Last Saturday, the Association canadienne-française de l’Ontario – Stormont, Dundas et Glengarry (ACFO SDG) took advantage of the great festivities of Women’s Day to celebrate three grants awarded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (FTO) for a total amount of $407,700 as well as the results and upcoming activities of the funded projects.
“The impact of these grants to the ACFO of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry from the Ontario Trillium Foundation should not be underestimated,” said MPP Nolan Quinn. “ACFO SDG plays a crucial role in providing important cultural, recreational and economic services to the diverse populations of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. Thanks to these grants, they will be able to continue their excellent work in the community.”
The start-up grant in the amount of $75,000 was awarded in 2020 to allow ACFO to organize activities as part of the project “Pouvoir d’agir des jeunes francophones et autochtones” (Empowerment of Francophone and Aboriginal youth), which is part of the various reconciliation between peoples. This project allowed 425 students, Francophones and Aboriginals, to discover each other while exploring their respective cultures and collaborating on common initiatives, including the great success of the Lacrosse tournament that took place in Cornwall and Akwesasne.
A second grant, this time from the Resilient Communities Fund, in the amount of $140,900, helped ACFO SDG recover from the effects of the pandemic by allowing them to adapt their programming and even undertake a process of strategic planning 2023-2027. 104 people contributed to the consultation that inspired the development of this plan. Updating of mission and vision, confirmation of values, identification of innovative projects, exploration of financial diversification strategies, alignment with sustainable development goals and implementation of impact assessment for programming have been possible in order to better meet the needs of the community.
Finally, a third grant of $191,800 from the Resilient Communities Fund was awarded by the OTF to enable ACFO SDG to develop a market study to confirm the real and emerging needs of the diverse Francophone community of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry and better inform the implementation by carrying out an exhaustive diagnosis integrating the inventory, the critical issues, the challenges, the strengths of the community, the opportunities, and the needs. A social map will present the regional Francophone ecosystem. A 2030 vision of the community will be developed, a unifying mission stated and shared values will fuel community cohesion and this in a perspective of sustainable development.
“The impact of these OTF grants cannot be underestimated,” said Céline Baillargeon-Tardif, Executive Director of ACFO SDG. “I am very proud that this community strategic planning is being carried out in our region with interested community, school, institutional and private collaborators. To succeed together, ACFO SDG will facilitate this inclusive and participatory process.”
ACFO SDG provides innovative community, cultural, recreational, and economic services within a proud and diverse community. ACFO SDG received a clear mandate from the community to implement its community plan, which is based on the following four strategic pillars: leadership and community cohesion, representation and collaboration with governments, outreach and celebration, and organizational performance.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s largest grantmaking foundations, celebrates 40 years of grantmaking in Ontario and making an impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested $209M in 2,042 community projects and partnerships, including funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Futures Fund. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
