Investing in Niagara
We are proud to have partnered with Community Foundations of Canada and the Government of Canada to deliver the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) in the Niagara Region.
Launched on May 19, 2020, during Round 1 of funding, we invested $918,000 of the ECSF towards local Niagara charities and qualified donees supporting populations experiencing heightened vulnerability during the COVID-19 Crisis. During Round 2, launched in October, we invested an aditional $366,266 bringing the total amount invested into Niagara over $1.2 million! A full list of charities supported in Round 1 and Round 2 are listed below.
High Demand for Funds
Since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March, community-based charities and nonprofit organizations have been working tirelessly to provide emergency support, in particular to individuals and communities experiencing heightened vulnerability. We know the need for funding is still significant and in partnership with Community Foundation's Canada, we are continuing to advocate for broader recovery and stabilization support for the charitable sector.
To learn more about NCF’s other granting programs, please click here.
If you have any other questions or inquiries, please email JoAnne Krick with the Niagara Community Foundation.
Charities Supported in Round 1
| Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region | $25,000 | Virtual Counselling and Support |
| Autism Ontario Niagara Chapter | $15,000 | At Home Activities Project |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of North & West Niagara | $15,000 | Upgrade Phone system and Computers |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara | $22,000 | Shared communication system BBBS South Niagara & Niagara Falls |
| Community Care of West Niagara | $20,000 | Food Purchase for Lincoln Residences facing financial hardship |
| Community Care St. Catharines and Thorold | $65,000 | Upgrades to Facilitate Continuation of Essential Service Delivery During Covid-19 |
| Crohn's and Colitis Canada | $2,000 | COVID-19 and IBD: Webinars and Resources |
| Crystal Ridge Community Centre | $5,000 | Community Support |
| Easter Seals Ontario | $5,000 | Camp E-aster Seals |
| Food4Kids Niagara | $20,000 | Weekends without Hunger |
| Gateway Residential and Community Support Services of Niagara Inc. | $13,000 | Outreach COVID Backpack for Niagara Assertive Street Outreach Workers |
| GILLIAN'S Place | $26,000 | Shelter bed replacement |
| Heartland Forest Nature Experience | $17,000 | Outdoor Workshops and Scheduled Trail Walks for Persons with Disabilities |
| Holy Trinity Anglican Church Welland | $5,000 | Hygiene and Food Bank + Hot Meals |
| Hospice Niagara | $22,000 | Trauma Informed Virtual Bereavement Group Therapy |
| Hotel Dieu Shaver Foundation | $37,000 | Patient Bed Initiative |
| Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara | $2,000 | Children First |
| Let's Talk Science/Parlons Sciences | $2,000 | The Horizon Project |
| Links For Greener Learning | $20,000 | Covid-19 Community Garden Supports |
| March of Dimes Canada | $35,000 | Aphasia Connect |
| Niagara Catholic District School Board | $10,000 | Niagara Catholic Family Support Initiative |
| Niagara Children's Centre | $42,000 | Implementing Video Enabled Telepractice |
| Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology | $50,000 | Nourishing Minds Grocery Card Program |
| Niagara Falls Community Outreach | $60,000 | Temporary Staffing Project |
| Niagara Nutrition Partners | $30,000 | Grocery Store Gift Card Initiative |
| Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre | $7,000 | Healing Arts for Kids |
| Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Palliative Care Service | $16,000 | Providing Clients with connecting technology |
| Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer | $3,500 | Niagara Gift Card Program |
| Pathstone Mental Health | $75,000 | Mental Health Support Through Video Counselling |
| Project SHARE of Niagara Falls | $36,000 | Building preparations to provide basic services safely. |
| Shaw Festival Theatre | $15,000 | Theatre Expertise Helping Community in Crisis |
| Starlight Children's Foundation Canada | $10,000 | Play From Home Packs |
| The Hope Centre | $12,800 | Re-opening safely post Covid 19 |
| The Kidney Foundation of Canada | $2,500 | Short Term Financial Assistance and Peer Support |
| The Niagara Resource Service for Youth (The RAFT) | $77,000 | Summer Camp and Youth Outreach |
| Village of Hope | $59,000 | Harvest for Hope |
| Welland Heritage Council and Multicultural Centre | $14,580 | Shelter Building Safety and Learning Access |
| West Lincoln Community Care | $19,000 | WLCC Student Assistance |
| YWCA Niagara Region | $6,000 | Digital supports for women and families |
Charities Supported in Round 2
| Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region | $10,000 | Continue to enhance organizational capacity by having the proper equipment and technology to deliver services, programs, virtual counselling, education and communications to all stakeholders. |
| ARID Group Homes | $10,000.00 | Renovate bathrooms for COVID-19 sickness or isolation readiness and have a area ready for a continued safe environment. |
