Justice Grant Program
A key pillar of BOF’s work is the BOF Justice Grant Program, delivered through partnerships with the TD Ready Commitment, The Law Foundation of Ontario, and the Law Foundation of BC. These adjudicated grant programs provide needs informed capital to Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations who are delivering impactful programs in communities across the country to improve justice related outcomes for Black people in Canada. Through this investment, BOF helps strengthen the capacity of organizations driving meaningful change within Black communities.
Justice Grant Program
Grant Objectives
The Justice Grant Program is designed to strengthen the effectiveness, capacity, and impact of Black-led, Black-serving organizations (B3s) across Canada focused on increasing justice-related services and access to justice for Black communities. The broad priorities for the Justice Grant Program will focus on providing needs-informed capital to support:
- Reintegration Programs: Programs or services that help individuals re-enter society after involvement in the justice system.
- Prevention and Supports: Programs or services that reduce the risk of incarceration.
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports: Programs or services that provide access to the necessary tools for healing, self-advocacy, and mental health care.
- Legal System Reform & Equity: Advocacy for legal system reform and expanding access to legal services within Black communities.
- Addressing Racial Discrimination & Inequality: Initiatives that challenge racial discrimination and inequality in the justice system.
- Educational Programs & Policy Advocacy: Leading initiatives that educate the community and advocate for long-term policy change to promote justice and equality.
- Empowerment through Justice Engagement: Empowering Black individuals to fully engage and thrive in the justice system.
Eligibility Criteria
Organizations applying for the Justice Grant Program must meet the following requirements:
- Must be Black-led, Black-serving, Black-focused organizations committed to advancing justice and equity within Black communities.
- Be a registered nonprofit or charity in Canada with a focus on justice, legal empowerment, or advocacy for Black communities.
- Show a clear commitment to advancing justice and equality through programs and services.
- Have an existing justice project, or a proposed justice project with funding that has been secured.
- Demonstrate a measurable plan for utilizing the grant to expand justice initiatives.
- Maintain an active online presence (e.g., up-to-date website and social media).
- Provide up-to-date financial records from the past two years, including either audited financial statements or unaudited financial statements, tax returns, and bank statements.
- To be considered for annual grant funding that is $50,000 organizations must submit audited financial statements for the past three fiscal years that were completed by a licensed public accountant.
- Organizations applying for annual grant funding of $25,000 are not required to submit audited financial statements for the past three fiscal years completed by a licensed public accountant.
- Submit a project budget for the initiative seeking funding.
- Cannot have outstanding tax debt or must have a current payment plan with at least two months of on-time payments on any outstanding tax debt.
- Cannot have declared bankruptcy.
Grant Details
- Number of Grants: Up to a total of 13 organizations will be selected.
- Geographic Breakdown: 6 organizations based in Ontario will be selected to receive funding provided by the Law Foundation of Ontario. 7 organizations based anywhere in Canada will be selected to receive funding provided by TD Ready Commitment.
- Grant Amount: The funding amount will vary based on the proposed project’s scope and impact.
- Funding Period: Grants will be distributed in 2025, with funds to be used in alignment with the project’s timeline and goals.
How to Apply
Before proceeding with your application, please review this applicant guide to help you navigate the SurveyMonkey Apply platform.
To complete your submission, please visit our application portal. Be sure to include all required documents, as incomplete applications will not be considered.
Application Support
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact the BOF Programs Team at BOFGrants@blackopportunityfund.org.
We encourage all eligible organizations focused on justice and equity for Black communities to apply. Together with the Law Foundation of Ontario and the TD Ready Commitment, we are proud to support initiatives that will help build a more just, inclusive, and equitable Canada for Black communities.
Important Dates
Applications Closes: Thursday, January 23, 2025 (11:59 pm EST)
Please check back later for the next Application window.
Justice Grant Program - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Justice Grant Program is a funding initiative launched in collaboration with the Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), the Law Foundation of Ontario (LFO), and TD Ready Commitment. The program aims to support Black-led, Black-serving, Black-focused (B3) organizations that work to address systemic injustices and promote equity within Black communities across Canada.
The generous funding from the Law Foundation of Ontario must be directed towards Justice related programs based in Ontario. These initiatives must follow specific guidelines with a focus on programs that promote legal knowledge and help individuals understand and use the law to improve their lives or exercise their legal rights.
The Black Opportunity Fund is currently working to build relationships with other partners to increase grant funding for Justice related initiatives in regions across Canada.
Organizations that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply:
- Black-led, Black-serving, or Black-focused (B3) organizations that are committed to advancing justice and equity for Black communities.
