Social Justice Fund

Anti-Poverty Initiatives in Canada

Is there an anti-poverty action, campaign or initiative that you would like the PSAC Social Justice Fund to support in your community?

This year there is a global campaign to “Make Poverty History”. Funding anti-poverty initiatives is one of five priority areas for the PSAC’s Social Justice Fund.

As part of the Make Poverty History Campaign, the PSAC Social Justice Fund will be funding up to 15 anti-poverty projects in Canada.

If you know of anti-poverty initiatives in your community that you would like to support, please read on.

The Social Justice Fund will give priority to those initiatives that support a closer collaboration between union members and low income groups in the community, particularly activities that are part of anti-poverty coalitions at the community level. These activities can include the development of educational initiatives or advocacy work such as letter writing, postcard campaigns, marches, white-band days and other similar activities.

The projects must involve PSAC members and one or more community organizations. From $500 to $2500 will be available for each selected project. Projects will need to be from three months to one year long and would include an agreement to participate in one activity related to the Make Poverty History Campaign (see www.makepovertyhistory.ca).

The deadline for submitting project proposals is September 30, 2005.

The funding guidelines and application form can be printed from a PDF file here.

You may also read the guideline by clicking here.

The Social Justice Fund Steering Committee will make the final selection of the projects to be funded, based on these Guidelines.

All project proposals should be sent to:

Louise Casselman,
PSAC Social Justice Fund Officer,
233 Gilmour St., Ottawa, ON K2P 0P1
Email: cassell@psac.com
Phone: 613 560-5494 Fax: 613 567-0385

You can also contact Louise Casselman if you require further information.

What is the Making Poverty History Campaign?

This is a global campaign that was formally launched at a massive rally during the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil by the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva and by the Internal Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) General Secretary, Guy Ryder.

The Make Poverty History Campaign offers a key opportunity for members to get involved in community-based initiatives that address the issue of child and family poverty in Canada. The campaign includes educational activities that address social justice issues and reveal the causes of poverty at home and abroad. This campaign is mobilizing members of the labour movement, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the anti-poverty movement and members of affected communities. We are working together on actions and lobbying efforts to push government policies that address the root causes of poverty.

For further information please see:
http://www.psac-afpc.org/issues/social_justice/poverty-e.shtml
and the campaign web site at www.makepovertyhistory.ca

Social Justice Funding Guidelines

Overall Goal

The SJF has a mandate to support and fund anti-poverty initiatives in Canada that:
• promote social justice through actions aimed at social, human and economic development;
• include PSAC membership involvement at the community level; and
• raise awareness of the root causes of poverty and social injustice.

Project Proposals

Project proposals must demonstrate how the proposed activities will achieve the SJF objectives by:
• promoting transformation and/or changes in social, economic and political causes of poverty,
• attacking the root causes of poverty,
• enabling the poor and the general public to become more aware of the causes of and the problems arising from poverty, and
• facilitating the involvement of union members in community issues.

Funding Objectives

To fund anti-poverty initiatives:
• whose goal is to attack and seek to overcome the causes of poverty and injustices;
• whose activities encourage community participation that will give low-income people more control over their own lives;
• whose activities seek to give low-income people better information and resource tools with which they can pursue their own education as to the nature and causes of poverty;
• that seeks community based economic development through alternate models (such as co-operatives, non-profit or worker-controlled corporations, etc.); and
• that promote the Make Poverty History Campaign

Guidelines on Partnership

• Groups must have a membership that is mostly low-income.
• Groups must follow a democratic process in their decision-making.
• Groups must include an educational and advocacy component.
• Groups should demonstrate that they have other sources of financing and are not dependent on the SJF funding
• Groups should generally not be recipients of corporate donations

Funding Criteria

Funding applications to the Social Justice Fund will be considered based on the following criteria:
• The activity must be planned and implemented by the group.
• The initiative must promote the goals of the Make Poverty History Campaign.
• Activities should provide ways of allowing participants (both staff and group members) to evaluate, n a regular basis, the progress the group is making in reaching its stated objectives.
• Groups should agree on a reporting formula that is mutually acceptable.
• Activities should facilitate and encourage cooperation, exchange and networking among groups sharing similar objectives.
• Activities should seek community and union participation wherever possible, in the form of human resources, in-kind contributions, sponsorship of events.
• Grants of $500 to $2,500 will be made available to projects that are approved by the SJF Steering Committee.
• Projects will need to cover a minimum requirement of three months to one year of duration.
• Funding for economic activities may assist groups to do feasibility studies, to acquire seed money, and to facilitate the group in getting access to capital and operational funding, other than SJF funds, for such activities.