Region of Peel to fund Metamorphosis Network with $300,000 grant

Network of non-profits trying to make sure Peel's dissolution doesn't

impact those they serve

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Region of Peel will fund a collective of local non-profits working to make sure Peel's dissolution won't negatively impact those they serve.

The Region is doing so on request of the Peel Region Transition Board, a five-member group appointed by the Province to dissolve the Region of Peel and make Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga independent.

At Region of Peel Council's November 16 meeting, Councillors unanimously voted to give a grant of $300,000 to the Metamorphosis Network.

The Metamorphosis Network is made up of over 80 non-profit community organizations from across Peel that are all collaborating to address the impacts of Peel's dissolution. The network was launched on October 24 with a media event at Queen's Park in Toronto.

Non-profits that serve Caledon, such as Caledon Community Services, are part of the network.

The Metamorphosis Network, in a request for funding memo sent to the transition board said it needs funds for research work and building staffing capacity. It broke down where the $300,000 it requested would go.

The network has partnered with York University to help with research work, with volunteers undertaking additional research progress. However, it did not have any luck outsourcing professional help. 

“Outreach to a professional research firm stalled over resources. Their approximate budget of $75,000 far exceeded the $15,000 we have in grants for that area of work,” reads the memo. “Research funding would be used to enter into a short-term contract with a respected research firm to do quantitative analysis that can help us get beyond the anecdotal data we most easily gather.”

The network requested $60,000 for research purposes.

The network also requested $90,000 to fund the hiring of a full-time communications staff person. It said this person would generate communications materials for the network's member organizations and the general public, to “explain the transition process, clarify the strategies we are pursuing to address challenges, and promote participation in the process.”

The network said this work has already begun, but it's become clear a staff member will be needed to complete the large volume of communications work needed.

The final $150,000 request was for staff support and backfill, as leaders of the Metamorphosis Network are spending significant time away from their own organizations to address the dissolution process. The network said this funding would be used to mitigate the impacts of leaders being away from their non-profits, with other staff members filling in for them as needed.

A report from Sean Baird, Peel's Commissioner of Human Services, said Peel Region will continue to collaborate with the community to build the capacity of the not-for-profit sector.