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Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre

Location: St. Catharines, ON

The Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre is a charitable not-for-profit organization incorporated as the Folk Arts Council of St. Catharines in 1970, having the mandate to support and assist the ethnocultural and newcomer community in Niagara through a broad range of programs and services. Niagara Folk Arts offers a full range of programs including English Language Instruction, Employment Services, Community Connections, Refugee Assistance Program, Newcomer Mental Health, 55+ program, Migrant Worker and Youth Programs along with Child Minding, newcomer LGBTQ2S services, as well as intergenerational art and music programs.

The Opportunity

Strategically enhance NFAMC's model to become a national centre of excellence, offering comprehensive programs that addresses newcomers' needs, while collaborating with sector partners to deliver coordinated services to more newcomers.

The Impact

Through the LIFT initiative, NFAMC has transformed into a more purposeful, cohesive, and effective organization, well-equipped to meet newcomer needs and leverage new opportunities for sustainability and growth. NFAMC has refined its partnership strategy, emphasizing more meaningful collaborations aligned with its mission. This shift, coupled with a clearer articulation of NFAMC's value proposition, has led to more strategic partnership and revenue generation opportunities that will maximize employment outcomes for newcomers. With LIFT’s support, NFAMC has also adopted more purpose-driven data collection, creating a culture where staff understand the connection between data and their work, and are using impact measurement to enhance decision-making, improve program efficiency and responsiveness, and for demonstrating the impact of their work.

“

Our partnership with LIFT is a game changer as it allows us to build capacity within our senior leadership team and strengthen the delivery of our ambitious 5-year strategic plan. By working with LIFT, we have gained a deeper understanding of our purpose and the value of collecting meaningful data. We are more creative and strategic in pursuing our long-term goals. We are well positioned for the future.”

Emily Kovacs CEO, Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre