2023
Indigenous & Black COMMUNITY ACTION GRANT
To our dear community,
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BYI is thrilled to announce the 2023 cycle of the Indigenous & Black Community Action Grant!! This will be our THIRD cycle of funding and our hope is to apply the learnings and teachings we’ve gained to further uplight community. In the first cycle our intention was to create accessible ways for Indigenous and Black community-minded youth in BC to get funded during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Drawing from our own experience of being organizers during the height of the Black Lives Matter Movement and struggling to quickly access seed funding. We created this fund for community organizers, facilitators, activists, birthworkers, sex workers and folks who do healing work. Our team also strongly encourages artists, sex workers and birthworkers to apply.
We witnessed youth at the forefront of leading movements in Climate Justice, Indigenous Sovereignty and the recognition of Black Humanity and supporting their work has become a key priority for us.
As we continue to navigate life in a pandemic, we are aware that Indigenous and Black youth have been (and continue to be) disproportionately affected by the impacts of COVID-19, police brutality, anti-Blackness, white supremacy and the continuous vicious cycle of (settler) colonialism.
We are far too aware of the perpetual barriers present for Indigenous and Black youth in this colonial system. Barriers that limit our ability to access funding and critical resources for joy, community and healing. We recognize the importance of Indigenous sovereignty and Black liberation as a collective effort. We understand and fundamentally believe that our liberation is interconnected and interrelated given our unique histories and current realities.
With this support fund we hope Indigenous and Black youth are able to gain the foundation to pursue relationships, creativity, joy, pleasure, solidarity and collaborations they seek.
We hope to go against tedious and long application processes, making this fund accessible for folks.
While our application requirements are as low barrier as possible our team is happy to wholeheartedly accept feedback on how we can make this process more accessible for folks moving forward, please get in touch at contact@blackyouthinitiative.ca
Eligibility
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This fund is open to Indigenous and Black youth residing in what’s colonially known as "British Columbia." People identifying as Black; a descendent of the African/Caribbean Black diaspora; Black-mixed; Afro-LatinX; or Black Indigenous person. People identifying as Indigenous to Turtle Island, currently residing in so-called "British Columbia".
Priority will be given to folks aged between 18-30.
Individual fund award: $1000 cad
Group grant fund: $2000 cad
*Group means 2 or more members/ participants.
*Registered organizations, non-profits/ charities are not eligible for this fund
*Student Clubs lead by Black and or Indigenous Youth are welcome to apply
*Funds are issued via e-transfer
*Individuals or groups that have previously received funding will not be eligible to apply for this cycle
applications deadline is September 25th 2023
Please note: Funds will be awarded as per the discretion of the selection committee.
Grant Details
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This fund is flexible to folks who intend to pursue projects that are community based. No limitation will be placed on the type or scope of the project. Please do not hesitate to reach out and discuss your project scope with our team before submitting your application.
BYI encourages folks to imagine how they can leverage this funding to create sustainable healing and growth opportunities for themselves and their communities. Funds can be used to support any current ongoing project or new projects being undertaken (Let us know on the application).
Application Guidelines
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We prioritize accessibility, do not feel held back by "grant writing” language. Feel free to write as colloquially, detailed and coherently as possible. For folks who prefer to answer the form in audio or video form you have the option to attach audio and video to application.
For folks who prefer to answer the form in audio or video form you have the option to attach audio and video (3-5 minutes max) to application.
Please send us an email for any question at contact@blackyouthinitiative.ca
deadline to apply is september 25th, 2023
Have Questions?
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