Stories that inspire
The Refugee Center
The Refugee Centre is one of the funding recipients of the Foundation of Greater Montréal’s Collective Fund for Social Equity for 2023. Following their participation in our funding application process, we asked them to tell us about their experience. Here are their thoughts:
The Foundation of Greater Montréal is working to transition its practices to a trust-based philanthropy model. What was your experience with our application process like, including your discussions with our team and the support you received?
We appreciate the focus on transparency and collaboration, and we commend the efforts made to ensure that the funding provided matches the needs on the ground. In terms of the application process, we found the instructions provided to be clear and precise, which made applying that much easier. We also appreciated the availability of Foundation’s staff during our discussions.
What challenges does your organization face other than a lack of funding?
A common challenge for community organizations is working in silos. These silos can lead to wasted resources, duplication of efforts, and inefficiency in responding to community needs, as opportunities for synergy and collaboration are often missed.
How can funders support your work, beyond providing funding?
One form of support that could be useful is to facilitate connections with other organizations, potential partners, experts in the field, and stakeholders to foster collaboration and the sharing of best practices. Funders could do this by organizing networking events or putting donor-funded organizations in touch.
What community or philanthropic issues deserve greater attention?
Emergency funding. Access to fast and flexible funding is often essential to meeting immediate community needs, such as food assistance, emergency housing, health care, and psychosocial support. Yet, it’s very difficult to find funding for these necessary services.