IMPACT
May 2026
We secured funding through Feed Nova Scotia’s Prototype Funding Stream to develop a Food Security Plan for the African Nova Scotian communities of Weymouth Falls, Southville, Hassett, and Danvers. Guided by community-identified needs and solutions, this project will explore sustainable, long-term approaches to improving food security.
April 2026
Our Founder & President participated in the 2026 Global CLT Peer Exchange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—a groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind gathering. Over one week, participants from 11 countries visited favelas and communities together, sharing knowledge and experiences. The exchange was co-organized by Rondo Community Land Trust, Catalytic Communities, and the International Center for Community Land Trusts, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
We secured funding to strengthen our internal operations and governance and, in partnership with Placemaking 4G, developed a comprehensive Workforce Planning Framework featuring a phased staffing model and clear role definitions, a Foundational Policy Suite tailored to WFCLT with decision-making guidelines, and an HR Operations Toolkit with practical recommendations for payroll, benefits, onboarding, and record-keeping, establishing the governance structures needed to support and manage our inaugural staff. This project was supported in part by the Government of Canada’s Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, Tropicana Community Services, and the Foundation for Black Communities.
February 2026
Jill Balser, Minister of Service Nova Scotia and MLA for Digby–Annapolis, announced that the Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust is receiving $453,531 from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund to restore the Mount Beulah Baptist Church. The project will transition the building into an energy-efficient, climate-ready space that supports community resilience and adaptation to climate change. It will serve as a gathering space that honours African Nova Scotian history and the cultural significance of the church, while also providing a safe location during climate emergencies.
December 2025
Multi-year funding (2025–2029) from the McConnell Foundation was granted to support the restoration of the historic Mount Beulah Baptist Church as a climate-resilient community hub, the development of a 10-year energy transition strategy, land acquisition, and organizational capacity building.
Funding was received from the Catherine Donnelly Foundation to support climate resiliency through the Mount Beulah Baptist Church restoration project.
July 2025
We were recipients of the 2025 Nova Scotia Emancipation Day and International Day of Remembrance Community Event Micro Grant Program. This funding will support the recognition and commemoration of Emancipation Day during the 30th Anniversary Weymouth Falls Reunion.
The Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust received support from the Office of African Nova Scotian Affairs for the 30th Anniversary Weymouth Falls Reunion. The Government of Nova Scotia, through African Nova Scotian Affairs, supports initiatives that advance the interests and cultures of African Nova Scotian communities, increase access to services, and equip communities with the knowledge, tools, and resources to grow and thrive.
May 2025
We were honoured to be one of eight descendant-led projects selected for the Out(sider) Preservation Initiative. The award recognizes organizations and projects that exemplify creative storytelling, community engagement, and historic preservation across Black settlements. Selected projects span California, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, and Nova Scotia, reflecting the geographic breadth and cultural richness of Black placemaking traditions.
March 2025
We were a recipient of the Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC) Black Ideas Grant 2.0. FFBC was established to ensure that every Black person can thrive and that Black communities have agency in defining their own future. Founded in 2020, it is Canada’s first philanthropic foundation dedicated to ensuring Black-led, Black-mandated, and Black-focused organizations have sustained resources to make a meaningful impact.
February 2025
We acquired the Mount Beulah Baptist Church, marking our first land acquisition and a national milestone as the first property acquired by a Black-led Community Land Trust in Canada. More than a transfer of ownership, this moment affirmed our commitment to community-led stewardship and the long-term protection of culturally significant spaces.
October 2024
We received funding from The Association of Black Social Workers (ABSW) Micro-Grant program to host a community winter dinner in December.
August 2024
We completed our final community mapping session. This activity supported residents in identifying sites of significance to them and will inform our organization’s acquisition and stewardship priorities.
June 2024
With support from a Veterans Affairs Canada grant, we launched “Forgotten No Longer: Commemorating the Lives and Service of No. 2 Construction Battalion Members.” The project will create a dedicated webpage honouring those from Weymouth Falls and surrounding areas who served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion, and is scheduled to conclude in May 2025.
