ANFCA is mandated to support its member Friendship Centres and to work with Friendship Centre representatives that form part of ANFCA Board of Directors; that participate on the Elders’ Wisdom Circle; and that send members to Alberta Aboriginal Youth Council. By supporting Friendship Centres, ANFCA indirectly supports those individuals who access Friendship Centres’ services.
ANFCA and member Friendship Centres have a strong understanding of the needs of the urban Indigenous community and have been implementing programs and services for over 50 years. While bound together with a common vision, member Friendship Centres are autonomous and are responsible to respond to needs as identified by their communities; the range of programs and services offered varies greatly and includes, but is not limited to, accredited alternative schools, daycares, youth centres, employment programs, homeless shelters, cultural camps, socio-economic, health promotion and prevention and life skills programs.
Respecting the autonomy of member Friendship Centres, ANFCA offers operational and administrative assistance to each. With an operational foundation made possible by the Alberta Government, ANFCA has created a strong base to meet the needs of its member Friendship Centres.
With a goal to provide effective support to Friendship Centres, ANFCA offers support in the following key areas:
- Board development support, capacity building and training
- Management support and training of Friendship Centre staff
- Culturally relevant resource development
- Provincial management and delivery of provincially and nationally mandated agreements
- Partnership and coalition building
- Development and implementation of provincial initiatives
- Support to the Alberta Aboriginal Youth Council and the Elders’ Wisdom Circle
- Provincial Communications Strategy
- Other activities and supports as deemed necessary by member centres
Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP)
The overall objective of Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP), implemented by Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), is to fund and support activities that allow Indigenous organizations to serve clients, and to deliver effective culturally appropriate programs/services to urban Indigenous peoples as well as invest in local stakeholder coalitions across Canada.
Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (UPIP)
INAC has four grants and contribution funding streams to support the objectives of UPIP:
- Organizational Capacity stream provides core funding to Indigenous organizations including Friendship Centres that deliver programs/services to urban Indigenous peoples.
- Programs and Services stream provides project funding to organizations delivering a broad range of programs/services to urban Indigenous peoples.
- Coalitions stream provides funding to local Coalitions.
- Research and Innovation stream provides funding to better understand the urban Indigenous reality; gather information on best practices, methodologies and programming approaches; and, pilot innovative programs/services.
Organizational Capacity Stream Funding for ANFCA member Friendship Centres:
To ensure Indigenous peoples can continue to access urban programs and services, National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) www.nafc.ca has established an agreement with INAC to deliver Organizational Capacity stream contributions directly to Friendship Centres. Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association (ANFCA), as the Provincial/Territorial Friendship Centre Association for Alberta, has established an agreement with NAFC to deliver the Organizational Capacity funding stream to ANFCA member Friendship Centres.
A full list of ANFCA’s UPIP-OC recipients can be viewed HERE.
For more information on the UPIP-OC delivery to ANFCA member Friendship Centres, please contact the ANFCA Capacity Manager at capacity@anfca.com or 780-423-3138 ext 203
All other general inquiries on UPIP can be directed to INAC at PUPA-UPIP@AADNC-AANDC.gc.ca or 1-800-567-9604
The complete Terms and Conditions for Grants and Contributions to Support Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples are available on INAC’s website by clicking HERE
Alberta Provincial Grant – AIR
The Government of Alberta has been supporting Alberta Friendship Centres for over two decades. ANFCA works closely with the Alberta Indigenous Relations to assist Friendship Centres with the development of business plans and annual reports confirming the important role that Friendship Centres play in our communities.
Alberta Indigenous Relations provides each Friendship Centre in Alberta with an annual grant of $31,000 to assist with cultural programs and other initiatives deemed of value by local communities and centres.
Organizational Development: Building Healthy Boards
As part of the ANFCA’s ongoing commitment to supporting community-based Friendship Centres, ANFCA works to ensure that Friendship Centres have access to regular Board Development Training Sessions and Strategic Planning Sessions. For centres that are interested in participating in this community-based training, please contact ANFCA directly for more information.
Building Healthy Boards – Self Directed Board Training Learning Modules are available for individual boards to review and act on. Each module is based on one topic of interest and can be easily administered at the local level without external resources.
For more information on Building Healthy Boards learning modules, please contact the ANFCA.
Executive Director Orientation
Through the efforts of seasoned Friendship Centre Executive Directors, ANFCA has compiled a New Executive Director Orientation Guide. ANFCA coordinates to deliver a standardized ED Orientation in the first months of a new ED’s tenure with the Friendship Centre.
Boards and Management of Friendship Centres can reach out to ANFCA to access a large resource library on a variety of Friendship Centre management tools, info sheets and referral points.