Special Initiatives 

The African Resettlement Emergency Fund is a granting stream of over $415,000 to address emerging needs across the Greater Toronto area for African refugee claimants and asylum seekers.

Originally announced on August 9, 2023, the fund grew with an incredible $100,000 gift from the WES Mariam Assefa fund. With grants to 42 organizations across Peel, Toronto and York, the fund supports a wide range of programming including access to culturally appropriate food, housing, and health and wellness supports.

The Allan Slaight Seniors Fund supports 15 creative and innovative initiatives to help our region’s most vulnerable seniors age at home while living active, healthy and connected lives. A first of its kind, the fund bridges the gap between the healthcare system and families by connecting seniors to United Way’s network of community agencies ⁠— a critical circle of support to help them stay healthy longer, and close to home. 

Community Hubs are one of the key ways United Way supports strong neighbourhoods. They bring a range of supports and shared, community spaces to underserved neighbourhoods in Toronto’s inner suburbs, ensuring all residents can access essential services, supports, and opportunities for community building, close to home.

ILEO brings together the private, public, and community sectors to find innovative ways to reduce gaps in economic prosperity at the neighbourhood level. A partnership with BMO Financial Group, ILEO is advancing five pilot projects in Scarborough’s Greater Golden Mile while offering a new model for building truly inclusive communities amidst neighbourhood growth and revitalization. For more information on ILEO, please see our dedicated page.

These grants support co-designed initiatives where United Way is working with community, local government and corporate partners to meet community needs. Projects focus on enhancing collaboration, coordination and service delivery to advance system-level solutions to poverty.

In response to the historic underfunding of organizations led by Indigenous, Black and other equity-deserving communities, these grants deepen our support for agencies led by, focused on and serving these communities. They equip agencies with the funding and flexibility to build long-term organizational strength and not just keep the doors open, but also build for the future.

The Toronto Enterprise Fund (TEF) supports the start-up, sustainability, and scaling of employment social enterprises. Jointly funded with the municipal and federal governments, TEF supports employment social enterprises that improve community engagement, economic participation, and quality of life for people from equity-deserving groups.