Every Child Deserves Support
June 2025
In Alberta, one in five children lives in a household experiencing financial hardship. Behind every statistic is a child who deserves access to food, safety, opportunity, and love. Nonprofits across the province are fighting every day to close that gap — and funders are listening.
The Reality on the Ground
Calgary and Edmonton both carry significant child poverty rates despite being among Canada's wealthiest cities. Indigenous children are disproportionately impacted, with systemic barriers to services and cultural continuity. Rural Alberta faces additional challenges — fewer services, greater distances, and limited access to the coordinated support urban centres can offer.
What Alberta Funders Are Prioritizing
The Government of Alberta's Community Initiatives Program (CIP) and Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) together fund hundreds of child and family-serving organizations each year. In 2025, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) expanded its Charitable Gaming allocations, with child welfare organizations among the top recipients. The Rozsa Foundation, traditionally an arts funder, launched a new stream supporting children's arts-based therapy.
Programs Changing Lives
Wood's Homes in Calgary provides intensive community-based mental health support for children and youth. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary run after-school and summer programs serving thousands of at-risk youth. Métis Nation of Alberta delivers culturally grounded healing programs for Indigenous children reconnecting with language and land. Families First Society in the Peace Region provides home visiting programs for vulnerable newborns and their parents.
Applying for Child and Family Grants
Alberta funders expect grant applicants to demonstrate evidence-based programming, community need data, and clear safeguarding policies. Applications must align with provincial child welfare policy frameworks and often require letters of support from referral partners such as schools, hospitals, or Children's Services. Organizations that can show long-term client outcomes — not just outputs — consistently perform better in competitive grant rounds.
Useful Resources & Links
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