We were selected to participate in the Black Opportunity Fund’s BOF & BCFC Grant and B3 Capacity Building Program. This support will strengthen our organizational capacity to engage with Canada’s Housing Plan.
May 2024
We participated in a study tour organized by the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts in the United States to identify successful practices and lessons learned that could be replicated or adapted. The tour included stops in Oakland, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Albany, Georgia.
April 2024
With support from the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism’s Community Network Grant, we launched “We Been Here: Preventing the Erasure of Weymouth Falls through Intentional Cultural Preservation.” The project will develop a strategic acquisition plan to preserve three sites identified by the community as most significant: the Sam Langford Community Centre, the Mount Beulah Baptist Church, and the 19-acre parcel commonly referred to as “the Dam.”
February 2024
Following incorporation, we recognized the need for a way to communicate with descendants of our community living both near and far. We also understood the importance of creating a digital presence that not only tracks our progress but also serves as a resource for organizations seeking to learn more about Community Land Trusts and the significance of Weymouth Falls. Because our Founder was a youth, we were able to apply for the Michaëlle Jean Foundation’s Power of Youth grant to support the development of this website. With this funding, we hired AntiMatter Labs to build the website’s foundation in a way that allows us to update it as needed.
With support from the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts’ Organizational Development Microgrant, we piloted a standard planning procedure in collaboration with Zzap to assess the basic viability of a parcel of land for development. The pilot was successful and will be replicated for all future parcels of interest to ensure we focus on properties with the greatest potential.
Our organization was accepted into the Clean Foundation’s Community Climate Capacity (CCC) Program, funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change. The program provides our community with access to a dedicated team of specialists who will guide us through climate mitigation and adaptation strategies over three years (2024–2027).
The Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust received grant support from the Government of Canada’s Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative and the Tropicana Community Services to undertake two projects: One focused on Capacity Building and one focussed on Capital Assistance. In June 2024, we concluded our first series of community mapping sessions to identify the sites that are the most significant to our community members. Both projects will be completed by March 31, 2025.
January 2024
Reclaim CDO's Community-led Housing fund allowed us to start a project called “Ain’t I a woman? Applying Sojourner Truth’s Philosophy to Housing Needs Assessments in Weymouth Falls”. Building on the Rural Development Network’s housing needs assessment worksheet, this project will expand the template to consider a more qualitative approach to understand housing needs in deeply rural communities who may not be accurately represented in existing data sets. This project will be completed by March 31, 2025.
We were selected to participate in the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts organizational development program for BIPOC-led start-up CLTs. This project uses a cohort approach to provide direct support, knowledge sharing, and funding for external consultants for five BIPOC organizations. Groups will be guided through key organizational development activities, building readiness for land acquisitions and development for three years. This project will run from 2024 - 2027.
December 2023
While we participated in sector events to increase our reach nationally, we also submitted a proposal to the University of Toronto's Masters of Science in Plannings' Workshop in Planning Practice that was accepted. The purpose of this project was to:
- Understand the current terrain of landownership within the Weymouth Falls community by cataloguing land parcels and assets within the area
- Determine whether the Community Land Trust model was the appropriate mechanism to re-establish stewardship responsibilities to descendants of the community.
This project culminated in a detailed report titled Weymouth Falls Community Land Trust: Finding Paths Forward which presented recommendations for the establishment of a Community Land Trust and provided a land parcel catalogue.
October 2023
Shortly after we incorporated, the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts hosted it's inaugural summit in Toronto, Ontario. Our founder had the pleasure of facilitating a panel titled Racial Justice and Community Land Trusts that discussed models of collective land ownership, equitable housing strategies, and how historically marginalized communities can reclaim and steward land. This peer learning opportunity was integral to our organization as it connected us to established and emerging Community Land Trusts across the country.
May 2023
On May 2, 2023 the organization was incorporated with the intent to hold land and develop non-market housing in the community of Weymouth Falls. The Tribe Network's Start Small Grant powered by Emera allowed us to recover the costs of incorporation.
