Foundation grants and sponsorships

For maximum impact, RBC Foundation – USA gives to the following areas:

• Youth (priority focus)
• Arts and culture
• Health
• Human services

Youth

Youth grants are focused on programs that prepare students for future success. We concentrate our giving on programs that fall within one of the following areas and target young people in their transitional years, specifically ages 15-29. (Private, charter or independent fee-based schools are not eligible for funding.)

• Programs that provide work-integrated learning experiences, for example internships, apprenticeships, vocational training;
• Programs that provide solutions to address the skills gap, including education opportunities and mentorships;
• Programs that provide access and learning opportunities for:
  • Critical thinking
  • Complex problem solving
  • Social perceptiveness
  • Financial literacy
  • Information communication/technology/digital literacy
  • Teamwork and collaboration
  • Communication
  • Creativity and innovation
  • Adaptability
  • Persistence/grit

Arts and culture

RBC believes that the arts reflect our culture and enrich the quality of life in the communities where our employees and clients live. The Foundation’s emphasis is on two areas:

• RBC Emerging Artists program
• Programs providing arts access for diverse populations

The Emerging Artists program supports initiatives that help artists in their early years of development and that bridge the gap between their academic experiences to professional careers in the arts. Grants are intended to support programs and initiatives that:

• Support artists who are at an early stage in their careers, have completed their basic training and have created a modest independent body of work
• Are on-going and sustainable (i.e. not one-time events)
• Educate and raise awareness about the importance of the arts
• Provide emerging artists with the opportunity to demonstrate their talent publicly (performance or exhibition), and/or to provide a connection to professional contacts (agents, publishers, etc.)
• Provide a structured curriculum of mentorship and training, typically for a period of three to six months, although shorter more intensive programming may be considered
• Provide an opportunity for interaction between the professional staff, visiting artists and emerging artists; serving as a bridge between senior academic programs and the professional world
• Engage the broader community in the art form, through free performances or programming to underserviced or rural communities

Health

Health grants are exclusively directed to the RBC Youth Mental Well-being Project, focusing on programs that are helping youth and families access the right care at the right time. We will consider requests for funding that support:

Navigation programs

Navigation programs help solve the issue of navigating an often complex and segregated array of mental well-being services. These programs help solve these issues by directly connecting youth and families with the services they need as efficiently as possible.

These programs are offered through a number of different access points, such as hospitals, community centers, schools and universities. The services may be delivered face-to-face and/or through technology solutions.

Technology-based solutions

In some parts of the country there are not enough mental well-being service providers to meet the demand in local communities. Technology is increasingly becoming the solution to these issues by increasing remote access to care. We are supporting programs that use technologies like email, apps, web-posting, and phone or live/video conferencing to help bridge the gap between supply and demand of mental well-being services. These programs can offer assessments, diagnosis and care that would otherwise be delayed or not available at all.

Other programs

We will also consider supporting other programs that increases access to mental well-being care if they are collaborative, have proven results and can demonstrate successful outcomes.

Human services

To foster economic independence and promote self-sufficiency, the Foundation focuses on:

• Organizations providing emergency food, shelter and basic needs
• Adult literacy and employment training programs

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