The Libro Prosperity Fund supports community organizations that are making big things happen in southwestern Ontario. Last year by working together 78 entrepreneurs started new businesses, social enterprises started to grow, financial literacy was shared, 16 individuals transitioned off social assistance and local youth gained leadership and employability skills.
Join us in celebrating the 2018 Prosperity Fund recipients; we can’t wait to see the impact they will have!
Full list of 2018 Prosperity Fund grant recipients:
Essex Kent
| Organization Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Firehorse Leadership Organization | Learn and Lead- Youth Instructors Leadership Program | $21,049 | Firehorse Leadership Organization receives $21,049 to expand their Learn & Lead youth leadership, providing financial literacy, life skills development and leadership mentorship to youth ages 14 – 25. |
| Charity House (Windsor) | Safe Haven | $5,000 | Safe Haven is an after-hours activity program for adolescent and young adult addiction treatment graduates, and is awarded $5,000 to promote positive lifestyle and employment choices, recovery-friendly activities and a substance-free social network. |
| Kent Agriculture In the Classroom Action Committee | Plant Agriculture Science Kit | $5,000 | The Plant Agricultural Science Kit for grade 3 students is awarded $5,000 and provides an introduction to modern farming and plant care focused on sustainability, technology and food production. |
| Blenheim Youth Centre | Youth Action Team (YAT) | $5,000 | The Blenheim Youth Centre receives $5,000 to provide leadership training and workshops to the Youth Action Team, elementary and high school students developing the skills to lead other local youth programs. |
| Enactus Windsor | The Liberty Project | $10,000 | A social enterprise providing consulting and employment to survivors of human trafficking, the Liberty Project by Enactus Windsor pays a living wage to survivors to manufacture reusable menstrual pads, which are donated to underdeveloped countries. The Liberty Project receives $10,000. |
| Harrow and Colchester South Chamber of Commerce | Win This Space - Harrow Centre | $15,000 | The Harrow and Colchester South Chamber of Commerce is awarded $15,000 for their economic development project, Win This Space Harrow, which will see area entrepreneurs complete business preparation sessions with the goal of awarding one finalist with free commercial space in the town of Harrow. |
| United Way/Centraide Windsor-Essex County | On Track to Success - Youth Career Mentorship Program | $18,951 | The United Way Windsor-Essex is awarded $18,951 to support the Youth Career Mentorship program, providing career mentoring and hands-on experiential learning with local employers to economically disadvantaged youth in Essex County. |
Haldimand-Norfolk
| Organizational Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Caledonia Agricultural Society | Caledonia Agricultural Society Exhibition Hall Renovation's Education Room Multimedia Equipment | $21,763 | The Caledonia Agricultural Society’s grant of $21,763 will create a hub for local youth farmer groups, among others, to host educational events and workshops within the larger Exhibition Hall renovation. |
| Cayuga Secondary School Student Council | Grade Nine Orientation 2019 | $6,000 | The Cayuga Secondary School Student Council receives $6,000 to provide in-depth leadership training to 20 youth to develop leadership, mentoring and problem solving skills, along with the ability to debrief and learn from leadership opportunities, culminating in organizing and leading the grade nine orientation day for 120 students. |
| Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre - Centre Trillium D'entraide Des Enfants Atteints Du Cancer | 2019 Teen Conference | $10,000 | The Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre receives $10,000 to provide 100 teens living with cancer a week-long camp with seminars and workshops focused on future career and leadership opportunities. |
| ALUS Norfolk | Grow With Us: Supporting the Norfolk Environmental Stewardship Team | $5,000 | ALUS Norfolk’s Grow with Us program receives $5,000 to provide workshops and experiential learning opportunities to summer students, focused on environmental stewardship, practical knowledge of local ecosystems and leadership skills. |
Huron Perth
| Organization Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Huron Business Development Corporation, operating as Community Futures Huron | Huron County Regional Food Hub | $60,000 | The Huron County Regional Food hub receives $60,000 to operate a social enterprise to support ongoing work bring more local foods into schools and connecting local producers to the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre. |
| Blyth Centre for the Arts | The Young Company | $10,000 | The Blyth Centre for the Arts is awarded $10,000 to their Young Company, promoting interest and participation in the arts to youth ages 13 – 19 through training workshops, mentorship, performance and production opportunities in a live theatre environment. |
| Huron Manufacturing Association | HMA Manufacturing Student Bus Tours | $5,000 | The Huron Manufacturing Association receives a $5,000 grant to bring educators and students together with area manufacturers to develop an understanding of the needs of manufacturers, what is expected of future employees and what part technology plays in the sector. |
| Rural Response for Healthy Children | Wash It! A Social Enterprise | $10,000 | Rural Response for Healthy Children will use it’s $10,000 grant to start a new social enterprise, Wash It!, to engage area families in creating and selling soap detergents to build employable skills and small business management knowledge. |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron | Big Bunch | $5,000 | The Big Bunch program through Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron receives $5,000 to provide mentorship and social opportunities for youth waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Sister, fostering social connections between peers awaiting a personal mentor. |
