Toronto, February 10, 2009 -  The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) today announced five new Future Fund grant recipients. These key organizations will lead collaborative ventures involving a total of 27 environmental groups. They were selected to help drive change in Ontario communities through research, planning and action. The $2 million funding announcement was made by the Hon. Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture.

“The McGuinty Government is pleased to support the creation of green jobs and other environment opportunities in Ontario,” said Carroll, “By strengthening the not-for-profit environment sector, OTF’s Future Fund is bringing together partners who may not otherwise have the resources to tackle certain challenges alone.”

“Ontario has long recognized the Ontario Trillium Foundation as an active partner in building a greener future for all communities, large and small,” said John Gerretsen, Minister of the Environment. “It’s exciting to see that some of the newest projects funded by the Future Fund bring together organizations that will ensure a greener future for all Ontarians.”

The Future Fund grant recipients announced today are Farmstart, Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA), Ontario Nature, Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) and Sustainability Network. These five established organizations, with their environment partners from across Ontario, will help:

• Build sustainable energy options
• Protect community lands in Ontario
• Enhance Ontario’s sustainable food system
• Strengthen effective environmental leadership in Northern Ontario
• Facilitate greater diversity in Ontario’s environment sector

“The Future Fund was created to invest strategically in Ontario’s future,” said Helen Burstyn, OTF Board Chair. “One year into the Future Fund program, and after a total investment of $4 million to 10 umbrella groups, we are thrilled to see significant changes in the way not-for-profit organizations work together and share their expertise to tackle specific environment issues.” The 10 projects funded in 2008/09 involve over 100 organizations and will eventually touch just about every region of the province.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation established the Future Fund in 2007. This targeted funding program supports partnerships among not-for-profit organizations within a specific sector in order to strengthen their impact, enhance leadership and build capacity within that sector.

OTF conducted a research study on the not-for-profit environment sector in Ontario. The study indicated that OTF was uniquely suited to play a leadership role. Moreover, it suggested that the Foundation could enhance its impact by focusing on targeted results in the area of capacity building and environmental outcomes.

In 2008/09, the Future Fund’s focus has been on the environment sector. Starting in the spring of 2009, the program’s funding will support not-for-profit initiatives that create innovative opportunities in Ontario’s economy.

About the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the environment sector

• The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, is the largest funder of the not-for-profit environment sector in Ontario.
• Since April 1, 2003, OTF, through its Future Fund, Community Grants and Province-Wide programs, awarded more than 580 grants valued over $54M to projects benefiting the environment.

View Future Fund stories and backgrounder (pdf).