Nanaimo Youth Resilience Grants

The City of Nanaimo is pleased to announce the Nanaimo Youth Resilience Grant.

Public Safety Canada is providing funding to address community safety through the Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF). The objective of this fund is to help municipalities and Indigenous communities prevent gun and gang violence by addressing their root cause.

The City of Nanaimo has access (through the BSCF program) to $1,156,699 to fund programs under the 6 focus areas in the Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy.

6 Key Focus Areas in the Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy

1. Safe Youth Gathering Spaces
   • To establish safe, free, youth gathering spaces, within existing facilities. The City is working to identify two locations for a safe youth gathering space. The Nanaimo Youth Resilience Grant may be used to fund programs in these spaces.
2. Youth Outreach
   • To expand street outreach and related programs including service hours and locations to build relationships with youth at risk and to meet a wide range of their needs such as food, harm reduction, engagement in recreation, access to counseling, etc.
3. Connecting Youth To Land And Water Through Snawaylth (Teachings)
   • Enhance existing and/or create new opportunities to connect youth to the land and water through Snawaylth to strengthen their mental, emotional, spiritual, and cultural resilience.
4. Youth Mentoring Program
   • To connect youth, especially youth at risk, with diverse role models and significant/caring adults (e.g. tutors, trades or vocational role models, mentors, teachers, coaches, etc.).
5. Enhancing Existing Programs
   • To improve existing programs for youth by adding new components that fill gaps and build protective factors for children and youth-at-risk (e.g. sports, culture, education, health and wellness, life skills, socio-emotional learning, volunteering etc.).
6. Media & Communications
   • To build relationships with media and develop key positive messaging to highlight successful youth programs and initiatives that counter repeated negative media attention that perpetuate discrimination and stigmatization against youth.

Who Can Apply?

Organizations requesting funding will be established non-profit organizations, public sector entities or government bodies with experience working with youth.

Application Timeline

Applications must be submitted by 12 pm Monday, August 14, 2023.

Programs must start during the Fall/Winter of 2023, and can be funded until March 2026.

Applications received after this date will only be considered if there are unused funds. Late requests may be considered in exceptional or unforeseen circumstances. Successful applicants will receive written notification of Council’s decision by the end of September 2023.

Information Session

An online information session was held on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. To view the slides presented, please click on the link below:

Grant Information Session Slides.

Application and Supporting Documents

Please carefully review the following documents to apply for the Nanaimo Youth Resilience Grants:

• Grant Guidelines & Criteria
• Grant FAQs
• Grant Application Form
• Grant Application Budget Template

Applicants must submit both a completed .PDF of the Grant Application Form and an Excel Workbook (.xlsx) of the Budget Template.

Additional information on the Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy and Building Safer Communities Fund can be found here:

• Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy (2023)
• Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy Implementation Guide
• Nanaimo Youth Resilience Strategy Project Page
• Crime Prevention Inventory - Public Safety Canada
• Crime Solutions - National Institute of Justice

Completed applications can be submitted to:

• By Email: socialplanning@nanaimo.ca
• By Mail: c/o Community Planning, City of Nanaimo 455 Wallace Street, Nanaimo BC V9R 5J6
• In Person: c/o Community Planning, City of Nanaimo Service & Resource Centre, 411 Dunsmuir Street, Nanaimo BC

For questions, please contact: socialplanning@nanaimo.ca