TD grants $10 million to address COVID-induced learning loss & one BC organization makes the cut

We know that the pandemic disrupted every aspect of life, education included. We also know that virtual is part of the new normal with just about everything. What we didn’t know until recently was how the shift to virtual learning is impacting students from racialized and underserved communities, students with disabilities and those who have limited access to technology.

As part of the 2021 TD Ready Challenge, TD Bank Group has distributed a total of CAD $10 million grants to nonprofits working to address predicted learning loss as a result of school closures and the shift to virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With its 2021 TD Ready Challenge grant, TD is helping minimize the predicted learning loss and the impact on disproportionately affected Canadian students from grades K-12. Nine Canadian organizations made the cut including names like BGC Canada and Tech Spark Canada. We particularly want to give a shout out to the BC-based Victoria Native Friendship Centre.

The centre received a grant of CAD $370,000 for their Bruce Parisian Library. The Library is to become a reading hub for indigenous pre-schoolers and those from grades K-12. In addition to reading sessions, the Library is planning to host inspiring talks and discussions with indigenous authors.

“The Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) and Bruce Parisian Library (BPL) are very thankful for this new partnership with TD Bank Group and are excited to merge the aligned 2021 TD Ready Challenge directive with our libraries mandate: “through our research, teaching, and engagement, we will contribute to the building of better communities,” said Victoria Native Friendship Centre.

For anyone not in the know, this isn’t the first time TD has supported communities through the TD Ready Challenge. Established in 2018, it has since provided CDN $40 million in funding to 50 organizations across its North American footprint to support scalable solutions identified within the four drivers of The TD Ready Commitment, the Bank’s global corporate citizenship platform: Financial Security, Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health.