| Township of North Huron | In It To Win It North Huron | $10,000 | The Township of North Huron’s new economic development initiative, In It To Win It, receives $10,000 to support area entrepreneurs in turning their ideas and concepts into sustainable business plans through structured training sessions. |
Kitchener Waterloo
| Organization Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Reception House- Waterloo Region Inc. | New Canadian Youth Connections | $20,000 | The New Canadian Youth Connections is awarded $20,000 for their project offering government assisted refugee (GAR) youth the opportunity to lead activities and programs. |
| Kitchener Waterloo Counselling Services Incorporated | OK2BME Youth Leadership Group | $10,000 | OK2BME Youth Leadership Group supports LGBTQ+ youth through a youth recreation and leadership development program, and receives $10,000 to plan an annual Gender and Sexuality Alliance Conference (GSA Conference), a one-day community-building, brave space conference for LGBTQ+ youth. |
Lambton Middlesex
| Organization Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Sarnia-Lambton "Rebound"- A Program for Youth | The Hub | $26,910 | The Hub aims to provide a safe space with educational, social, emotional and health services for youth experiencing homelessness. Youth Advisors will gain leadership skills and valuable career skills by delivering life-skills based programming to young people in the community. The Hub has been awarded $26,910. |
| Intelligent Sarnia-Lambton Steering Committee | Intelligent Sarnia-Lambton Strategic Plan | $10,000 | The Intelligent Sarnia-Lambton Steering Committee receives $10,000 to develop a strategic plan to actively support regional economic development. The strategic plan will help focus efforts by utilizing Intelligent Community methods to increase regional social and economic prosperity. |
London St. Thomas
| Organization Name | Project Name | Grant Amount | About the Project |
| Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario Inc. | Habitat for Humanity Financial Foundations | $25,000 | Habitat for Humanity Financial Foundations is awarded $25,000 to provide individuals and families with in-depth financial literacy training to set them up for success as new homeowners. |
| The Learning Disabilities Association - London Region | Fostering Financial Literacy and Building Life Time Efficacy for Students with Learning Disabilities | $29,250 | The Learning Disabilities Association receives $29,250 to foster financial literacy skills among youth with learning disabilities using real-life examples, simulations and concrete exercises. |
| Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area | First Nations mentoring programs | $12,000 | The Big Brothers Big Sisters of London and Area First Nations Mentoring Program receives $12,000 to serve youth from local First Nations communities with in-school mentoring to develop healthy active living, self-esteem, communication skills, and emotional health. |
| Western University | Youth Leadership in Indigenous Communities | $10,000 | The Youth Leadership in Indigenous Communities project through Western University is awarded $10,000 to engage youth ages 13 to 16 in four local Indigenous communities to facilitate science and engineering outreach programs in their own communities in partnership with Western Engineering |
| London InterCommunity Health Centre | OEV Community Exchange Project | $7,841 | The London InterCommunity Health Centre’s grant of $7,841 expands the OEV Community Exchange Project, which matches residents based on skills, services and resources offered or sought, connecting people for individual and collective benefit. |
| Pathway Skill Development and Placement Centre | Getting Started: Entrepreneurial & Artisanal Woodworkers Program | $17,159 | The Pathways Skill Development and Placement Centre is awarded $17,159 for the micro-enterprise supporting aspiring woodworkers to initiate a new business by providing skills-based workshops, professional-grade resources and entrepreneurial supports. |
| One Spark | London-Middlesex One Spark Entrepreneurship Program | $15,000 | The One Spark Entrepreneurship Program receives $15,000 to help rural women experiencing violence bring business ideas to life by providing financial literacy workshops, financial advice and legal supports to participants. |
| Elgin/St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre a division of St. Thomas Ecnomic Development Corporation | Prosper Self Employment Program | $45,000 | The Prosper Self Employment Program is awarded $45,000 to support vulnerable and low-income participants who face barriers in the community with financial literacy development, and guidance and mentorship from business advisors to support future employment opportunities. |
| STEAM Education Centres Incorporated | STEAM City Media Student Job and Training Board | $5,000 | STEAM City Media, as part of the STEAM Education Centres Incorporated, is a new student-run media outlet receiving $5,000 to provide students with skills related to STEAM education, additional training and skills in creative, digital and enterprise platforms, to support job readiness. |
| Fresh Start Support Services | Money Opprotunities Management (M.O.M.) Program | $5,000 | Fresh Start Support Services’ M.O.M. Program receives $5,000 to provide access to information and resources supporting financial literacy for single young (under 25) mothers who are responsible for managing the finances of their families. |