WATERLOO, ON – April 2026 – The CanAfro Research Institute has released a report showing that the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) associations are doing far more than preserving culture. Every day, these organizations quietly provide housing support, mental health care, help for newcomers, legal guidance, and youth employment-services the government is supposed to deliver but too often provided by Black Canadian associations.
The report, African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Community Associations in Canada, identified 417 active organizations in the federal registry alone, by searching only seven key words for country and regional names, with the true national total exceeding 1,000. Despite generating an estimated $90–170 million in annual economic activity, these organizations receive just 0.03% of large Canadian foundation grants, according to a study conducted in 2021. None had dedicated policy staff or stable multi year funding.
“When an organization serving over 2,600 newcomers applies for more than $3 million in funding and receives just $94,500 or when hundreds of non-profits compete for a total funding of two millions dollars, that is not a capacity problem-it is a systemic failure,” the report points out. The report calls for reclassifying ACB associations as Community Based Public Infrastructure, shifting to five year core operating funding, and building a National ACB Advocacy Roundtable.
“These organizations are essential democratic infrastructure. Investing and building capacities in them is not charity-it is a cost effective correction for services already being delivered.”
The report was produced by a volunteer team with no external funding.
Source: CanAfro Research Institute
You can find the full report here.
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