Children who meet CLB eligibility criteria are provided an initial payment of $500 into their registered education savings plan (RESP), as well as an additional $100 for each year they are eligible up to age 15 (for a maximum allocation of $2,000). Children in care (i.e., who have a public caregiver who receives an allowance under the Children’s Special Allowance Act) are also eligible for the CLB regardless of their household income.

SRDC analyzed newly available data to examine CLB allocation and how it promotes higher education savings, with a special focus on variation by birth cohort and household income, as well as among urban and rural Canadians. This report answers three research questions:

• What is the allocation of CLB funds to families by birth cohort and household income?
• What can current data tell us about the catalytic impact of the CLB on education savings, broken down by birth cohort and household income?
• What are the specific barriers to accessing the CLB among rural Canadians?

The post Canada Learning Bond Allocation by Birth Cohort, Geography, Household Income, and Savings Behaviour appeared first on SRDC.

The project is being led by the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet) in partnership with SRDC and the National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC). The project aims to recruit 100 Indigenous youth, new immigrants, young people living in poverty, those who identify as LGBTQ2S+, young people with disabilities, racialized youth, youth in rural/remote communities, and official language minority youth.

SRDC is supporting the project design, coordinating tailored supports to participants, and leading the project’s evaluation activities. The evaluation is examining how the placement opportunities facilitate the transition of young people to secure employment in the labour market through the development of skills, workplace experience, professional networks, and tailored wraparound supports.

It is also examining how hosting the youth placements will support the capacity and sustainability of innovative social purpose organizations across Canada to hire youth facing barriers from the communities they serve, connect to regional Social Innovation and Social Finance ecosystems, and leverage investments of the Investment Readiness Program and Social Finance Fund.

The post CreateAction: Inclusive Social Innovation appeared first on SRDC.

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The post Literature Review on Effective Labour Market Programs and Services to Assist Youth and Social Assistance Recipients to Integrate into the Labour Market appeared first on SRDC.

The post Feasibility Study for the Creation of a WISE Outcomes Database appeared first on SRDC.

The intervention aims to increase awareness of the risks associated with high blood pressure and to modify participant behaviour (e.g., physical activity, weight loss, smoking cessation) among pre-hypertensive Canadians 60 years of age or older. As the external validator, SRDC will be responsible for confirming the extent to which specified outcomes have been achieved – specifically in terms of volume and blood pressure outcomes – and the extent to which the risk-based funding contracts should be paid out to partners and investors. To our knowledge, this project represents the first time social finance has been used to support a population health intervention in Canada. Heart and Stroke notice

The post Community Hypertension Prevention Initiative appeared first on SRDC.

The program was designed to achieve twin objectives:

1) borrowers received beneficial financing terms and free services from CELP to find pre-screened job candidates; and

2) job seekers supported by community agencies had opportunities for real employment.

The Centre conducted the study in collaboration with Vancity Community Foundation and MSDSI Accessibility Secretariat to gain a better understanding of CELP that is currently underway in Ontario to support a discussion among the study partners to establish its potential for implementation in BC.

The post Feasibility Study of the Ontario Community Employment Loan Program appeared first on SRDC.

SMEs who hire and retain jobseekers for at least six months pay reduced interest rates on their business loans through reimbursements provided by the Ontario government. SRDC is conducting an impact evaluation to examine the extent to which the OCLP leads to increased employer reach among employment service providers, improved employment outcomes for low-income jobseekers, and improved business outcomes for SMEs, as well as a cost-benefit analysis to assess the extent to which OCLP yields a net return for the Ontario government.

The post Community Employment Loan Program Evaluation appeared first on SRDC.

The post Applying Social Finance Approaches to Aboriginal Labour Market Programs appeared first on SRDC.

Colleges and Institutes Canada is the intermediary for this Essential Skills Social Finance (ESSF) social impact bond, with three College delivery partners: Douglas College, Confederation College, and Sask Polytech. In addition to serving as proof-of-concept of the implementation of the two models, the pilot evaluations are measuring a range of outcomes of interest including skill gains, and indicators of employability and performance measurement.

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