iA Financial Group has doubled the funding for its annual Philanthropic Contest to a record $1 million for its 10th edition, focusing this year on charities that support young Canadians.
The life insurer has named 12 finalists, chosen by an internal panel, from four regions. Their projects address challenges facing young people, including mental health, food insecurity, homelessness, access to education, addiction recovery, employment and social inclusion.
The public can vote from November 3 to 25. Four grand prize winners will each receive $200,000, and the other eight finalists will share the remaining $200,000. The winners will be announced the week of December 7.
“This year’s finalists remind us how important it is to give young people the support they need to move forward,” said Denis Ricard, president and chief executive of iA Financial Group.
In Quebec, Food Banks of Quebec said a $200,000 grant would provide 400,000 extra meals to young people aged 12 to 25 facing food insecurity. L’ADOberge Chaudière-Appalaches in Lévis, which marks 30 years of sheltering vulnerable youth, would expand outreach to prevent homelessness and build support for young people after they leave its shelter. Montreal’s Centre pour l’intelligence émotionnelle en ligne (CIEL) would expand its workshops on healthy digital habits into a new region and offer more free sessions in Greater Montreal.
In Ontario, Ottawa-based Actua would help 1,000 high school students from equity-deserving groups prepare for STEM careers over two years, including land-based programming for Indigenous youth. Community Living Central York in Newmarket would launch a program supporting young adults aged 18 to 25 with developmental disabilities as they move from school to adult life. Covenant House Toronto would fund social workers and case managers for Youth Reconnect, an early intervention program to prevent homelessness among people aged 12 to 18.
In Western Canada, Calgary’s AARC Adolescent Recovery Centre would expand access to addiction treatment for people aged 12 to 21 and their families. BGC Okanagan in Kelowna would strengthen its youth homelessness prevention work, including emergency response, overdose intervention and its school-based Upstream Kelowna program. Backpack Buddies, based in North Vancouver, would open its first regional food hub in Northern BC, serving Prince George, where more than half of students on its program are waitlisted, as well as nearby rural, remote and First Nations communities.
In Atlantic Canada, Moncton’s Atlantic Wellness Community Center would provide about 1,500 hours of free mental health therapy in English and French to people aged 12 to 25 in southeastern New Brunswick. L’Arche Antigonish in Nova Scotia would expand employment support for young people with intellectual disabilities. Halifax’s YouthInspirED Foundation would grow its free one-on-one tutoring for students facing financial or geographic barriers.
iA launched the contest in 2017. Since then, it has received more than 2,100 submissions and given more than $5 million to charitable projects across Canada.
The contest is one of several recent iA community commitments. Last week, the company gave $75,000 to the Canadian Red Cross Wainwright Tragedy Appeal, supporting military families and others affected by the deadly fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
The announcement adds to a busy fall of community investment by Canadian insurers. Intact has opened its Climate Resilience Grants and named the first recipients of its Olympian Impact program. The Commonwell has committed $500,000 to rural hospitals, and Promutuel Insurance has raised $86,000 for the Fondation Tremblant.
For iA, the three-week public vote also keeps the company in front of consumers and advisors across all four regions.
