The Neighbourhood Trust is a mechanism for supporting community led initiatives. It is a charitable platform for grassroots, unincorporated groups who are seeking to access funds for activities that promote social inclusion and community wellbeing through arts, cultural and community development activities. The Neighbourhood Trust builds capacity in the community by providing both a charitable platform and a mentorship structure designed to make grassroots initiatives thrive.

Vision
The Neighbourhood Trust envisions a community which has the support, structure and opportunity to use residents’ leadership in running programs that create positive neighbourhood change.

Mission
The Neighbourhood Trust project aims to strengthen local capacity to encourage community building through leadership. By utilizing local skills and partnerships, the Neighbourhood Trust will support resident leadership that encourages culture, vitality, creativity and economic well being.

Under this initiative, residents will be mentored and nurtured to follow their own vision and use their own skills for the good of the community as a whole. The Neighbourhood Trust is supported by a Trust Facilitator who will act as an advisor to local groups; a Seniors Outreach Worker who will engage seniors and facilitate their involvement in potential projects and a Youth Animator.

Being a part of the Neighbourhood Trust will lend local community groups the credibility that they need to access funding for their projects from a variety of funding sources, and the support they need to make their initiatives succeed. Through the Neighbourhood Trust, residents will be able to draw on the skills of extensive community networks established through the Storefront agencies and the Neighbourhood Action Partnership

The Neighbourhood Trust, will reach out to diverse groups of residents in the community, building trust with the local residents to encourage them to share information, articulate dreams and goals and to work together to build on the foundations already established. The Trust will help facilitate communication and support resident inclusion and leadership in arts and cultural programming.

Through the Neighbourhood Trust, Storefront will assist the community to:

• increase the number of groups initiating "resident led" cultural projects;
• increase intergenerational connections through actively engaging youth and seniors;
• find meaningful community-based volunteer opportunites;
• increase community pride through community arts projects, thereby discouraging antisocial behaviour such as tagging and vandalism
• ensure that arts and cultural opportunities are made available to residents who might otherwise not have access to them

In addition, youth involved in the Trust will have positive adult role models which is one approach to increase social justice, individual well-being and reduce negative impacts of otherwise disconnected individuals, leading to a safer, more connected, vibrant community.

By becoming projects of the Neighbourhood Trust these grassroots initiatives will have a supportive governance structure, they will be a part of an incorporated body with charitable status and have access to capacity building support which will assist these groups not only to function well, but to thrive.

Supporting residents to create positive neighbourhood change results in a healthy community with leadership that encourages culture, vitality, creativity and economic well being.