The GTAA is committed to investing 1 per cent of annual net revenue in support of community organizations across our region. In 2017, that translated into nearly $800,000 distributed through our funding program, the Propeller Project, which focuses especially on employment support in neighbourhoods around our airport.
Good Will Funding
Toronto Pearson’s community investment program, the Propeller Project, supports a wide range of efforts to build stronger communities and advance social good. We’ve created two main funding channels with distinct but complementary goals:
The Uplift Fund helps unemployed and underemployed people in nearby neighbourhoods – and around the region – gain the skills, connections and opportunities they need to find more meaningful jobs and potential careers. Funding is directed toward three main areas: (1) research into issues such as barriers to youth unemployment; (2) advocacy, including a digital campaign challenging employers’ perceptions of young people; and (3) programming, such as an initiative with Scientists in School that creates clubs promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education among underserved youth.
In 2017, the Uplift Fund invested about $430,000 in initiatives that had a direct positive impact on 60,000 community members.
$100,000 charity run Toronto Pearson’s 10th anniversary Runway Run attracted more than 2,000 participants in a five-kilometre run and a two-kilometre walk, raising $100,000 for community programs.
The Nest Fund supports programs and organizations that are working successfully to build healthier, more resilient communities – and with our help could create additional benefits. Here, too, we’ve identified three key areas of focus: (1) environmental initiatives, such as the Shoreline Saver campaign that inspires hundreds of local volunteers to join in a cleanup of the Credit River watershed; (2) employment catalysts, such as a series of job fairs and employer events to help recent immigrants with underutilized skills gain traction in Canada; and (3) community vitality programs like A Common Table, run by MABELLEarts in Etobicoke, which brings together newcomers, refugees and established residents to celebrate the community’s public spaces, cultural events and summer arts activities.
Last year, the Nest Fund invested nearly $370,000 in community initiatives that engaged and benefited more than 7,000 people.
Photo: Liam Choo
Help Where It’s Needed Most
The Propeller Project is the GTAA’s signature community investment program. We work to ensure it meets the highest-priority needs of local communities while aligning with our own values and priorities.
In 2016 and 2017, we undertook a study to find our sweet spot – that is, where Toronto Pearson could have the greatest social impact. The answer: later-stage newcomers to Canada. These are people who have been in the country for three years or more, and for whom support from social service agencies has dropped off. Business leaders told us their companies need the skills and capabilities many newcomers bring, but they’re unable to provide the necessary wrap-around support.
That’s where the Propeller Project comes in. While we’ve actively supported youth employment in recent years, in the future we intend to focus more on helping later-stage newcomers gain the skills, connections and opportunities to be meaningfully employed in communities around our airport and beyond. To help build the program and keep us on track, we’ve established an External Champions Council comprising 20 local business and community leaders.
Where We Gave
Here are some of the programs Toronto Pearson’s Propeller Project supported in 2017:
Scientists in School – In addition to sponsoring a career research study, we’re partnering on a three-year program that brings scientists into 25 schools to discover and promote STEM-related career pathways and opportunities for youth.
CivicAction Escalator Program – This was the second year of a program that studies barriers to employment for marginalized youth. Part of the program involves building a toolkit and assessment tool for employers to check their own biases and barriers to youth employment.
Institute for Canadian Citizenship: 6 Degrees – This program aims to drive the global conversation on diversity and inclusion. We support the 6 Degrees–Toronto Pearson Youth Cohort, a group of 15 dynamic leaders, aged 18 to 29, who are committed to building a more inclusive city. The group led an exceptional event at Humber College to discuss the challenges of youth employment in the GTA, beginning with intimate conversations and concluding with an interactive 360-degree session involving invited experts.
ACCES Employment – We supported a series of job fairs and employer events aimed at highly skilled newcomers in Mississauga and Brampton.
Learn more about how we help our communities prosper and grow
Job creation. Better transit connections. Building stronger communities. And listening closely to our stakeholders as we balance competing priorities. It all comes down to getting everyone moving better.