About the 2025 Racial Equity Grants Program

Racialized communities are being disproportionately affected by inequities. Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) is dedicated to taking the necessary steps toward advancing racial equity in our community. One action that is part of delivering on that commitment is the Racial Equity Fund – dedicated to supporting meaningful, positive action which advances the work of organizations serving people in Waterloo Region who are Indigenous, Black, and people of colour.

Funds distributed are intended to assist those most impacted by the ongoing and systemic racial disparities that exist in our community.

In 2025, approximately $300,000 will be distributed to organizations that are led by and serve people who self-identify as Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour.

The Racial Equity Fund reinforces WRCF’s approach to encouraging self-led activities, with a committee of volunteers from the community who similarly self-identify approving the funding guidelines, reviewing applications, and determining funding recipients and allocations.

WRCF’s Racial Equity Grants will be focused on supporting applications that are developing, enhancing, or reinforcing activities that bring people together and support meaningful relationships between people in Havens and/or Hubs.

See the Racial Equity Grants Funding Guidelines for information about how the activity you are applying for must align with social infrastructure.

Social Infrastructure

There is growing evidence that social infrastructure is associated with more social cohesion, higher belonging, and higher wellbeing. As Waterloo Region grows to one million residents, we need to ensure we have the social infrastructure in place now – and for future members of our communities. 

WRCF has researched social infrastructure over the past few years and found a framework we support that was created by Gehl Studio. As WRCF works to positively impact social infrastructure in Waterloo Region, we view places as the physical spaces—both formal and informal—where social interactions are made tangible. But what these places are is less important than what they do – which tends to fall into three categories linked to organizations, spaces, and experiences. The categories are:

• Hubs: Spaces that encourage interactions among diverse groups that may not otherwise interact, creating opportunities for people to connect from different backgrounds, and fostering broader community ties.

• Havens: Spaces that provide safe environments for people with shared identities or backgrounds to come together, fostering close ties and a sense of belonging. They shouldn’t be so exclusive that they prevent connections across differences.

• Hangouts: Informal spaces that support casual, everyday interactions, offering people the chance to connect organically and live life in public.

Thank you to Gehl Studio for permission to incorporate elements of their framework of social infrastructure, and reproduce this image from their report, Social Infrastructure: Connecting People & Places for Thriving Communities, p. 38,  https://issuu.com/gehlarchitects/docs/gehl_social_infrastructure_final_report.