FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GUELPH AND LONDON TO RECEIVE ALMOST $900,000 IN FUNDING TO DEVELOP LONG-LASTING ACTION TOWARDS THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)
10C Shared Space and Pillar Nonprofit Network to launch SDG Cities project in Guelph and London to strengthen organizations and purpose-driven businesses actively using and contributing to the SDGs
GUELPH, ON, March 31, 2020 - Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph, on behalf of the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development announced today that Guelph community organization, 10C Shared Space and London, Ontario’s Pillar Nonprofit Network have received $899,921 from Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Program for their collaborative project, SDG Cities - A holistic approach to activating SDGs in mid-sized communities for long- term impacts. This multi-year, collaborative initiative will enable the two mid-size cities to work across sectors to increase the number and strengthen the impact of organizations and purpose- driven businesses contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Programming will be implemented from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2024.
The SDG Funding Program is a federal grants and contributions program that supports Canadian organizations’ work advancing the SDGs and the Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy. Through the Funding Program, the Government of Canada is helping to strengthen the ability of not-for-profit organizations, provinces and territories, municipalities, academia, the private sector, members of indigenous communities and racialized communities, women, children and youth and vulnerable and marginalized populations, to deliver improved outcomes for Canadians.
By supporting projects across the country like 10C Shared Spaces and Pillar Nonprofit, the SDG Funding Program will raise awareness of the SDGs, develop new partnerships, improve knowledge on emerging sustainable development issues and implement innovative approaches that advance several SDGs. Building more inclusive, resilient and sustainable societies that leave no one behind, now and in the future, is at the heart of Canada’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Under its Sustainable Development Goals program, ESDC’s grant stream requested proposals for innovative projects that will advance Canada’s progress on the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The SDG Cities project will support multiple enterprises in Guelph and London.
It will also work directly with multiple stakeholders in the changing ecosystem, including funders, businesses, social enterprises and the non-profit sector. Through leveraging global and national tools and knowledge, Guelph and London will see:
- SDGs become widely understood through storytelling with many local organizations and social innovation awards highlighting excellent local work underway
- Locally relevant SDG engagement with funders, municipal governments and advancement of new academic research
- SDG training tools and mentorship for local organizations, anchored by the key project deliverable, the SDG Cities Incubator - an interactive training and support program that offers free and accessible tools to non-profit organizations and businesses whose work is contributing to the SDGs. By building this shared community asset, the teams will offer training, including workshops, cohort-based learning, strategic guidance and coaching. This community-based programming will be launched in late 2021.
QUOTES
“Making progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals is a shared responsibility across all levels of society. By fostering partnerships through Moving Forward Together – Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and the SDG Funding Program, the Government of Canada is supporting local action on the SDGs and delivering better outcomes for all Canadians.”
-The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
“It is tremendous to have 10C recognized nationally as a leader in social innovation, receiving one of the 11 contribution agreements being provided across Canada, and this time partnering with projects in London, ON. The network of social innovators is expanding as we build back better together, following a year of social upheaval due to COVID19. The next economy will benefit from local leaders sharing ideas and experiences – I am looking forward to seeing what Guelph and London can accomplish together.”
-Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph
"The partnership between 10C Shared Space and Pillar Nonprofit Network is critical. The United Nations sustainable development goals are just that: outcomes to be lived up to. They will not come to fruition unless governments prioritize them and help local organizations focus on their realization in the communities and regions they serve. Both 10C Shared Space and Pillar are committed to the type of collaboration that will see greater awareness of the SDGs so that the work has a lasting local impact for people in need."
-Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London North Centre
“In Guelph, this project will help enterprises working in both for-profit and not-for-profit models to increase their social impact. By framing and measuring this impact within the SDGs, we will have a clear view of socially oriented work happening across various sectors in our community.
We believe that a mid-sized city model represents a readily replicable opportunity to support local stakeholders to impact national change towards the 2030 Agenda.”
-Julia Grady, Executive Director, 10C Shared Space
“Integration is one of the core principles of the Sustainable Development Goals. Putting the SDGs into action requires integration of sectors, goals, levels of government and people. Pillar Nonprofit Network has a strong history of building collaborative partnerships across sectors to drive social impact in our region. The SDG Cities project will bring a shared language to our local efforts enabling improved collaborations towards achieving lasting systems change."
-Luis Patricio, SDG Cities Co-Lead, Pillar Nonprofit Network.”
About 10C Shared Space: 10C is the hub for community changemakers in Guelph. We are a not- for-profit social enterprise creating a platform for those working across sectors and engaging in collaborative purpose-driven work. 10C is passionate about community enterprise, social finance, food engagement and sustainable development as a whole. Our future matters. We inspire possibility and create change - now!
About Pillar Nonprofit Network: Pillar Nonprofit Network strengthens individuals, organizations and enterprises invested in positive community impact. We support non-profits, social enterprises and social innovators by sharing resources, exchanging knowledge and creating meaningful connections across the three pillars of non-profits, business and government.
For Media Inquiries:
Julia Grady, Executive Director 10C Shared Space
(519) 546-5640
julia@10carden.ca
Luis Patricio, SDG Cities Co-Lead (London)
Pillar Nonprofit Network
lpatricio@pillarnonprofit.ca
Lianne Cassidy, Executive Assistant Office of MP Lloyd Longfield
lloyd.longfield.c1@parl.gc.ca