Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program

The Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program supports the mandate of the Department of Canadian Heritage by building on Canada's strength as a diverse and inclusive society.

The Program’s objectives are to support communities to:

• advance anti-racism; foster ethnocultural diversity and inclusion; promote intercultural and interfaith understanding
• provide equitable opportunities for equity-deserving populations and community organizations to participate fully in all aspects of Canadian society
• promote dialogue on multiculturalism, anti-racism, racial equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance institutional and systemic change so that Canada becomes a more inclusive society, free from racism and hate-motivated actions
• support research and evidence to build understanding of the disparities and challenges faced by equity-deserving populations

The Department of Canadian Heritage is implementing enhanced protocols and processes for funding programs that support Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to help ensure that organizations and individuals that espouse racist, antisemitic and other forms of hateful content will not be eligible to receive government funding.

The Program has three funding components: Events, Projects and Organizational Capacity Building.

Events component —Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program

The objective of the Events component is to provide funding to community-based events that promote intercultural or interfaith understanding, promote discussions on multiculturalism, diversity, racism and religious discrimination, or celebrate a community’s history and culture such as heritage months recognized by Parliament.

Expected results are that participants and communities will gain knowledge, develop strategies and take action to:

• increase awareness of Canada’s cultural diversity
• increase awareness of issues affecting full participation in society and the economy, related to culture, ethnicity and/or religion
• increase capacity within communities to address racism and discrimination

Read more about who can apply for funding for the Events component.

Organizational Capacity Building component —Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program

The objective of the Organizational Capacity Building (OCB) component is to provide funding to eligible applicants to build and strengthen their internal capacity to meet the objectives of the Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program (MARP). Thus, OCB is intended to fund projects that will contribute to the recipient’s ability to advance anti-racism and promote intercultural and interfaith understanding, to provide equitable opportunities, to promote dialogue on multiculturalism and anti-racism, and to build understanding of disparities.

This component specifically targets projects that build or strengthen an organization’s capacity to operate, and will help achieve one or more of the following expected results:

• improved financial management
• stronger human resource capacity (both staff and volunteers)
• enhanced governing practices
• increased partnership and networking abilities
• creation or improvement of strategic plan

Read more about who can apply for funding for the Organizational Capacity Building component.

Projects component —Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Program

The Projects component provides funding for community development, anti-racism initiatives and engagement projects that promote diversity and inclusion by encouraging interaction among community groups.

Expected results are that participants and communities gain knowledge, develop strategies and take action to:

• increase awareness of Canada’s cultural diversity
• increase awareness of issues affecting full participation in society and the economy, related to culture, ethnicity and/or religion
• increase capacity within communities to address racism and discrimination

The application period for this component is currently closed.