Centraide of Greater Montreal: $59.1M to tackle the multiple facets of poverty
Press Release
June 15, 2022
Montreal, June 15, 2022 – Centraide of Greater Montreal invested $59.1 million in 2021-2022 to support agencies and projects that tackle both the causes and effects of poverty in the neighbourhoods of Montreal, Laval and the South Shore. This is the result revealed in the Report to Our Community that Centraide released last night at its annual general meeting.
This money was mainly collected through its fundraising campaign among Major Donors, companies, agencies, unions, workplace employees, and the general public. Thanks to support from its donors, Centraide can apply a systemic approach aimed at stopping the cycle of poverty by addressing each of its dimensions.
The incredible generosity of donors led to a surplus of $6.3 million on top of the $59.1 million invested. The majority of this additional funding will be distributed over the next year as additional investments to agencies. Over 88% of the money raised this year has been or will be returned to Greater Montreal’s communities.
“Human dignity is the focus of everything we do. The money we give to nearly 350 community agencies and collective projects helps over 800,000 people every year. Centraide’s action also ensures that all sorts of stakeholders—such as community agencies, neighbourhood roundtables, institutional partners, foundations and citizens—can come together to tackle our most pressing social issues. They help keep children from going to school hungry, ease the isolation of seniors who live alone, assist single mothers in their search for adequate housing, and ensure people with mental health issues get the support they need,” said Claude Pinard, President and Executive Director of Centraide of Greater Montreal.
More support for communities
Over the past year, Centraide has further supported the community sector through:
- Financial support to 45 agencies and projects outside of its usual network to meet the significant needs of vulnerable people.
- Reinforced support for food security agencies: An additional $700,000 to 12 agencies, including 8 newly funded by Centraide.
- An additional investment of $1.1 million in homelessness, including 14 newly funded agencies and projects, 5 of which work with Indigenous people and 2 that work with youth.
- An additional $861,500 to help groups at a higher risk of poverty and social exclusion: Individuals and families with a child with a disability; immigrants, racialized people, and those with an insecure status; and women.
Drivers of social innovation
Centraide also supported many innovative projects with funds from philanthropic and institutional partners:
- The Collective Impact Project, which ended its first 6-year phase in March, invested $23 million in collective projects launched to fight poverty in 17 Montreal neighbourhoods thanks to donations from 9 private foundations and the support of 3 institutional partners. At the end of April 2022, Centraide announced the CIP’s second phase, which will open up the project to 32 Montreal neighbourhoods.
- The Projet Réussite Jeunesse continues a partnership with the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation that started with the COVID-19 emergency fund. A new budget envelope of $4.2 million financially supported community actions to foster self-esteem, motivation, and academic perseverance in young people in difficulty throughout Quebec.
- The DATAide program, which aims to accelerate the community sector’s digital transition. Operated by Centraide of Greater Montreal, this program has been made possible thanks to a $5.4 million investment from the Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MTESS) and should support over 3,000 agencies and agency leaders in Quebec through training, knowledge transfer, and digital expertise.
About Centraide of Greater Montreal
A true agent of change, Centraide of Greater Montreal takes action in the territories of Laval, Montreal and the South Shore. It regularly supports a network of 350 agencies and collective projects every year. Centraide is supported by businesses and organizations as well as the general public. It invests the money it raises through a needs analysis done in each of the territory’s neighbourhoods and communities. It implements strategies and actions to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people. Over 800,000 people are helped each year by the agencies supported by Centraide of Greater Montreal.
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