Trillium Foundation wants to give more money to First Nation projects

The 3rd World Canada film showing in Thunder Bay that capped off the delegation of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) member’s tour around Ontario was a great experience for Jason Hughes.
Listening to youth and leaders from KI as they spoke to the crowd about the film and their experiences on tour gave Hughes, a volunteer grant reviewer with the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), the chance to see first hand the positive effect that money he helped give out was having.
OTF funded 75 percent of the tour, something Hughes said was a great investment after seeing the youth speak in Thunder Bay.
“It was wonderful that the youth were able to go on tour, be able to interact with regions in Ontario that probably are not as mindful of the challenges First Nations face,” Hughes said. “The film is so impactful, but just listening to the youth and the drum and their speeches, that brought a hope that their vision would be brought forward.
“That’s why I am so thankful that OTF is available to fund programs like that,” he added.
The 3rd World Canada tour was by no means the only First Nations project that OTF has helped fund. As OTF’s northwestern Ontario program manager Maureen Brophy explained, the organization has put a lot of effort into attracting First Nation applications over the past decade.
“Right from the start when OTF got the money, we recognized the need to work with First Nations and Aboriginal communities,” Brophy said.
Brophy figured OTF spends about 30 to 40 per cent of its northwestern Ontario annual budget of $2.5 million on First Nations projects and programs each year. This year, for example, the organization is funding the installation of synthetic ice in Kasabonika Lake and a community garden project in Shoal Lake #39, among others.
Brophy now wants the percentage of the money going to First Nations to be higher.
The criteria for OTF funding is broad, covering arts and culture, environment, human and social services and sports and recreation. Brophy advises anyone interested in submitting an application to contact her and discuss the project before sending it in – that way she can help guide the creation of the application so it is more likely to get approval.
The goal of the funding is to help with community development, in raising awareness of the issues faced by First Nations people and in helping develop capacity within communities for future development.
As Hughes saw at the 3rd World Canada tour, sometimes a project can accomplish a number of different goals.
But in his eyes, the goal of helping young people develop into future leaders is the best thing to come out of the 3rd World Canada tour.
Now he hopes other projects OTF gets involved with can do the same.