| Bethesda Community Services Inc. | $3,250.00 | Purchase of a system to allow the adults that Bethesda supports to enjoy movies, safely, outdoors, a favourite outing that they have been deprived of since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters St. Catharines, Thorold and District | $4,000.00 | Purchase technology to enable Mentoring Coordinators to work remotely so they can provide virtual programs to children and youth to protect their mental health and well being. |
| Brock U/Niagara Penguins | $22,550.00 | Support weekly Handcycling program for Para-Sport athletes. |
| Community Care St. Catharines and Thorold | $20,000.00 | Purchase fork lift to safely manoeuver and place large items including skids of food and other essentials purchased or donated for distribution to those |
| Community Living Welland Pelham | $5,000.00 | Purchase freezers for residences ensuring people in congregated living have access to healthy food while decreasing risk of COVID-19 exposure. |
| Eventide Home c/oThe Salvation Army Niagara Falls Honourable Ray & Helen Lawson | $2,800.00 | Purchase supplies and equipment for the safety or our residents, staff and community. |
| Food4Kids Niagara | $9,000.00 | Expand the Weekends Without Hunger program to increase access to healthy food and reduce barriers of access to meet the basic needs of 30 additional children who are severely food insecure. |
| Gateway Resident & Community Support Services of Niagara | $8,000.00 | Provide the NASO team with climate related protective clothing and supplies, to support workers who are serving vulnerable individuals on the streets of Niagara. |
| GILLIAN'S Place | $3,000.00 | Purchase equipment and technology to allow remote work and supports. bed replacement |
| Goodwill Industries Niagara | $10,000.00 | Enhancing internet capabilities inside Stokes Community Village to support virtual and in person programming for all partnering organizations. |
| Hospice Niagara | $10,000.00 | Support legacy art projects and therapy to improve emotional well-being and reduce feelings of depression and isolation particularly during the second wave of COVID, when family visitors must be reduced and outdoor/window visits are not an option. |
| Mainstream: An Unsheltered Workshop | $10,000.00 | Support creation of a safe place for essential workers and persons supported by having less touch points during this pandemic. |
| Matthew House Refugee Ministry of Fort Erie | $24,000.00 | Support the most vulnerable persons such as the refugees, homeless people and seniors in our community during these challenging times of COVID-19. |
| Merry Go Round Children's Foundation | $20,000.00 | Provide laptops and digital literacy mentorship to Grade 7 students from underserved communities within the Niagara Region. |
| Niagara Catholic District School Board | $15,000.00 | Purchase Chrome books for students that will allow them access to all digital resources and tools for technology-enabled learning, stay connected with their teacher and their classmates and foster a sense of well being. |
| March of Dimes Canada | $35,000 | Aphasia Connect |
| Niagara Catholic District School Board | $10,000 | Niagara Catholic Family Support Initiative |
| Niagara Children's Centre | $9,000.00 | Provide technical equipment and therapy materials for virtual care, to families who have limited access to technology and therefore cannot participate in virtual care. |
| Niagara College | $15,000.00 | Support the mental health, wellness and social engagement for students experiencing increased isolation due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, by offering virtual peer-to-peer mental health support and student engagement activities. |
| Niagara Falls Community Outreach | $30,000.00 | Purchase van to receive donations from community that will greatly stretch our food budget and allow us to keep up with the rising needs of our growing clientele because of COVID-19. |
| Niagara Health Foundation | $50,000.00 | COVID-19 infections has created demand for additional critical care beds, patient beds and IV Pumps to meet the comfort, safety and treatment needs of patients. |
| Project S.H.A.R.E. of Niagara Falls Inc. | $6,050.00 | Create a safer experience for clients waiting for emergency service by installing a tent and clearing their walking path to where they will be picking up food during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Start Me Up Niagara (SMUN) | $20,576.00 | provide a new evening food service augmentation to our regular daily drop-in centre and winter shelter program. |
| The Bridge Church | $14,000.00 | Provide a 5-day weekday free morning breakfast program serving hot-food to vulnerable populations during the winter season in Niagara Falls, from December 2020 until March 2021. |
| Village of Hope | $20,000.00 | Help those struggling with COVID-19 related economic home budget difficulties with housing support through mediation and subsidies to their housing budget. |
| Wellspring Niagara Cancer Support Foundation | $15,000.00 | Enhancing delivery model and technology to better meet the needs of people living with cancer and caregivers during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. |
The Emergency Community Support Fund
Funded by
