goodtogive2024 - Toronto Foundation

This year's Good to Give Guide is different. It features some of the smallest organizations we’ve ever funded and recommended to fundholders. Small groups know their communities and draw neighbours together to imagine and build a better future.

Get to know and support this year’s 15 charities and 9 nonprofits.

Download the Guide

Featured Organizations

Why Support Small

Here's the reality...

Small organizations often serve the most vulnerable and since COVID the demands on them are greater than ever.

But there's more.

Nonprofits are often doing the heavy lifting—without official charitable status because it takes time, energy and money that many groups can't spare. That’s why the sector lobbied to allow funders, such as Toronto Foundation, to directly fund these groups. This year we are thrilled to fund and recommend 9 such nonprofits in addition to the 15 charities featured in the Good to Give Guide.

Here are 15 charitable organizations you can support right now through Donor Central, ideally through a reoccurring grant.

b current Performing Arts Co

b current Performing Arts Co: Founded in 1991 as a space for Black artists to train, challenge mainstream notions of theatre, and engage with the community, b current has grown to support thousands of artists from diverse backgrounds. Its goal is to challenge the status quo of mainstream Canadian theatre, transforming it into a more inclusive and diverse landscape by forging new narratives. Make a grant.

Since inception, it has mounted over a dozen main stage plays and 100+ other public performances.

Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra

Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO): SPO offers high quality performances of symphonic and chamber music, while supporting Canadian composers and fostering emerging artists. It reaches out to underserved community members with discounted or free tickets and community concerts, and offers training and concert experiences in orchestral music for diverse communities. Make a grant.

In 2022-23, SPO created opportunities for 53 emerging composers, presenting their works in six concerts, producing two commercial albums featuring emerging composers and launched 18 videos featuring emerging composers.

Black Urbanism TO

Black Urbanism TO (BUTO): BUTO was established in 2018 to increase the participation of Black people in community development to advance the social, cultural and economic interests of Black communities. The work began in response to the impacts of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT and the re-develpoment of Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood. BUTO strives to ensure that Black communities have opportunities to shape the future of their neighbourhoods. Make a grant.

BUTO is currently working on pioneering the first Black-led land trust in Toronto called the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust, with the goal of protecting the community’s rich cultural heritage, supporting Black-owned and operated businesses in the area and providing community leaders with a mechanism to support growth for Black communities.

Brain Injury Society of Toronto

Brain Injury Society of Toronto (BIST): BIST enhances the quality of life for people living with the effects of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) through education, awareness, support and advocacy. It supports the most marginalized in Toronto through its homelessness, criminal justice, invisible disability, poverty and intimate partner violence initiatives. Make a grant.

BIST’s program ABI Justice is the only resource in Ontario that aims to decrease common barriers for people with brain injury when faced with legal matters. In particular, it works to address the needs of young people with traumatic brain injury in the criminal justice system.

Impakt Foundation for Social Change

Impakt Foundation for Social Change (IF): IF forges connections between newcomer communities and trusted local organizations to create employment pathways for newcomers to Canada. It collaborates with newcomers to design programming tailored to their skills and needs, while supporting employers to be ready to meaningfully hire and inclusively integrate newcomers into their organizations. Make a grant.

The rising trend of onward migration from Canada, with a notable 43% increase between 2016 and 2017 and a further spike in 2019, underscores significant challenges in newcomer integration.

Source: Settlement Canada

Rittenhouse: A New Vision

Rittenhose: A New Vision (RaNV): Founded in 1998, RanV challenges structural inequalities that disproportionately place the most marginalized people in carceral spaces. Its community-based support programs result in increased healing and opportunities for people with lived experience of incarceration, individuals currently within provincial and federal institutions and their families. Make a grant.

RanV is the only transformative justice and abolitionist organization within Ontario that is exclusively led by women with lived experience of incarceration.

Not Far From the Tree

Not Far From the Tree (NFFTT): When a tree owner in Toronto can’t keep up with their harvest, NFFTT mobilizes a volunteer team to pick the fruit, and share the bounty with homeowners, volunteers, social service agencies and other local partners. Participating communities are reducing food waste, strengthening local food systems and building neighbourhood connections. Make a grant.

Since 2008, NFFTT has cultivated a dedicated community of over 1000 people and partnerships with 63 local agencies, feeding thousands and making a lasting difference in Toronto’s food system. It has also rescued over 275,000 lbs of fresh local fruit from the landfill.

Toronto Cares Initiative

Toronto Cares Initiative: Toronto Cares Initiative emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of one woman reaching out for help on social media and has grown to help assist thousands of low-income, vulnerable and immunocompromised families with the resources that they need: food, clothing, school supplies and more. Make a grant.

