Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and the RBC Foundation are pleased to announce the RBC Future Launch Community Challenge, a historic $5 million initiative that will enable participating community foundations to support youth leadership across the country.  

“Young people have creative ideas,” says Josiane Brosseau, strategic advisor, Office of the CEO and Special Programs, Fondation Québec Philanthrope. “Asking them what the needs in their communities are, and then giving them a voice and the means to act on them is an amazing opportunity.” 

This partnership will support youth-led community projects in 150 small to mid-sized Canadian communities from coast-to-coast. Grants of up to $15,000 will be available through participating community foundations, and will support projects that address diverse and urgent local priorities, including food security, employment, learning, health and the environment.

“This is an exciting partnership that will help shift power into the hands of young people by bringing them to the decision-making table to craft solutions that will impact their futures in a positive way,” says Andrew Chunilall, CEO of CFC. 

As part of the initiative, participating foundations will also facilitate ‘Vital Conversations,’ where young people and other community members are brought together to participate in a dialogue about priorities for the future. Young people will also have access to a series of remote and national learning opportunities to help them build their skills, gain practical experience, and grow their professional networks. 

“RBC believes strongly in the power, vision and potential of youth, and the influence they can have in their communities,” said Mark Beckles, senior director, Youth Strategy and Innovation, RBC. “That’s why we are thrilled to partner with CFC to help young people make a difference in communities across Canada while building the 21^st century skills needed to prepare for the future of work. While we celebrate 150 years of making a difference in the lives of our clients and in our communities, we also want to set a strong foundation for the next 150." 

The RBC Future Launch Community Challenge is supported by the RBC Foundation and is part of RBC’s 150th birthday celebrations, a milestone anniversary taking place on June 22, 2019. The RBC Future Launch Community Challenge is one of the most important philanthropic community contributions to date, and proof of the RBC Future Launch commitment to empowering youth and helping them chart a more prosperous and inclusive future.

Additional details, and the application period to submit a grant proposal will be available through the participating community foundations on May 22, 2019.

French version of the media release is available here. 

-30-

For more information, and to arrange interviews:
Andrea Harden, MediaStyle
media@mediastyle.ca
613-875-9571

Community Foundations Canada

Community Foundations Canada

Community Foundations of Canada is the national network for Canada’s 191 community foundations. Together we help Canadians invest in making our communities better places to live, work and play. More than 90 per cent of Canadian communities have access to a community foundation — from our largest cities to our smallest towns. Collectively we hold combined assets of more than $5.8 billion and we’ve put hundreds of millions back into communities over our 98-year history. We put the strength of our philanthropic network to the best possible use for our communities and our country. We’re championing the issues that matter to Canadians with an eye on the change we can make, now and for future generations. We’re exploring new ways to make a collective impact hand-in-hand with partners who share our vision.

More from Community Foundations Canada