GTAA commits $350,000 funding to help combat underemployment

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has announced a call for proposals for its 2022 Uplift Fund, committing $350,000 for organisations dedicated to breaking down barriers to employment and cultivating opportunity for communities around Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Interested organisations can apply for up to $75,000 in funding for one-year projects.

The GTAA’s Uplift Fund has been investing and partnering in programming, advocacy and research to support local area residents to gain the skills, connections and opportunities needed to be meaningfully employed since 2018. Given the dramatic effects that COVID-19 has had on employment in the communities Toronto Pearson serves, never before has support of this nature been more important.

“As Canada’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson connects people far and wide to opportunity and adventure. We are an integral part of the communities we serve and we’re dedicated to lifting up our neighbours,” said Robyn Connelly, Director, Sustainability and Social Impact at GTAA. “Although COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on our business, it has also disproportionally impacted our neighbours. Our Uplift Fund is just one way we can continue to collaboratively address underemployment, and in doing so support a strong post-pandemic recovery for the Greater Toronto Area.”

This call for proposals will close on 20 April at 17:00pm.