Toronto Cares has provided vital resources to over 15,000 low-income people including those with disabilities and/or mental health challenges, seniors and the unhoused since March 2020. It hosts a low-to-no cost produce market at Eglinton and Dufferin each week to make fresh food accessible to community members.

The Gatehouse

The Gatehouse Child Abuse Investigation & Support Site: The first of its kind in Canada, The Gatehouse is a survivor-led organization providing peer support and counselling programs for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and those who support them. It provides a safe and inclusive space for thousands of CSA survivors to come forward and share their experiences, connect to those who understand and receive support. Make a grant.

Since it opened in 1998, The Gatehouse has provided support and services to more than 15,000 survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

Mama's Healing Garden

Mama's Healing Garden: Serving Black, Indigenous and racialized communities in Rexdale, Mama's Healing Garden provides holistic healing services that are culturally relevant and based in ancestral wisdom. Its initiatives include growing and cooking culturally appropriate food, skill-building sessions to increase economic opportunities, and creating access to culturally responsive mental health services. Make a grant.

Mama’s Healing Garden has provided nutritious food to over 300 community members in the past two years. It has also facilitated over 50 workshops on various topics such as financial literacy, entrepreneurship and self-care.

Parkdale Project Read

Parkdale Project Read (PPR): PPR is a community adult literacy centre based in Toronto’s west end. It offers one-to-one tutoring and small group learning that supports adult learners in developing reading, writing and basic math skills, with the goal of increasing literacy rates in Toronto—particularly in new immigrant populations. Make a grant.

Each year PPR engages approximately 130 learners in its core literacy and basic skills programs. To help combat the negative social outcomes of low literacy, it provides additional support including food boxes, transportation subsidies and access to digital technology.

The Period Purse

The Period Purse: A Canadian charity dedicated to menstrual equity, The Period Purse™ works with all levels of governments, community partners and community members to increase free access to period products. Through education and advocacy, it also works to reduce the stigma associated with periods and increase menstrual health knowledge. Make a grant.

The City of Toronto now has a standing budget line to provide all city-run shelters with free menstrual products. Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Torontonians have been supported and thousands have engaged in education to reduce the stigma around periods.

Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services

Back 2 Basickz: Back 2 Basickz Youth Support Services is a Black-led, serving and focused organization providing programs to empower at-risk youth. Since 2013, its programs have assisted those who have left school early or been involved in the justice system, offering education and career support – especially in fields perceived as inaccessible to Black youth. Make a grant.

Back 2 Basickz's Inclusive Leadership Initiative aims to empower racialized youth in the Scarborough and Jane & Finch neighbourhoods with the necessary tools, resources and confidence to pursue leadership roles in the community and their careers.

Passages Centre for Self-Directed Learning

Passages Centre for Self-Directed Learning: Passages Centre for Self-Directed Learning is an independent school supporting diverse youth ages 11-18 to explore their passions, develop critical thinking skills and become active participants in their education. Passages provides personalized education, one-on-one mentorship and student-driven programming. They offer opportunities for community exploration and involvement to neurodiverse, 2SLGBTQ+, racialized and other exceptional young people. Make a grant.

92% of students at Passages have struggled with their mental health to the point of not being able to attend any educational environment, and most had left school as a result. 90% are neurodivergent and more than 65% identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

Source: Passages Centre for Self-Directed Learning

ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities*

ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities' aim is to advance a cultural shift where the experiences, voices and talents of Black Canadians living with disabilities are valued. Their Black Accessibility Knowledge Hub (Blackhub.ca) is designed to address systemic barriers in accessing Black-focused disability resources, services, research, and knowledge. ASE also does research projects, policy reviews, community education and consulting.

*Update: At the original date of publishing, ASE Community Foundation for Black Canadians was included as a nonprofit grantee. It gained registered charity status in February 2025.

Black adults and youth report median incomes of $35,008 and $7,517 respectively, falling short of the Canadian averages of $42,374 and $9,938.

Source: 2016 census of population. Statistic Canada

Here are 9 nonprofit organizations nimbly connecting neighbours and advancing community-driven solutions to persistent problems.

Nonprofits are integral to community building because amongst other things, they:

are flexible and responsive
draw community participation
are on the ground

have relevant context
offer reduced barriers to accessing support
generate local solutions

involve those with lived or living experience
cultivate connections and belonging

AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives

AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives connects Black creatives and youth to opportunities in public art and Afrofuturism. Initiatives include curation and production of exhibitions, public art, conventions and panels, and Web3 ventures such as non-fungible tokens, virtual reality projects and other metaverse expeditions.

