Applications for Kitchener’s Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity (RISE) Fund are open until May 2nd and the city has already received more applications than in past funding cycles.
Since 2022, the RISE Fund has awarded nearly $250,000 to 34 organizations. The grants have funded everything from community garden and swim program projects, to film festivals and community feasts, to gendered based violence prevention programs and a project which works to reunite families displaced by conflict in Syria.
CKMS News spoke with Rea Parchment, the senior equity advisor for the City of Kitchener, about the importance of the grant in helping to address inequities, and support opportunities and well-being for Black, Indigenous and racialized community-led organisations.
To get more information about the RISE fund, visit kitchener.ca/RISEFund.