Question Period Note: Funding programs available for anti-racism

• Canadian Heritage has two funding programs that support communities in confronting racism: the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program and the Anti-Racism Action Program.
• In Budget 2018, the Government of Canada announced $23 million over two years to tackle racism and discrimination. This included $21 million in new funding for the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program.
• Budget 2018 also provided $9 million over three years to address the unique challenges faced by Black Canadian youth.
• Budget 2019 provided $45 million for the Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy (CARS). This included $30 million to support community-based projects which are delivered through Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program and Anti-Racism Action Program over three fiscal years (2019-2020 to 2021-2022).
• A new CSMARI call for proposals was launched on November 23, 2020 with a deadline of January 12, 2021

• The Government of Canada reiterated in the Speech from the Throne that they are committed to combatting systemic racism. The Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH) provides funding through the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives (CSMARI) and the Anti-Racism Action Program (ARAP) for capacity building projects that will contribute to the recipient's ability to promote diversity and inclusion.
• The CSMARI Program supports the mandate of PCH by building on Canada's strength as a diverse and inclusive society. The Program has three funding components: Events, Projects and Community Capacity Building.
• CSMARI Events runs on a continuous intake model. Applicants must apply at least 18 weeks before their planned event start date. There is no funding decision standard for CSMARI Events. Processing times vary depending on the time of year and associated application volumes. Since the announcement of the pandemic in March, the majority of CSMARI Events have been cancelled, delayed indefinitely, or a small number held virtually.
• A call for proposals was held for CSMARI Projects, Community Capacity Building, and Community Support for Black Canadian Youth from September 10, 2018, to May 31, 2019. A total of 567 applications were received and
229 initiatives were funded for a combined total of $26 million. Despite the record high volumes, the service standard (i.e. 26 weeks) was met for the majority of applications. Note that 26 weeks is a normal funding decision standard for PCH funding programs.
• A new call for proposals for the CSMARI program was launched on November 23, 2020, with an intake deadline of January 12, 2021, for the Projects and the Community Capacity Building components.
• The ARAP is a new program and has a three year life-cycle (2019-20 to 2021-22). A call for proposals was held from September 3, 2019, to January 13, 2020. A total of 1110 applications were received. This was a record number of applications. Funding decisions were publicly announced by the Minister on October 15, 2020.

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