Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC) is looking for Black community members to join its Grant Advisory Committee to provide guidance on the design and distribution of FFBC's forthcoming Community Grants. The Community Grants Program provides funding and capacity building support to grow, strengthen and sustain Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations from across Canada.

Who are we looking for?

• Community members from diverse age groups, life experiences, gender identities, sexual orientation, immigration status, languages, income levels and persons with disabilities

• Community members leading, working, volunteering, and supporting Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations across Canada

• Two (2) representatives from each of the five regions of Canada i.e. (Atlantic, Central, Prairies, Northern, and West Coast)

What do we mean by Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations?

• Black-led: Mandated to serve Black community, identity at the center of services/programs, with Black leadership at all levels (i.e., staff, executive, governance)

• Black-focused: Delivers culturally responsive programming/services, organizational leadership includes leaders that identify as Black, and regularly collaborates with Black-lead organizations

• Black-serving: Supports causes that impact Black communities, responds to communities’ unique cultural identities, history and needs, and has Black beneficiaries (i.e. Services users)

What are the roles of the Community Advisors?

The community advisors will have opportunities to contribute at different stages of the grantmaking process as listed below. Participants will identify which role/s they’re interested to engage in during the recruitment process and will receive training and support by FFBC staff. There is lots of room to learn and grow in this volunteer position.

• Design: with support from FFBC staff, advisors will get the opportunity to design the Community Grants Program’s vision, values, process, and grant types based on strengths, priorities and needs that matter to Black Communities

• Promotion: will assist in promoting the grants in their respective communities to Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused organizations

• Supporting Grant Recipients: with assistance from FFBC staff, advisors will provide support to grant recipients during grantee orientations and networking opportunities

Please note we will launch additional recruitment in the coming months for individuals interested in making funding decisions for their local community. Please stay tuned!

Meetings:

Majority of the work above is done through online meetings hosted over Zoom. Meetings will be held every two weeks for 2-hour durations.

Timeline:

The committee will be formed as soon as possible and will be in place until June 30, 2022, and committee members will be consulted if there is a need to extend the end date.

What are the skills and experiences we’re looking for?

• Lived experience and understanding of diverse perspectives of Black communities from across the four regions of the country

• Experience in organizing Black communities, grantmaking, Black-led and serving nonprofit organizations, marketing and communications are assets

• Access to a computer, stable internet connection and ability to use virtual meeting tools (If these are a barrier to your participation, we can discuss support.)

Benefits of volunteering for FFBC:

• Opportunity to guide and inform the granting process of Canada’s first Black-led, serving, and mandated philanthropic foundation

• Compensation for time and/or high school and post-secondary course credit

• Opportunities to network and learn new skills and experiences not only in grantmaking but also in teamwork, communications, community outreach and leadership

• Volunteer reference letters

Want to know more or apply?

If you’d like to find out more about this opportunity, please contact hr@forblackcommunities.org. You can apply for the committee by emailing us your name, contact information (email and phone number) and a brief outline of who you are, what perspectives/experiences you bring and what makes you interested in the volunteer position.

Please include “Community Grants Program” on the subject line of the email.

When is the deadline?

Positions are available as soon as possible. Applications will be reviewed until the positions are filled.

About FFBC

The Foundation for Black Communities is Canada's first Black-led, serving, and mandated philanthropic foundation. We invest directly into Black-led, serving, and mandated grassroots, non-profit, and charitable organizations, ensuring they have the necessary resources to make a meaningful impact and meet the needs of Black communities. Our mission is to ensure every Black person in Canada can thrive and all Black communities have agency in defining their own future.