The power of local
Here's the reality:
77%
Of charities in Canada are small.*
That means they:
struggle more to attract funding and achieve sustainability
are twice as likely to question whether they can continue operating in the years ahead**
make neighbourhood programs possible
Small organizations often serve the most vulnerable and since the COVID pandemic, the demands on them are greater than ever. What’s more, when we’re challenged by loneliness and forces looking to divide us, it’s community groups that keep us connected.
Below are small but mighty organizations making a difference. We’re proud to fund and recommend them all, and we hope you’ll support them too. Some have charitable status. Some are nonprofits partnering with a charity to deliver their project. Others welcome support but cannot offer tax receipts.
*2025 CanadaHelps Report. **2024 ONN Nonprofit Survey, organizations under $250,000 in revenue.
Registered charities
These small charities are providing outsized impact in their communities. Some are relatively new, while others have been around for over a decade. And yet the majority have no more than five staff—relying on volunteers to meet demand.
From newborns to seniors, these groups are ensuring that those who need it have access to culturally relevant maternal and mental health, music and arts, and more.
Aura Freedom
Aura Freedom is a women and survivor-led organization in Toronto dedicated to ending gender-based violence and human trafficking. With nearly half of women in Canada experiencing gender-based violence and femicides occurring every two days, its work prioritizes prevention and early intervention. Through intersectional feminist practice, Aura Freedom amplifies survivor leadership to challenge the systems that allow violence to continue.
IMPACT
Since 2023 alone, more than 5,000 frontline workers, youth and community members have been trained in gender-based violence and trafficking prevention, strengthening early identification and response city-wide. aurafreedom.org
*Footnote: Source: Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability. (2022)
BREATHE Midwives
BREATHE Midwives provides Black-centred midwifery care, resources and advocacy that support safer and more equitable birth experiences for Black families in Toronto. Its work addresses persistent disparities in maternal health, including recent findings showing Black persons were overrepresented among reported deaths over a 20-year period. By centring culturally responsive care, the program strengthens trust, safety and continuity throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond.
IMPACT
BREATHE Midwives has provided free prenatal, postpartum, newborn and sexual health care to more than 200 Black individuals and babies in the GTA. Its walk-in clinic and community programs reach people from all walks of life, including those who are uninsured, underhoused or navigating precarious immigration status. It provides a place for individuals who feel unseen, dismissed and unheard to find their autotomy and be part of a community. breathemidwives.ca
*Footnote: Source: Sprague, A. E., et al. (n.d.). Mortality following childbirth in Ontario: A 20-year analysis of temporal trends and causes. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 46(12), 102689.
Inner City Outreach
Inner City Outreach (ICO) is a community-rooted organization that has supported young people in Jane and Finch for more than 15 years through consistent mentorship and hands-on programming. From its Homework Club, where students receive one-on-one academic support, to its summer camps that offer safe and engaging spaces during school breaks, ICO creates environments where young people can learn and belong in a community facing higher rates of poverty and youth unemployment than the city average.
IMPACT
Launched in 2025, ICO’s Vocational Mentorship Program connects 20 youth from Jane and Finch and Black Creek with adult mentors whose lived experience reflects their own. With training, wraparound supports and career guidance built in, the program is already helping young people build confidence, explore pathways and move toward education and employment. innercityoutreach.ca
*Footnote: Source: City of Toronto, City Planning Division, Strategic Initiatives, Policy, and Analysis. (2021, January). Jane-Finch initiative existing conditions background report.
Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario
Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO) has supported women and their families across Toronto for more than 37 years. IWOO advances equity and inclusion through education, empowerment and programs that support mental health and wellbeing. Grounded in lived experience, the organization strengthens the Farsi-speaking community through culturally responsive programs, advocacy and leadership development.
IMPACT
In 2024–2025, IWOO delivered over 70 programs and services, including senior programs, arts and culture programs, monthly webinars on a range of topics, wellness classes, support groups, training sessions and counselling in Farsi and English. iwontario.com
It Gets Better Canada
It Gets Better Canada works with 2SLGBTQ+ youth across the country to reduce isolation and improve access to support. Through storytelling and partnerships with community organizations, it helps young people find affirming experiences and connect with resources that support them at school, online and in their daily lives. In Toronto, strong partnerships with the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board enable the organization to deliver workshops directly in schools across the city. This work responds to disparities such as higher rates of cyberbullying among 2SLGBTQ+ youth, which reached 30% in a 2021 study compared to 8% among cisgender heterosexual youth.
