NewsBytes

For the week ending May 11, 2008

Manitoba government announces $201 million for improved child care
The Manitoba government has committed $201 million to increase the number of available daycare spaces and to better train daycare staff. The government's five-year plan will create 6,500 more child care spaces and 35 more daycare centres across the province, and will also allow for a 3% wage increase for daycare workers. Additionally, the province will create the country's only set of minimum safety standards, and will begin using a centralized, online waiting list for parents. For more information, visit: news.gov.mb.ca.

Annual review of US philanthropy released
The Foundation Centre, an American firm, has created a yearly journal of philanthropy, with the first issue highlighting key topics and trends from 2007. The journal discusses top news stories in the philanthropic world, with the 2007 edition covering how such events as Hurricane Katrina and climate change have affected American philanthropy. The journal also identifies key contacts, names award winners, investigates the state of foundation giving, and offers a media review including books, magazines and blogs. For more information or to download the premiere issue, visit: foundationcenter.org. (PDF)

$20 million donation to University of Toronto to support public health
The University of Toronto announced the creation of a new School of Public Health, funded by a $20-million donation from Paul and Alessandra Dalla Lana. In recognition of the gift, the largest to public health in Canadian history, the university will name the new school the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. The school will team with other disciplines and university units such as dentistry, nursing and health policy management and evaluation, and key partners such as the U of T's affiliated hospitals, local, provincial and national governments, and public health agencies, and will be the hub of Canada's largest network of public health researchers and educators dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion. For more information, visit: www.news.utoronto.ca.

Workforce strategy addresses HR issues in Alberta's voluntary sector
The Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration released A Workforce Strategy for Alberta's Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector, the result of collaborations with nonprofit and charitable organizations from across the province. Issues identified include: increasing competition for workers; staff turnover; dependency on external funding agencies for operational and project funding; increasing demands on service; lack of training; and difficulty in coordinating provincial action. Twenty-eight actions in five distinct areas have been mapped out, with highlights including: educating the public about the importance of work in the sector; providing employers with good management practice tools; promoting the sector as an employer of choice; developing strategies for sharing resources; and exploring opportunities for career mobility across organizations within the sector. For more information, visit: alberta.ca/acn.

Fast Fact: Employees concerned about wages and benefits
Employees are most unhappy with their wages and concerned about the lack of development opportunities within their organizations, according to a new study. More than 31,000 employees from Canada, US and Mexico participated in the study between 2002 and 2007, which measured worker satisfaction. Compensation and benefits was the lowest scored item on the survey, with a failing grade of 49%. Learning, growth and development only fared slightly better with a score of 51%. The quality of performance feedback on the job was also an area of concern, scoring 53%. . -- The Beacon Group

New benchmarks of online fundraising released
An American study released last week measuring Internet fundraising and activism of nonprofits highlights the continued importance of the Internet for mission-focused groups. The 2008 eNonprofit Benchmarks Study, co-authored by M+R Strategic Services and Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), reports that the total amount raised online increased by 19% between 2006 and 2007. Yet it also showed that e-mail open rates, click-through rates and response rates have fallen from 2006 to 2007. Open rates fell from 21.3% to 17.6%, and click-through rates dropped from 4.9% to 3.8%. The report allows nonprofits to see the overall change in online fundraising over the past three years. For more information, and to download the full report, visit: ga1.org/campaign/2008benchmarks.

Grants available through Alberta's Community Spirit Program
The Alberta government has launched its Community Spirit Program, which includes an enhanced charitable tax credit and a new donor-driven donation grant program that allows Albertans to decide where they want funding to go. The donation grant program is available to all eligible nonprofit organizations and registered charities, and is funded through the Alberta Lottery Fund. Grants will be calculated on a proportional basis by dividing the $20-million annual budget by the amount of eligible cash donations received by eligible organizations over a 12-month period. The deadline for submitting grant applications is October 1st. The first grant cheques will be sent out early in 2009. For more information, or to submit an application, visit: culture.alberta.ca.

Federal government boosts world food aid
The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, and the Honourable Christian Paradis, Secretary of State (Agriculture) announced that Canada is allocating $230 million in support of food aid programming this fiscal year, a $50 million increase over last year. In addition, the Government of Canada is fully untying restrictions on where food can be purchased. Past restrictions required at least half of all food aid to be purchased from Canadian farmers, which many economists considered inefficient because it causes aid organizations to pay higher prices and incur greater transportation costs. The new policy will force Canadian farmers to compete globally to sell their product to Canadian foreign aid organizations. For more information, visit: news.gc.ca.

Fast Fact: Homelessness increasing in Canadian cities
An estimated 25 to 50% of homeless people have a mental illness and up to 70% of those with a severe mental illness also abuse substances, according to a new study. The study also revealed that one in seven users of emergency shelters across Canada are children and almost a third of Canada's homeless are youths aged 16-24. The homeless population grew by 740% in Calgary from 1994 to 2006, and by 235% in Vancouver. -- Mental Health Commission of Canada

Toyota Motor Corporation offering environmental grants
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is accepting applications for this year's Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program, which is designed to support environmental revitalization and conservation activities, both in Japan and overseas, for the purpose of sustainable development. The themes this year are "Global Warming Countermeasures" and "Biodiversity Conservation", and grants will be provided to NPOs (excluding schools) and other private nonprofit groups that are promoting practical projects in these areas. The application deadline is June 20, 2008. For more information or to download an application, visit: www.toyota.co.jp.

Trillium Foundation announces first-ever Future Fund recipients
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) announced the first five recipients of the Future Fund, a grant program created to enhance the future of Ontario communities. The 2007-2008 Future Fund of $2 million supports collaborative partnerships among not-for-profit organizations working on environment issues, strengthens their impact, enhances leadership, and builds capacity within the sector. This year's recipients are the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA), Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO), Green Communities Canada, and Environmental Defence. For more information, visit: www.trilliumfoundation.org.

Alberta town receives $1 million donation for recreation centre
S&D International Group Inc., an international company specializing in land development and headquartered in Edmonton, recently made a $1 million contribution to the Town of Beaumont, a community of 10,000 residents southeast of Edmonton. The gift will be applied toward the construction of an aquatic and fitness centre, which will be known as the S&D International Group Aquatic and Fitness Centre. This is the largest single gift made in Beaumont and it serves to launch their campaign to raise $2.5 million toward the new recreation centre. For more information about the centre, visit: www.town.beaumont.ab.ca.

HBC donates $600,000 to Candian Olympic athletes
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) announced donations of $300,000 to the Own the Podium 2010 initiative to benefit Canada's winter sports system, and $300,000 to the Road to Excellence program to benefit Canada's summer sport system. Both are part of the Canadian Olympic Foundation's action plan to create world-class programs, policies and financing that will help to place Canada among the top nations at future Olympic and Paralympic Games. HBC also unveiled the Canadian athletes' uniforms, which are, for the first time, made from eco-friendly sources such as bamboo and organic cotton. For more information about the Olympic Committee, visit: www.olympic.ca.