This year's recipients will each receive a
$1 million grant for innovative
solutions that support underserved small business owners to
develop, launch, or grow their businesses
TORONTO, March 19,
2025 /CNW/ - TD Bank Group (TD) is pleased to
announce the 10 grant recipients of the 2024 TD Ready
Challenge, an annual initiative that supports nonprofit and
charitable organizations that develop innovative, impactful, and
measurable solutions.
In 2024, the TD Ready Challenge invited organizations to submit
proposals designed to remove barriers for underserved
entrepreneurs. Through these grants, the Bank aims to contribute to
a stronger and more inclusive small business environment in
Canada and the U.S.
"When small businesses thrive, communities thrive," says
Ellen Glaessner, Head of
Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship. "This is why TD is
supporting nonprofit organizations who help cultivate the
entrepreneurial landscape. Support is especially vital for
underserved entrepreneurs, who face unique challenges and are an
important part of the small business ecosystem. The proposed
solutions have incredible potential to make a real difference, and
we can't wait to see the impact they will help drive."
The TD Ready Challenge Grant program is part of the Bank's
longstanding commitment to help the communities we serve prosper.
Each year, the program puts out a call for organizations in
Canada and the U.S. to submit
applications that offer solutions to a different problem statement.
In previous years, the program has focused on helping to address
barriers to affordable housing, health care and income stability,
and addressing pandemic-related learning loss.
The 2024 TD Ready Challenge complements the Bank's efforts to
support financial security and aligns with TD Pathways to Economic
Inclusion and the TD Community Impact Plan in the U.S.
There were a maximum of 10 grants available through the program
in 2024. Eligible Canadian-based organizations were able to apply
for CAD $1 million and eligible
U.S.-based organizations were able to apply for USD $1 million.
For more information about the TD Ready Challenge Grant program,
visit www.td.com/readychallenge
Learn more about the 2024 TD Ready Challenge recipients and
their winning submissions, described in their own words.
CAD $1 million / USD
$1 million recipients and
programs:
Ampere (formerly The Pinnguaq Association) | Amp up small
business (Canada)
"Amp Up Small Business will support low-income future entrepreneurs
in underserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in
Northern Canada, providing
training and resources to develop, launch, and grow small
businesses. Some participants will be selected for Amp Incubator,
receiving support and financial investment in exchange for a
percentage of revenue to be reinvested in Amp Up programming."
Learn more about this program
URL:
https://amp.ca/ampere-and-the-td-ready-challenge/
Hot Bread Kitchen | HBK Incubates: Building financial
security for immigrant and women of color small food business
owners in New York City
(U.S.)
"The HBK Incubates program provides holistic and coordinated
support services for low- to moderate-income women of color in
New York City to seed, start and
scale their food businesses."
Learn more about this program
URL https://www.hotbreadkitchen.org
Futurpreneur | Women in Entrepreneurship Initiative
(Canada)
"Futurpreneur's Women in Entrepreneurship Initiative supports
women-owned and women-led businesses through networking events, a
peer-supported community, and tailored capacity-building workshops.
Participants will gain critical skills for business growth in
topics like financial management, marketing, access to capital, and
international expansion, with access to coaching and resources
through in-person and virtual connection opportunities."
Learn more about this program
URL:
https://futurpreneur.ca/en/offering/women-in-entrepreneurship
PA CDFI Network | Drive Your Business (U.S.)
"PA CDFI Network's Drive Your Business program will help address
gaps in services and reduce barriers faced by underserved
entrepreneurs by combining technology, education, coaching and
community collaboration."
Learn more about this program
URL https://pacdfinetwork.org/
Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement and Small Economy
Works| Initiating Futures: Advancing rural, remote, and northern
entrepreneurs (Canada)
"Tamarack Institute and Small Economy Works are working together to
engage 300 entrepreneurs with practical and contextualized training
to grow and develop their businesses. Through local community
collaboratives and AI-powered learning, the program delivers
personalized coaching and group learning opportunities designed
specifically to support aspiring populations such as Indigenous
women, rural, remote, and northern entrepreneurs."
Learn more about this program
URL:
https://www.smalleconomyworks.com/the-initiate-program
Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF)| Resilient
Futures: Small Business Financial Wellness and Wealth Building
Program (U.S.)
"By combining an innovative financial product with specialized
support for entrepreneurs that's sensitive to difficult financial
situations, WACIF will be providing a first-of-its-kind initiative
in the Washington, D.C.,
area."
Learn more about this program
URL https://wacif.org/
University of British Columbia |
UBC Sauder School of Business Ch'nook Management Program:
Increasing Access to Economic Opportunities through Business
Education, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Skills (Canada)
"The Ch'nook Management Program empowers Indigenous entrepreneurs
and small business owners with business education, skills, and
resources to succeed. UBC Sauder faculty integrate business
knowledge and management training with Indigenous perspectives to
create a culturally relevant learning experience, culminating in
participants presenting their projects or ventures at the program's
end."
Learn more about this program
URL: https://www.sauder.ubc.ca/chnook/cmp
Tampa Bay Chamber Foundation | Empower Sustainability Focused
Accelerator (SFA) (U.S.)
"To help enable continued growth for small minority-owned
businesses, Tampa Bay Chamber Foundation's Empower Sustainability
Focused Accelerator program will use an innovative approach to
strategic planning and execution, and leverage automation
tools."
Learn more about this program
URL https://www.tampabaychamber.com/
Syrian Canadian Foundation (SCF) | Newcomer Entrepreneur
Women (N.E.W) Venture (Canada)
"The N.E.W Venture program, in partnership with the NISA
Foundation, is committed to advancing economic independence and
social inclusion through entrepreneurship training and skills
development for newcomer and refugee women in Ontario and Quebec, with a particular focus on women who
are victims of gender-based violence."
Learn more about this program
URL: https://syriancanadianfoundation.ca/
Toronto Arts Foundation | Newcomer Artist Program
(Canada)
"The Newcomer Artist Program expansion empowers newcomer artists
through mentorship, education, and work-integrated learning. Over
three years, annual cohorts of 25 newcomer artists will gain
entrepreneurship skills, paid work experience, and access to
industry networks, contributing to their economic independence,
personal and professional fulfillment, social integration, and
long-term success."
Learn more about this program
URL: https://torontoartsfoundation.org/home
About The TD Ready Commitment
TD has a long-standing commitment to deliver on its purpose to
enrich the lives of its customers, colleagues, and communities. As
part of its corporate citizenship platform, the TD Ready
Commitment, TD is targeting C$1
billion by 2030 towards community giving and colleague
engagement in four areas that we call the Interconnected Drivers of
Change: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities
and Better Health. Through the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to
work with non-profit and community-based organizations to help make
a positive impact for the customers and communities we serve.
For further information, visit td.com/tdreadycommitment
About TD Bank Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively
known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth
largest bank in North America by assets and serves over 27.9
million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of
locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal
and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Auto
Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most
Convenient Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., and TD Wealth (U.S.);
Wealth Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD
Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD
Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial
services firms, with more than 17 million active online and mobile
customers. TD had $2.09 trillion in assets on January 31, 2025. The
Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on
the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.
SOURCE TD Bank Group
