldest idea to respond to an urgent local need? 

“New community challenges empower young people to make a difference in 150 Canadian communities while helping them build skills for the future. Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and the RBC Foundation are pleased to announce the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge, is a historic $5 million initiative that will enable participating community foundations to support youth leadership across the country,” said the Dufferin Community Foundation.

It’s with thanks to the RBC Foundation and the Community Foundation of Canada that the Dufferin Community Foundation can grant $15,000 to the individual(s) that have the best response to an urgent local need. 

“Canadian communities are as diverse as young people themselves and community members have the best sense of what’s needed locally. Projects may focus on a wide diversity of local priorities,” states the Community Foundation of Canada grant application.

The winner(s) will be award based on their ability to answer the question of how they will solve the urgent local need in their community. The Dufferin Community Foundation will be working to determine what applicant(s) will receive the grant

The grant of $15,000 could be awarded to one individual or divided into three grants of $5000. The applications are open now and will close on September 18 2019, 

“Within the period of September and December a local grant issue team will make the decision on who receives the money and they will be made aware of that by the end of 2019,” said Debbie Goss, the community outreach person for the Dufferin Community Foundation.

The youth is expected to respond to an urgent local need, whether it be homelessness, health, learning, poverty, environmental issues or even food security. The youth will have to draft a plan on how this money will help them solve the local issue. The money will however be entirely in the hands of the youth and they will be expected to report on where the money will be going and why.

Grants from the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge can be used to cover reasonable expenses in order to complete the project a few of these may be equipment rental, food, transportation, or the purchase of materials necessary for the project.

“That’s what is different between this grant and a number of other grants is that this is really youth driven,” said Ms. Goss.

Dufferin Community Foundation, one of almost 200 community foundations across Canada, just received their charitable status in December of 2018 and have been working to make a difference in the community every day since.

The Foundation also has another grant available to the public right now, although it isn’t youth-driven it does require applicants to pair up with a charitable organization and explain what you can do with $1,000. Ms. Goss went on to explain how the answers to this question are shocking, and says it’s surprising how far a $1,000 grant can go.

For full details you can visit the Dufferin Community Foundation website at dufferincommunityfoundation.ca and visit grant seekers to know more about the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge.

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