Ontario Investing in Francophone Communities

Additional $1 million will support French language services through community grants program

July 23, 2024

TORONTO — The Ontario government is supporting 74 projects across the province to help organizations and businesses provide products and services in French and promote the recruitment and training of bilingual Francophone staff. The funding is being delivered through the Francophone Community Grants Program (FCGP).

“Thanks to our federal partners, we are increasing the funding by 50 per cent for this important program to support more initiatives and organizations that serve the francophone community,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Francophone Affairs. “Our government is strengthening the capacity of francophone organizations and businesses to contribute to Ontario’s cultural and economic prosperity and make a real difference in the daily lives of francophones and francophiles in the province.”

This year, the FCGP will deliver an additional $1 million in federal funding, as part of the new Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Services. These funds will support French-language services projects, increasing the total FCGP funding from $2 million to $3 million for 2024-2025.

“Canada’s bilingual status is a source of national pride and identity,” said Randy Boissonnault, federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages. “This investment underscores our government’s commitment to supporting linguistic minority communities and the important role they play in bringing cultural and economic vitality to Ontario and every province in the country.”

The Francophone Community Grants Program is one of the flagship programs of Ontario’s Francophone Economic Development Strategy, supporting social enterprises, non-profit organizations and businesses that offer services in French or serve Francophone markets.

Quick Facts

Under the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Minority-Language Services, the FCGP will benefit from an additional $1 million in federal funding per year over the next four years to support French-language services projects, increasing the total funding for the FCGP to $3 million annually.
In 2024-2025, the FCGP is supporting 68 projects under the Community and Culture stream and six projects under the Economic Development stream.
43 per cent of the projects are located in Eastern Ontario, 29 per cent in Central Ontario, 12 per cent in Western Ontario and 16 per cent in Northern Ontario.
The launch date for the 2025-2026 edition of the FCGP will be announced in early 2025.

Ontario Investing in Francophone Communities

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