- Must be a registered nonprofit or charity in Canada with a focus on justice, legal empowerment, or advocacy for Black communities.
- Must have a measurable plan for using the grant to expand justice initiatives.
- Must have an existing justice-related project or a proposed project with secured initial funding.
- Must maintain an active online presence (e.g., website and/or social media).
Successful applicants may receive grant funding for a single year or over two years. This funding could range from $25,000 to $100,000.
- Submissions must include a project budget for the initiative seeking funding.
- Up-to-date financial records from the past two years, either audited financial statements or unaudited financial statements, tax returns, and bank statements.
- To be considered for annual grant funding that is $50,000 organizations must submit audited financial statements for the past three fiscal years that were completed by a licensed public accountant.
Yes, your organization can apply for funding consideration if it does not have audited financial statements. Providing audited financial statements is only a requirement for organizations that may qualify for a maximum of $50,000 annually in grant funding.
B3 organizations that are unregistered can seek relationships with a registered charity or not-for-profit organization to serve as their trustee. The charitable or notfor-profit organization will serve as a fiscal sponsor to hold the grant funds on behalf of the unregistered organization to ensure compliance with relevant tax and legal requirements.
Financial documents submitted should be related to the trustee organization supporting the application from the unregistered organization.
- Purchase ofreal property (land or buildings)
- Depreciation of capital assets
- Fines and penalties
- The cost of alcoholic beverages
- The portion of the cost of any travel, meals, and accommodation costs that exceeds the rates for public servants set out in the National Joint Council of Canada’s Travel Directive
- The portion of hospitality costs that exceed the rates set out in the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference, and Event Expenditures (Appendix 2 of Canada’s Treasury Board)
- The portion of the cost of any goods and services purchased by the Grant Recipient for which the Grant Recipient may claim a tax credit or reimbursement
- Expenditures that are outside the submitted proposal on file, including unreasonable in Black Opportunity Fund’s, TD Ready Commitment’s, or The Law Foundation of Ontario’s opinion
- Any expenses that are covered by another funding source, including TD Ready Commitment, and The Law Foundation of Ontario. Projects may receive funding from other sources, but those funds may not cover the same expenses as this grant.
Applications will be accepted until January 23, 2025. Before proceeding with your application, please review this applicant guide to help you navigate the SurveyMonkey Apply platform.
Please visit our application portal to complete your submission. Ensure that all required documents are included, as incomplete applications will not be considered.
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact the BOF Programs Team at BOFGrants@blackopportunityfund.org
About TD Ready Commitment(TD)
The TD Ready Commitment is a North American platform that brings together the power of our people and philanthropy to support change, nurture progress, and invest in local communities. Through the TD Ready Commitment, we aspire to work with non-profit and community-based organizations to help make a positive impact for the customers and communities we serve.
- TD Ready Commitment(TD)
About The Law Foundationof Ontario
The Law Foundation of Ontario was established in 1974 under the Law Society Act. The Foundation receives and uses the interest on lawyers’ and paralegals’ mixed trust accounts to support legal education, legal research, legal aid, and law libraries in Ontario. We do this through grantmaking to nonprofits and providing funds to Legal Aid Ontario.
A priority for the Foundation is to pay particular attention to groups who have experienced injustice or inequity – past or current – and those who have experienced exclusion or barriers in society.
The Foundation also administers the Class Proceedings Fund, which provides cost assistance in class actions. The Class Proceedings Committee is responsible for deciding who will receive funding.
- The Law Foundationof Ontario
About The Law Foundationof B.C.
We fund programs and projects throughout BC that benefit the public in the following areas: legal education, legal research, legal aid, law reform, and law libraries.
- The Law Foundationof B.C.
About BlackOpportunity Fund
Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) is a community-led registered Canadian Charitable organization, whose mandate is to dismantle anti-Black racism by establishing a sustainable pool of capital to fund Black led businesses and Black led not for profits and charities, in order to improve the social and economic well-being of Canada’s Black communities.
The fund will catalyze the cultural, socio-economic, institutional, and political change required to enable Canada’s diverse Black communities to thrive. Black Opportunity Fund will prioritize initiatives around education, health, women, criminal justice, entrepreneurship, arts & culture, and youth that impact the quality of life in Black communities across Canada.
Black Opportunity Fund fulfills its mandate by
- Providing grants to Black-led not for profits and charities, who are leading initiatives that impact the quality of life in Canada’s Black communities.
- Facilitating access to capital for Black-led businesses to drive economic empowerment through the disbursement of loans, equity investments and other funding support.
Black Opportunity Fund’s Registered charity #727678070 RR 0001
- Black Opportunity Fund
- (BOF)
