To advance refugee economic inclusion, we go beyond working with refugee clients, employers and volunteers. We also pursue special initiatives to mobilize knowledge & best practices to build up ecosystem capacity and pursue systems change.
Our approach is to work alongside partners to ensure the most effective program design and delivery. We are always seeking to develop opportunities in Canada with refugees, refugee-serving organizations, donors, and institutional investors.
Refugees are active contributors to Canada’s entrepreneurial economy yet face additional barriers to launching and growing their businesses. Jumpstart is developing a Refugee Impact Fund, a Canadian first!
The Fund is an emerging investment fund that will remove barriers and provide access to capital for refugee-led and refugee-inclusive businesses across Canada.
The Fund is currently in the development stage, with support from 3 institutional investors, and aims to go to market in 2027.
Our flagship employment-focused initiative is the Hiring Events model. These events turn employer interest into real employment opportunities for refugees and other equity-seeking groups. Going beyond the traditional job fair model, Hiring Events bring employers with active vacancies together with pre-screened refugee candidates for direct interviews. Each event is designed to deliver tangible outcomes, including immediate job offers, second interviews or consideration within the company’s hiring process.
Jumpstart works closely with the Refugee Jobs Agenda Roundtable, a multi-sectoral network that collaborates with government leaders, community agencies, and employers. Together, we plan and implement practical, employment-focused initiatives to connect refugees with job opportunities across cities in Canada.
Jumpstart is the lead partner agency for mobilizing knowledge around Hiring Events. We provide information sessions, training workshops, tools & resources, and event delivery support to community agencies and employers so they can adopt and deliver more impactful employer-jobseeker events.
