THE TORONTO-DOMINION BANK The 2020 TD Ready Challenge awards
The TD Ready Challenge, launched in 2018, is an annual North American initiative that provides grant support to organizations developing solutions to help tackle community issues which are aligned with the Bank's corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment.
"The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health crisis, but also a social, economic and environmental one. There's growing evidence that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting certain populations across
TD received more than 1,300 applications, and after a thorough multi-step evaluation process, 26 finalists were shortlisted for grants ranging from
The 15 successful recipients brought forth a variety of impactful solutions to help address issues of inequality and racism, and newly exposed social, economic and environmental threats raised by the current pandemic crisis. Their promising approaches demonstrate the potential to build resilience and equality across
"As a practicing physician who has seen the first hand impact of COVID-19 on society, it was an honour to be included as part of this panel and hear from so many incredible organizations across
The 2020 TD Ready Challenge is part of the
The solutions of each of the 15 final grant recipients of the 2020 TD Ready Challenge, in their own words, are:
Canadian Feed the Children:
Start2Finish
Brainworx! will deliver a 30-week program that provides culturally responsive education, helping under-served students develop resiliency and become independent learners. The program will be delivered through a cohesive online framework focused on literacy, movement, social emotional learning, growth mindset, mentorship and parent engagement.
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Through innovative drone technology, UBC's Remote Communities Drone Transport Initiative will test the feasibility of enhancing access to health care services such as lab, pharmacy, and supplies, for First Nations communities disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The intended outcome of the COVID-19 Mental Health Recovery Program is to alleviate the strain that has been placed on people's mental health by the pandemic.
The RHR program is a capacity-building initiative that strives to build the adaptive capacity, system leadership and collective infrastructure of Black Focused, Black Lead and/or Black Serving non-profits and grassroots organizations.
Interligne: Être là pour vous (
In order to meet emerging needs of the LGBTQ+ population caused by the pandemic, Interligne will deliver a series of programs to address social isolation and keep communities connected, with a focus on mental and physical well-being and safety.
Despite the challenges it brings, the COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to expand the use of telemedicine and broadly accept the platform as a suitable tool used in delivering patient care. The goal of the program is to improve access to telemedicine for more patients by enhancing current services using live translation and transcript services.
Led by First Nations and Métis Health Research Network (FMHRN), this initiative responds to the need for gender and culturally safe training as part of emergency response planning during COVID-19 and beyond.
This integrated service and coaching model presents a path towards social and economic resilience for families in underserved communities. LYNX leverages program services, artificial intelligence, data science and strategic partnerships to reduce bias and influence policies that impact low-to-moderate income households.
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Through this initiative, the organization will provide enhanced, tuition-free tech training opportunities and career development services for alumni negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on upskilling, reskilling, and professional development opportunities to advance in successful tech careers.
This program aims to help minority small business owners and small businesses on commercial corridors serving minority populations that have debts due to the COVID-19 crisis save their businesses and retain or rehire employees through outreach, technical assistance, financial counseling, pro-bono legal counsel, and a Court-mandated process of negotiation with debt holders that can lead to manageable repayment agreements.
In response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this project aims to harness the power of playful learning to support children. To increase access to learning, the Museum will create and deliver virtual educational enrichment for students in under-resourced schools and neighborhoods, launch new programming that helps bridge the digital divide among early learners, and reopen the Museum safely for families in the
Clinica Esperanza (
This program plans to expand free clinic services and address the unmet healthcare needs of newly unemployed and uninsured patients needing care as a result of COVID-19.
Penquis: The Rural Maine Financial Coaching Collaborative (
This collaboration will provide financial coaching through 10+ social services agencies and support over 30 case managers in helping hundreds of low-income clients to weather financial difficulties, prioritize bills and budgeting, and to develop and negotiate payment plans, in addition to supporting case managers in understanding the basics of the foreclosure and rental eviction processes to help keep clients in their homes or find reasonable alternatives.
About the TD Ready Commitment
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN $1 billion (U.S. $775 million) in total by 2030 towards community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security, Vibrant Planet,
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