IMPACT
In 2025, It Gets Better Canada launched GLO, a free mobile app designed to support 2SLGBTQ+ youth as they navigate online spaces. Built with youth input, GLO offers tools and interactive learning that address mental health challenges, strengthen digital literacy and help young people respond to online hate with confidence and support. itgetsbettercanada.org
*Footnote: Source: Peter, T., Campbell, C. P., & Taylor, C. (2021). Still in every class in every school.
MIND Program
With food insecurity affecting one in four Toronto households, MIND Program partners with frontline medical, mental health and social service teams to deliver free, healthy and barrier-free meals to people for whom hunger stands in the way of healing and recovery. It fills the gap where partners lack the facilities, certifications or budgets to meet these needs — bringing compassionate, nourishing food programs to low-income housed and unhoused individuals and families living with poverty, disability, mental health challenges, addiction and isolation.
IMPACT
In 2025, MIND Program distributed over 19,000 free, healthy meals that reached refugees, seniors and low-income housed and unhoused individuals, whose access to nourishing food made the difference in their journey toward healing and recovery. mindprogram.org
*Footnote: Source: Public Health Ontario. (2025). Household food insecurity snapshot, PHU (2019–2024).
Music Share for Seniors
Music Share for Seniors is dedicated to reducing social isolation among older adults living in care settings through personalized music programs and regular social interaction. Between 22–42% of people living in care homes report severe loneliness compared to 10% of those living in the community. To address this issue, the organization connects seniors with trained program facilitators who lead one-to-one or small-group music listening sessions tailored to each participant’s life history, cultural background and preferences. With a strong focus on seniors living with dementia, the program supports emotional engagement and relationship building, and helps participants feel seen, heard and valued.
IMPACT
In 2024, Music Share for Seniors delivered more than 5,000 hours of programming to over 280 residents in 14 care facilities. The program models transform personalized music into a powerful tool for connection, while reawakening memory, identity and joy for isolated older adults living with dementia. musicshareforseniors.ca
*Footnote: Source: Simard, J., & Volicer, L. (2020). Loneliness and isolation in long-term care and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next Generation Arts
Next Generation Arts (NGA) is a Scarborough-based charity dedicated to empowering young people in the Greater Toronto Area through innovative arts-based programs. In a community where racialized youth often face higher barriers to accessing arts opportunities, NGA is committed to providing arts-based mentorship and free skills training to create pathways for young people to develop confidence, leadership and wellbeing while accessing sustainable opportunities.
IMPACT
NGA developed VIEWS, a mural creation and professional development program where participants gain real-world skills while shaping public spaces that reflect community stories. Since launching in 2022, VIEWS has supported youth to move from participation into paid leadership roles, with alumni returning as facilitators and mentors who guide new cohorts and contribute to Scarborough’s cultural landscape. nextgenerationarts.ca
*Footnote: Source: Mensah, J., & Lovell, A. (2005). How do Scarborough’s Black youth access the health care system? Black Health Alliance.
Project: Humanity
Project: Humanity works directly with youth living in Toronto’s shelter system, where on any given night between 1,500 and 2,000 young people experience homelessness. Using arts-based programming to support mental health and wellbeing, the organization has delivered hands-on artistic experiences inside shelters for more than 15 years, filling gaps where traditional services struggle to address trauma, marginalization and meaningful self-expression.
IMPACT
Through the Youth Shelter Initiative, Project: Humanity brings artistic opportunities through workshops, mentorship and community directly to youth in shelters, creating a steady space for expression and confidence. In 2024-2025, Project: Humanity delivered nearly 250 hours of personalized artistry to 213 youth, offering creative continuity in environments often defined by instability. projecthumanity.ca
*Footnote: Source: City of Toronto. (2024). Street needs assessment 2024.
Xenia Concerts
Xenia Concerts creates inclusive performing arts experiences for children, families and community members who are often excluded from traditional arts spaces. By working in close partnership with neurodivergent and disability communities, the organization designs Adaptive Concerts that reflect real access needs. Based in Toronto, Xenia Concerts embeds lived experience into program design, ensuring accessibility is integral to how their events are created and presented.
IMPACT
Xenia Concerts presents over 30 Adaptive Concerts each year, designed to remove barriers for neurodivergent and disabled audiences. Performances use flexible formats with spoken guidance, visual supports and musical ASL, alongside accessible spaces, sensory tools and welcoming environments that allow participants to engage fully and comfortably. xeniaconcerts.com
Nonprofits working in partnership with a registered charity
From championing food sovereignty to expanding access to arts, nature and sport, these groups are stepping in where services are often missing.
