Grassroots Accelerator Project – 2025 – Current

Grassroots Accelerator Project – 2025 – Current

Project Overview & Scoping Statement

“GAP aims to equip and mobilize grassroots organizations in the Prairies and Northern Territories to lead and co-create an equitable, sustainable, and resilient ecosystem of newcomer support by 2028. The GAP was created to strengthen the capacity of grassroots groups, especially those working with migrant women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, racialized newcomers, persons with disabilities, youth, and seniors, to participate more fully in the newcomer settlement sector.”

The Grassroots Accelerator Program addresses the systemic gap between established settlement institutions and emerging grassroots innovators across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all administrative oversight, GAP pairs targeted, community-informed funding with coaching, organizational development tools, and collective infrastructure to help grassroots groups expand sustainably and adapt to shifting social and geopolitical conditions.

Alignment with CFRAC: Grassroots organizations are powerful drivers of systemic transformation within trusted communities, yet they frequently face structural barriers to securing stable funding, formal training, and institutional infrastructure. This initiative aligns with CFRAC’s mandate to dismantle power imbalances in non-profit and settlement ecosystems by providing the tools, resources, and relational networks required to sustain grassroots leaders doing front-line equity work.

Relationships and Partners

  • Collaborative Partners & Lead Organizers: Centre for Race and Culture (CFRAC), Gateway Association (Gateway), and Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA)
  • Funded Grassroots Cohort (15 Organizations across the Prairies and Norther Territories):
    • Alberta Region: Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education (AWARE); Bow Valley Connections Centre; Bright Lights for Africa (BLFA) (Francophone); Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee (CISC); Connecting the Dots Diversity and Inclusion Council (CDDIC); Filipinos Rising (FRIENDS); Sahelian Punjabi Women’s Society (SPWS)
    • Saskatchewan Region: Community of Francophone Africans of Saskatchewan / La Communauté des Africains Francophones de la Saskatchewan (Francophone); Black Professionals and Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan; Saskatchewan Queer Entrepreneurs and Professionals (SQEP)
    • Manitoba Region: B‑Women on Wings Canada International Manitoba (BWOW); Development Assistance International (Francophone); Holistic Ongoing Opportunities Development-Facilitation and Management Services (HOODFAMS); Safe Housing And Directed Empowerment (SHADE)
    • Northern Region: Nunavut Black Business Association (NBBA)

Key Activities

  • Direct Equity-Centred Funding: Administering a competitive funding stream that selected 15 high-impact grassroots organizations from over 100 regional applicants, directing vital capital to under-resourced community groups.
  • Organizational Capacity & Systems Coaching: Equipping grassroots teams with future-ready and practical tools, mentorship, and operational frameworks to strengthen internal governance and decision-making, organizational systems, reporting, people operations, and community-informed program delivery.
  • The Grassroots Collective Ecosystem: Facilitating an open, cross-regional collaborative network that connects both funded and non-funded grassroots groups across the Prairies and Northern Territories for continuous peer learning, participatory training and learning cohorts, resource sharing, and collective advocacy.
  • Intersectional & Regional Specialization: Tailoring organizational supports to groups led by and serving equity-deserving populations, including migrant women, 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers, Francophone African diasporas, racialized communities, youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities across urban, rural, and northern contexts.

Further Exploration

Join The Grassroots Collective Ecosystem to connect with grassroots organizations in the newcomer-serving sector and access free resources, workshops, courses and opportunities for collective action and learning: https://gapgrassrootscollective.thinkific.com/