Laidlaw Foundation and The Law Foundation of Ontario have teamed up to expand support for Black and Indigenous youth-led access to justice initiatives.
In January 2025, the Law Foundation approved a $1M grant to support Laidlaw’s Youth Action Fund (YAF). Since 2019, YAF has provided funding to grassroots initiatives working with young people who are underserved by the education system and overrepresented in the criminal justice and child welfare systems, prioritizing Black and/or Indigenous youth-led initiatives.
“We received an unprecedented number of applications to the fund in 2024,” said Aldeli Albán Reyna, Laidlaw’s Director of Grants and Community Initiatives. “Essentially, the request doubled but our available dollars didn’t. Knowing that our strategic and granting priorities aligned, we connected with The Law Foundation of Ontario to see if we could collaborate to fund more of these amazing projects.”
The Foundation’s $1M grant to Laidlaw was evenly disbursed to 10 one-year projects. (Listed below.) Applications meeting the foundations’ granting criteria were approved by Laidlaw’s Granting Committee, which is a board committee made up of board members and people with lived and work experiences of the education, justice, and child welfare systems. Organizations did not need to reapply to the Law Foundation and the two foundations are planning a joint reporting approach for after the projects end.
“Laidlaw has 75 years of grantmaking experience and a deep understanding of the issues and their grantees,” said Noah Aiken-Klar, the Law Foundation’s Director of Grants & Programs. “This partnership allows us to meet new organizations, make more grants that further our mission, and support communities that are underserved yet overrepresented in the child welfare and criminal justice systems. It also gives us the opportunity to deliver on our sector-building priorities identified in our Strategic Plan.”
“This investment enhances the impact of Black and Indigenous youth who are shaping a more just and equitable future,” said Christopher McFarlane, Laidlaw’s Granting Committee Chair. “By expanding the Youth Action Fund, we are not just funding initiatives, we are amplifying voices and creating pathways for lasting change and stronger communities. This transformational partnership is a testament to what’s possible when we invest in youth-led solutions that drive real, sustainable impact.”
Laidlaw Youth Action Fund grants supported by The Law Foundation of Ontario
Active Newcomer Youth Ottawa
Building a Bridge, $100,000
Building a Bridge supports at-risk youth, including refugee claimants, former gang members, convicted youth, and those at risk of school dropout in the Ottawa area. The program integrates legal advocacy and education to help young people navigate the justice and education systems. Legal clinics, restorative justice circles, and rehabilitation services provide legal support and promote healing and reintegration. Educational components, including after-school tutoring, mentorship programs, and personal development workshops, enhance academic success and personal growth.
Anab Youth Next Generation
Youth Empowerment & Justice Awareness, $100,000
This project reaches out to youth who are both out of school and out of jail. Through a WhatsApp group, youth can engage with community workers, legal professionals, and others members of the justice sector. The group allows the sharing of public legal education about law-related topics and events, as well as about resume writing sessions, and job fair opportunities. The project will also host in-person workshops on the criminal justice system to encourage young people to ask questions and address areas of concern on a more individualized basis.
Direct Your Life Organization
GAME (Guidance, Awareness, Mentorship, Employment/Education), $100,000
GAME supports justice-involved Black people and People of Colour reintegrating into the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. It offers workshops on mentorship, capacity building, and access to resources aimed at tackling the underlying causes of involvement in the justice system through a self-guided workbook and guided discussions. In collaboration with federal and provincial institutions, Direct Your Life will also offer restorative justice practices to address their multifaceted needs and promote resilient communities.
Feathers of Hope
On the Wings of Justice, $100,000
This grant will support the launch of the On the Wings of Justice program, which educates Indigenous youth on their rights, how to navigate the justice system, and how to advocate for themselves. While Indigenous youth represent 8% of Canada’s population they account for 46% of admissions to correctional services.[1] Specifically designed by and for Indigenous youth in the Thunder Bay area, activities will include community engagement sessions with Indigenous youth, service providers, and educators in the Thunder Bay area, and the organization of a Youth Forum.
Platform (Young Women’s Leadership Network)
Reclaiming Our Futures, $100,000
This Black youth-led project seeks to empower young Black Girls [2] (age 14-22) who are negatively impacted by justice and educational systems. They are criminalized in the education system due to policing presence in schools and increased punishment through detentions, suspensions, and expulsions. The project will equip young Black Girls to better understand their experiences and support them with advocacy while they experience compounding oppressions of anti-Black racism and gender-based violence.
Positive Change Toronto Initiative
Change Justice Project, $100,000
This project builds on the Change Justice Project and the key emerging themes from the qualitative research into the lived experiences of Somali women and youth in the Canadian justice system. The project will offer legal education sessions with the Black Legal Action Centre and the Muslim Legal Support Centre, provide train-the-trainer mentorship program pairing youth with legal mentors who have navigated the justice system, and work with other Somali cultural groups to enhance trust and engagement.
Revitaled Reintegration Services
Lawlantis, $100,000
This grant will support the launch of Lawlantis, an innovative online game designed to demystify the complexities of the criminal justice system. Rooted in research and incorporating insights from youth lived experience experts and justice sector professionals, Lawlantis will address issues such as systemic biases like anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, and colonialism within the justice system. It aims to validate youth experiences within the justice system and empower marginalized and overrepresented youth to navigate their paths confidently and resiliently.
Sentencing and Parole Project
$100,000
The Sentencing and Parole Project (SPP) addresses anti-Black racism in the criminal justice system, in particular the mistreatment and misunderstanding of Black offenders in criminal sentencing and parole. With this grant, SPP will be able to offer more comprehensive services, including free culturally-appropriate and trauma-informed counselling to clients between 12 and 30 years old who are in the process of obtaining Enhanced PreSentence Reports. EPSR help dispel and disrupt stereotypes, bring to light the socio-systemic problems contributing to the over-incarceration of Black people, and provide a more suitable foundation for evidence-based sentencing decisions.
Scadding Court Community Centre
Shoot for Justice, $100,000
This program aims to empower youth (age 13-29) in Alexandra Park by helping them understand the justice system and their legal rights when interacting with police. To do this, Scadding Court Community Centre (SCCC) wants to create a comfortable, safe, and welcoming space where youth can participate in workshops around their legal rights, while also enjoying recreational basketball. SCCC believes using basketball as an engagement tool will attract youth who may not otherwise participate in such programs.
Success Beyond Limits
Legal Education Program, $100,000
As an integrated part of the Success Beyond Limits’ Summer Program, the Legal Education Program will provide 100 youth from Jane and Finch in grade 8 with legal education and exposure to a career working with the legal sector. The program will be youth-led by Academic and Social Coordinators who will work in partnership with the Law in Action Within Schools program. Youth will be provided with an introduction to the criminal justice system using real life scenarios and how to navigate it.
About Laidlaw Foundation
Laidlaw Foundation is a private foundation based in Toronto, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024. Laidlaw Foundation supports young people impacted by the justice, education, and child welfare systems to become healthy and engaged by investing in innovative ideas, convening interested parties, advocating for systems change, and sharing learning across the sector. Learn more at www.laidlawfdn.org.
[1]Statistics Canada. (2018.) Adult and youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2016/2017. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/180619/dq180619a-eng.htm
[2]Platform’s definition of Black Girls includes Black non-binary youth and Black trans girls.
