Round two of funding is now open for the BC Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Program. In 2019, the Government of British Columbia announced $5M in funding through this program. Its first round empowered more than 50 local governments, including 14 Cities Reducing Poverty members, with up to $150,000 to create on-the-ground solutions to ending poverty.
The program marked the first time that local municipalities and regional districts in BC were given the opportunity to receive provincial funding to develop and implement local poverty reduction plans. It supports the rollout of TogetherBC, BC’s first poverty reduction strategy.
Through Phase I, Tamarack’s Cities Reducing Poverty has supported UBCM grant recipients to deliver on promises made in their proposals, for example by bringing them together as part of the BC Communities Reducing Poverty Community of Practice (BC CoP), where they met with fellow communities that were embarking on similar projects.
We also hosted the BC Learning Series, a 4-part online and interactive training curriculum, that supported recipients to glean from Tamarack directors’ 20+ years of expertise, Cities Reducing Poverty members' vast on-the-ground experience, and a wealth of helpful case studies, tools, guides, and other resources.
Modules included:
- Developing a Common Agenda and Writing a Poverty Reduction Plan
- Community Engagement for your Poverty Reduction Plan
- Collaborative Governance and Leadership for your Poverty Reduction Plan
- Getting to Impact
Each session addressed how a collaborative approach differed from a traditional municipal approach, how the approach could be adapted for success in a COVID-19 context, and how progress could be measured along the way, so that at the close of the grant, recipients could be confident that all voices were heard, and that their poverty reduction plan truly reflected local context and priorities.
In 2020, Tamarack hired Jill Zacharias as our BC Manager of Growth and Impact to deepen support for BC communities, with a focus on supporting them to move through the stages of development, develop community plans, track and report on impact, and achieve sustainability.
Our Cities Reducing Poverty team is excited about the launch of the second round of this important granting program. We encourage communities interested to reach out to Jill to discuss how you can advance your poverty reduction efforts with the support of our team, tools, and online learning opportunities. The deadline for applications is March 5, 2020.
Take Your Learning Further
- Learn more about Cities Reducing Poverty and download the CRP membership brochure
- Join the BC Communities Reducing Poverty Community of Practice (BC CoP)
- UBCM Homepage: BC Poverty Reduction Planning and Action Grants
- 2020 Blog: 14 BC Members Receive Provincial Funding for Poverty Reduction
- Contact Jill to learn more about how Cities Reducing Poverty can support your poverty reduction work
