Global Affairs Canada has announced a new $10-million matching fund to help Canadian aid organizations raise funds for their development projects in the Global South.
The new fund was announced Feb. 1 by Secretary of State for International Development Randeep Sarai.
It is being provided to the Inter-Council Network (ICN) for its LIFT program (Local Initiatives for Transformation), which provides support for small and medium-sized organizations doing international development projects.
The money is on top of a $38.5-million, seven-year grant announced last year for the Inter-Council Network, a coalition of eight provincial and regional councils that support the work of 350 Canadian international relief and development groups.
The new fund will be administered by the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, which is part of the network. The council will select the recipients and monitor use of the funding.
The new LIFT program will offer matching grants of between $25,000 to $100,000 to qualifying organizations.
In a press release, Global Affairs said the new funding will help groups leverage donations to maximize their impact and grow their funding base. And it will contribute to the larger Canadian government goal of creating “pathways for trade, innovation, and shared prosperity.”
The funding will promote “stronger people-to-people connections and future trade pathways” and strengthen “global networks that directly benefit Canadian trade,” the press release said.
These statements echo comments made by Secretary of State Sarai in a recent interview with Canadian Affairs. Sarai said the department was prioritizing development aid projects that bolster Canadian trade opportunities.
“Having development support our trade is key,” Sarai said. “We are trying to focus on where there are trade opportunities.”
Janice Hamilton, executive director of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation, says the additional LIFT program funding will encourage donations to small and medium-sized Canadian aid and development organizations.
Noting that Canadians like to see their donations matched, Hamilton said the new funding will enable them to involve more people in supporting their projects.
These groups “have told us they want funding that meets them where they are, and that supports genuine partnership with communities,” Hamilton said.
This new funding responds to that call by helping to “reduce barriers, build trust, and help organizations work differently,” she added.