Each project pairs a community-based nonprofit with a registered charity. The nonprofit leads the work on the ground. The charity provides oversight and manages donations. Connecting community knowledge with charitable infrastructure means the work can move faster and go further.
Black Food Sovereignty Alliance
Black Food Sovereignty Alliance (BFSA) is a community-led movement advancing the development of Black sustainable food systems in Toronto. Through community leadership, policy advocacy and partnerships, BFSA strengthens the state of food security and access to culturally appropriate food while supporting Black farmers and food entrepreneurs. With 60% of Black lone-mother families and 46.7% of Black Canadian children facing food insecurity compared to 12% of white Canadian children, it works to build economic opportunity and community wellbeing through food sovereignty.
IMPACT
BFSA led the development of Toronto’s first Black Food Sovereignty Plan, a community-led strategy approved in 2021 by City Council to confront anti-Black racism and chronic food insecurity. The five-year plan advances Black-led food initiatives, secures sustained support for Black food organizations and aligns City systems to drive long-term change in neighbourhoods with high Black populations. bfstoronto.ca
TRUSTEE
Caribbean African Canadian Social Services is working with Black Food Sovereignty Alliance to advance Black food sovereignty and address systemic barriers to food security in Black communities.
*Footnote: Sources: Statistics Canada. (2021). Canadian Community Health Survey. Statistics Canada. 2023. Food insecurity among Canadian families.
Comeback Catalyst
Comeback Catalyst supports people returning from incarceration to build economic stability through entrepreneurship. The program offers practical training, mentorship and business development support that help participants create new pathways to income and long-term self-sufficiency. Its work responds to a significant barrier: the average income of a formerly incarcerated person is about $14,000 even 14 years after release, while roughly 37,000 people are released from correctional facilities in Canada each year.
IMPACT
Over three years, Comeback Catalyst will support 390 justice-involved participants through entrepreneurship training, mentorship and employment pathways. With a projected 90% graduation rate and 75% of graduates launching businesses, the program is expected to generate about 263 new ventures, creating pathways to income, stability and long-term economic reintegration. comebackcatalyst.ca
TRUSTEE
The Neighbourhood Group Community Services is partnering with Comeback Catalyst to deliver the Comeback Catalyst virtual entrepreneurship program.
*Footnote: Source: Babchishin, K. M., Keown, L.-A., & Mularczyk, K. P. (2021). Economic outcomes of Canadian federal offenders. Public Safety Canada; Correctional Service of Canada.
Flaunt It Movement
Flaunt It Movement is a grassroots, youth-led organization rooted in the Jane and Finch community that supports 2SLGBTQ+ women and gender-diverse youth who are Black, Indigenous and of colour. Through creative workspaces, paid internships and long-term arts programming, it builds economic stability and leadership pathways at a time when three quarters of Canadian women say they grew up without enough opportunities to learn and practice leadership skills.
IMPACT
Flaunt It Movement has delivered more than 100 community programs and events, reaching over 5,000 participants and directly supporting more than 500 youth artists through paid internships, creative residencies and public showcases. flauntitmovement.ca
TRUSTEE
Success Beyond Limits is partnering with Flaunt It Movement to deliver programming for 2SLGBTQ+ women and youth who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, as well as emerging entrepreneurs in Northwest Toronto’s low-income communities.
*Footnote: Source: KPMG. (2017). KPMG Women’s Leadership Study.
Hijabi Ballers
Hijabi Ballers creates positive sports experiences for Muslim women and girls through culturally responsive programming shaped by lived experience. Research shows that social support plays a key role in helping Muslim women feel confident participating in sport. By building strong community connections and leadership opportunities, Hijabi Ballers helps athletes feel welcome, supported and able to thrive in spaces that have often excluded them.
IMPACT
With 1000+ participants annually, Hijabi Ballers is building confidence, raising visibility and keeping Muslim girls and women in the game as athletes and leaders, through ongoing programming and advocacy. hijabiballers.com
TRUSTEE
Lay-Up Youth Basketball is partnering with Hijabi Ballers to deliver culturally responsive basketball programming for Muslim women and girls.
*Footnote: Source: Boz, T., Halilovich, H., & O’Keeffe, P. (2025). ‘Chipping’ away at barriers: Trust as an antecedent to sport participation among Muslim women and girls in Melbourne. Leisure Studies.
Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers
Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers (TPUF) is a resident-led organization rooted in the high-density neighbourhood of Thorncliffe Park in Toronto. In a community with limited green space and rising food insecurity, TPUF uses urban agriculture and ecological restoration to grow fresh food, improve urban biodiversity and strengthen community resilience. Through shared garden spaces and hands-on programs, residents and volunteers of all ages develop practical growing skills while building a stronger sense of stewardship, connection and pride in their neighbourhood.
IMPACT
In 2025, TPUF grew and distributed more than 3,300 pounds of free culturally appropriate produce to residents, increasing access to fresh food in communities facing food insecurity. It mentored 90 youth Green Team Leaders who contributed 3,000 volunteer hours and engaged 540 children through school programs and workshops, building leadership and long-term community food skills. thorncliffeparkurbanfarmers.ca
TRUSTEE
FoodShare is partnering with Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers to improve food security in the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood.
*Footnote: Source: Gingrich, L. G., Khan, O., & Hatia, S. (2024). Building economic inclusion and food justice: Executive summary.
Turtle Protectors/Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin
Turtle Protectors is an Indigenous and volunteer-led stewardship program working to protect turtles living in Toronto’s parks, where turtles are the most imperilled group of animals and all eight Ontario species are federally at risk. Grounded in Indigenous worldviews and the practice of Etuaptmumk, also known as Two-Eyed Seeing, the program supports hands-on protection, education and advocacy that strengthen relationships between people, land and water.
IMPACT
In 2025, volunteers contributed more than 3000 hours to protect and support local turtle populations. Together, they safeguarded 140 nesting turtles, protected 105 Snapping and Midland Painted Turtle nests and released a record of 1195 hatchlings into 10 Toronto city parks, strengthening species survival through direct hands-on conservation. In addition, they meaningfully engaged 2064 people in monthly Wetland Walks, workshops and their annual Water Walk and Turtles on the Move Parade. turtleprotectors.com
TRUSTEE
FoodShare is partnering with Turtle Protectors/Mishiikenh Gizhaasowin to support Indigenous land-based initiatives and to help reconcile human impacts on turtles in High Park.
*Footnote: Source: Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre
Grassroots groups
Many nonprofits do critical community work without official charitable status. Securing that status takes time, administrative capacity and legal resources that many small groups simply don’t have.
Recent policy changes now allow institutional funders such as Toronto Foundation to support these organizations directly.
You can support them personally outside of your fund, although groups won't be able to give you a tax receipt for your donation.
AFROWAVETO
AFROWAVETO exists to ensure Afro-Caribbean Black music and Black queer creativity are fully seen and supported within Toronto’s cultural landscape. It creates safe and inclusive spaces for Afro-Caribbean Black and Black queer youth, using education and live performance to grow Black culture in the arts while working toward a more equitable music industry.
IMPACT
AFROWAVETO is expanding opportunities for Afro-Caribbean and Black queer artists in Toronto’s music industry. Its festivals and showcases have drawn more than 2,500 attendees and featured over 60 artists, most identifying as Black. By creating paid performance opportunities and connecting artists with industry leaders, AFROWAVETO is building lasting pathways for Black talent to gain visibility and thrive. afrowaveto.com
Black E.S.T.E.E.M.
Black E.S.T.E.E.M. is a Toronto-based nonprofit that supports Black girls ages 10 to 13 in building confidence and belonging in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics.) The organization nurtures curiosity and creative thinking while challenging narrow ideas about who belongs in science and technology. Led by Black women, Black E.S.T.E.E.M. helps participants imagine themselves as innovators and future leaders.
IMPACT
Black E.S.T.E.E.M.’s mentorship program pairs girls with Black women leaders across STEM fields, building lasting relationships that offer guidance, inspiration and real career pathways while helping challenge persistent underrepresentation in science and technology. blackesteem.org
Department of Imaginary Affairs
The Department of Imaginary Affairs (DIA) believes that imagination is a tool for resistance. A national nonprofit founded in 2014, DIA works with organizations and practitioners across the social impact sector to practice more equitable futures through storytelling, foresight and co-design. Our work is rooted in the recognition that collective liberation requires us to slow down, be honest about what isn't working and build new ways of being with one another and with change itself.