Only 5 of Toronto’s 411 permanent public art installations are by Black artists.

Source: AstroSankofa

BYJ Community Services

BYJ Community Services aims to reduce poverty and senseless violence among marginalized Black Canadian youth and families in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. They provide individual and group skills building and knowledge sharing through coaching and workshops.

Their work also builds community capacity to support Black residents through social programs, advocacy and community development in collaboration with government, private sector and community partners.

Black people in Toronto are more than twice as likely to live in low-income households compared to residents who are not visible minorities. Meanwhile, 44 per cent of Black children live in poverty, compared to 15 per cent of non-racialized children.

Source: Data collected by the city of Toronto

Community Justice Collective

Community Justice Collective provides free legal services to grassroots movements advancing equity across Toronto. Too often, community organizers face burdensome legal attacks that sap them of time and money. CJC addresses this challenge head-on, ensuring movements can fight strategically to win transformative change in every arena, including the courts.

In Toronto, nearly 1 in 5 renters is behind on rent. If a person has been living in their apartment for two years or more, they will face a 40% increase in rent if they try to move. Torontonians cannot afford to be displaced.

Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Rental Market Report (2023)

Free Geek Toronto

Free Geek Toronto: is a technology-reuse organization that refurbishes and repairs donated devices, creating affordable options for people who need them. Their Hardware Grant program also allows nonprofits to access technology at no cost. This process allows Free Geek Toronto to offer employment and training opportunities to those who face barriers while also decreasing the environmental impact of technology and promoting a circular economy.

Having a computer, not just a mobile device, is essential for engaging in everyday tasks, especially in settings like post-secondary education. However, only 78% of low-income households have access to a home computer.

Source: Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. Government of Canada. Communications Monitoring Report (2019)

R.I.S.E.

R.I.S.E. creates safe and inclusive spaces to empower communities of colour and emerging artists to use art and performance as a form of self-expression, healing and community building.

R.I.S.E. helps eliminate barriers and creates performance opportunities for emerging artists to become professionals, who can then make a living from their art, through education, mentorship and live events.

There are about 32,300 artists in Toronto representing 2% of the city's labour force -double the provincial and national averages. Yet, the pandemic has caused a 13% closure rate of the city’s smaller venues where these artists often perform.

Sources: Reimagining Music Venues (2023), Hill Strategies Statistical insights on the arts (2023)

The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter

The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter (CCNCTO) promotes equity, social justice, inclusive civic participation and respect for diversity. The three pillars of their work include: serving marginalized Chinese community members facing multiple barriers in accessing resources; developing and delivering culturally and language accessible anti-racism community projects; and advocating for equity, anti-racism and human rights.

60% of the individuals that CCNCTO has been connected to identify as lower-wage (im)migrants in precarious frontline work.

Urban League of Canada Prevention Training

Urban League of Canada Prevention Training promotes bone health, specifically mobility, injury prevention and osteoporosis prevention among seniors. ULCPT contributes to the optimal health and social wellbeing of youth and seniors by providing affordable, age-appropriate programs that lead to positive development outcomes for participants.

Toronto’s senior population is projected to double by 2041. However, 62% of seniors say they are unaware of public health programs, pointing to a growing need for services and awareness tailored to seniors’ wellbeing and quality of life.

Source: Toronto Seniors Strategy 2.0, City of Toronto

Whippersnapper Gallery

Whippersnapper Gallery: is an artist-run centre and public gallery in Toronto, committed to the underdog artist and the racialized, queer, disabled and working-class communities they are a part of. Whippersnapper's programming challenges racialized artists' relationships to the gallery ecosystem, and the traditional relationship between galleries and communities. Young and emerging artists involved in a variety of mediums can exhibit their works at the gallery.

Whippersnapper Gallery is committed to exclusively showcasing emerging artists and offers peer learning and professional development.

The Engage Foundation

The Engage Foundation: Founded to protect public healthcare in Ontario against privatization, Engage presently operates across policy areas, ensuring that marginalized youth are supported by equitable policies. To further this aim, Engage passionately trains the next generation of changemakers through civic education workshops, nurturing their capacity to drive social transformation.

Update: At the original date of publishing The Engage Foundation was partnering with a trustee for their project but as of March 2025 the partnership has wrapped up. To support their work, please make a direct donation (for fundholders that means outside of your fund).

When young people participate in youth-managed civic organizations, their democratic involvement increases by an average of 23%

Source: Statistics Canada, Portrait of Youth in Canada: Data Report (2022)

Endnotes:

*By definition, small charities operate with less than $500,000 in annual revenue. Source: CanadaHelps Giving Report 2023

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