Ontario Opens Anti-Hate Security Grant Applications for Community Groups

This report by Editorial team is based on information published by Government of Ontario.

According to the Government of Ontario, applications are open for the Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant, a program funded at $12.75 million for this round. The grant helps faith-based and cultural organizations pay for measures that make their gathering places safer, from building upgrades and cameras to short-term security and training.

The province says each eligible organization can receive up to $10,000. This year the program runs in two streams. The first continues to support security and infrastructure needs, including physical upgrades, cybersecurity and training. The second, described as a special projects stream, supports community-led work on prevention, education and awareness, so groups can prepare for incidents as well as respond to them.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants named by the province include religious and spiritual communities, First Nations, Inuit, Metis and urban Indigenous organizations, and community-serving organizations such as faith-based and cultural schools, childcare providers and social service organizations. The full eligibility list is posted on the provincial program page, and groups should read it before spending money they hope to claim later.

Applications are processed on a first come, first served basis, according to the Government of Ontario. That detail matters for small congregations and cultural centres in Toronto and York Region, where volunteer boards often need time to gather quotes, board approvals and building details. Starting early, and keeping invoices and approvals organized, can make an application easier to complete.

Why the program exists

Ontario says it has invested more than $110 million since 2021 to support more than 6,900 faith-based and cultural communities through this line of funding. Those are province-wide totals over several years, not a promise to any single applicant. The practical offer in this round is smaller and specific: modest capital or project help for organizations that host gatherings, classes and services and want a safer building.

Next step for local groups

A mosque, synagogue, temple, church, cultural school or community centre considering an application should begin with the provincial page linked below, confirm eligibility, and decide which stream fits the project. Security work and prevention work are assessed differently, so a group should not describe a camera project as an education project or the other way around. Toronto Daily has not been given any local recipient list for this round, and none should be assumed until the province or the organization announces it.