IMPACT
Through Invitations to Better Worlds, DIA is cultivating a community of practice where social impact leaders gather to practice four core skills: telling the truth, weaving the micro and the macro, holding contradictions and practicing curiosity. Participants engage through in-person gatherings, Futures Labs and sustained reflective practice — building the relational infrastructure needed to hold complexity and move toward shared futures that current systems aren't designed to fund. departmentofimaginaryaffairs.ca
Friends of Kensington Market
Friends of Kensington Market is a grassroots organization working to protect the people, culture and affordability that define Kensington Market. Grounded in long-standing relationships, it supports residents and workers while pushing back against displacement. With more than a decade of community-based work, it centres the lived realities of those most affected by change in the neighbourhood.
IMPACT
Friends of Kensington Market has led barrier-free vaccination clinics, organized anti-racism training and hosted non-partisan Meet the Candidate events. Grounded in strong community relationships, it helps residents, businesses and tenants respond to emerging challenges while ensuring local priorities shape decisions affecting the market. fokm.ca
Ontario Schools Cricket Association
Ontario Schools Cricket Association (OSCA) works with school boards and education partners across Ontario to deliver cricket-based programming that supports youth wellbeing, inclusion and physical literacy. Delivered primarily through in-school physical education and supported by after-school and community programs, OSCA uses cricket as an accessible, culturally relevant sport to engage students and promote active living. By bringing cricket into schools, OSCA helps students build confidence, teamwork and a sense of belonging, while reflecting the diversity of Ontario’s communities. Its programs create pathways for participation, leadership and continued engagement in sport.
IMPACT
Over the next three years, OSCA will expand free cricket programs in Malvern and Wexford Heights, embedding them in schools and community spaces. Through partnerships with school boards, local organizations and businesses, OSCA will engage over 1,000 youth and families, train local coaches and educators and strengthen long-term participation in physical activity and community sport. oscaschools.org
Platform
Platform is a national nonprofit based in Toronto that builds leadership capacity among Black, Indigenous, and racialized young women and gender-diverse youth. Its programs support healing, civic engagement and leadership through trauma-informed and intersectional approaches. Platform works with community partners to create spaces where participants can influence systems that shape their lives.
IMPACT
Platform reaches 1,500+ youth annually, creating meaningful transformation in both physical and online spaces. A 2023 evaluation found that 95% of participants felt equipped to drive change after completing a program. theplatform.ca
ReDefine Arts
For over 20 years ReDefine Arts has been redefining what it means to be an artist by creating interdisciplinary performance, public art and community-based projects that advance disability justice and artistic innovation. Based in Toronto with projects across Ontario, the organization works through collaboration, access-centered design and mentorship. Its programs are shaped by disabled, queer, trans, non-binary and racialized artists who lead the work from concept to presentation.
IMPACT
Programs like the Epic Choir are creating spaces where trans, non-binary and gender-diverse community members can connect through the arts. 96% of participants felt barriers to artmaking were reduced through Redefine Arts’ programs. redefinearts.ca
Shake Up The Establishment
Shake Up The Establishment (SUTE) is a national non-profit advancing intersectional environmental and climate justice by fostering civic participation and youth leadership across Canada, driving systemic change through non-partisan policy advocacy and shifting public narratives through creative arts-based campaigns. Their team creates accessible, evidence-informed resources, programs and arts-based campaigns that strengthen environmental literacy while centering community voices, particularly those from Indigenous and racialized communities. SUTE’s work addresses environmental racism, eco-anxiety and systemic injustices linked to the climate crisis.
IMPACT
For the past 6 years, SUTE has engaged a network of leaders and organizations across interdisciplinary academic, environmental, health and community sectors to advance intersectional environmental and climate justice, while addressing gaps in accessible, community-informed education on environmental racism in Toronto. Their efforts are strengthened by a dedicated community of tens of thousands of everyday citizens who engage with and amplify this work through digital programming, research and storytelling initiatives nationwide. shakeuptheestab.org
Toronto Burlesque Festival
The Toronto Burlesque Festival presents innovative and captivating burlesque performance while fostering a space where diverse perspectives and experiences are valued and celebrated. It advances burlesque as a powerful interdisciplinary art form—blending dance, comedy, striptease, drag and circus arts—by amplifying underrepresented voices and creating professional opportunities for artists often excluded from traditional stages. In doing so, it preserves burlesque’s 150+ year theatrical legacy and contributes to a more inclusive and vibrant performing arts landscape in Toronto.
IMPACT
In 2024, the festival welcomed more than 1,000 attendees and paid over 130 artists, technicians and cultural workers. In 2025, the festival again welcomed more than 1,000 attendees and paid over 138 artists, technicians and cultural workers. torontoburlesquefestival.ca