Community Partnerships

Kente House - Canada
Research & Learning Partnership

The Research and Learning Partnership is Canada’s first national-level community initiative dedicated to empowering Black-focused and Black-serving organizations with research-driven insights to enhance programs, foster shared learning, and strengthen community capacity. This initiative enables black organizations across Canada to harness evidence-based research for continuous program improvement and collective advancement. To support this effort, Kente House is launching two groundbreaking periodicals:

  • Program Learning Review – A platform for program leaders to share key learnings, insights, and experiences, enabling the broader Black community to benefit from proven strategies and best practices.
  • Community Research Journal – A publication dedicated to independent research on Black communities, offering data-driven analysis and thought leadership to inform policy, advocacy, and program development.

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Program Learning Conference

Kente House, in collaboration with our partners, proudly hosts the Program Learning Conference—our flagship annual gathering dedicated to strengthening Black community development and advancement. This premier event brings together program leaders, community organizations, funders, researchers, and other key stakeholders to exchange knowledge, share insights, and foster collaboration on issues of shared interest.

The conference is a national platform for identifying best practices, refining program strategies, and building stronger, more resilient Black communities. Kente House is actively working with major funders to establish the Learning Partnership and Conference as vital reference points when evaluating organizational capacity in future funding applications.

We are currently accepting Statements of Interest from organizations that are ready to participate in this groundbreaking initiative. Join us in shaping the future of Black community programs and advocacy in Canada.

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Canada Afro-Caribbean Policy Bulletin

Kente House collaborates with Black community partners to publish the Afro-Caribbean Policy Bulletin. The collaboration enable communities to shape Canada’s policies and relations with African and Caribbean nations—countries with which Black communities share deep historical, cultural, and family ties. Through this partnership, Kente House amplifies the collective voice of Black Canadians on policy matters affecting their ancestral homelands.

We achieve this by conducting research, publishing expert commentaries, and curating insightful editorials in our Afro-Caribbean Policy Bulletin. We ensure that our publications capture the lived experiences, expectations, and perspectives of Black community partners. We share our findings with with key government ministries, policymakers, and stakeholders, ensuring that Black voices are meaningfully represented in national and international policy discussions. 

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The Canada Heritage Flags

The Canada Heritage Flags Partnership brings together Black communities across Canada to showcase unity, strength, and solidarity during major events, anniversaries, and commemorations. The initiative enhances the visibility of Black communities and their rich heritage within Canada’s multicultural mosaic while reinforcing our shared histories and deep cultural bonds.

Partner communities actively support one another by attending flag-raising ceremonies and key events, delivering messages of solidarity, and fostering meaningful connections. Beyond symbolic gestures, this partnership builds bridges between Black communities, strengthens collective advocacy for dignity and amplifies anti-racism efforts.

Together, we demonstrate a unified front in celebrating heritage, fostering inclusion, and shaping a more cohesive society.

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Black Heritage Education Program

The Black Heritage Education Honors Program is a robust and comprehensive program of Black history and heritage education for Canadian children and youth—especially Black students. Currently in development, the program will provide a rich and structured learning experience with greater depth and rigor than is typically covered in standard Canada K-12 school curricula. It will empower future generations with a deeper understanding of Black history, identity, and contributions, fostering confidence, critical thinking, and a strong sense of heritage.

The curriculum will include core elements, specialized learning streams, and two capstone projects—one at the mid-point and another at the program’s completion—ensuring a well-rounded and impactful educational journey.  Partner communities serve as a consultative body for program development, evaluation, and review, alongside researchers and subject-matter experts. Additionally, they play a vital role in hosting and delivering key aspects of the program within their respective regions.

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Black Cultural Bridges Initiative

The Black Cultural Bridges Initiative fosters meaningful connections within Black communities and between Black Canadians and other cultural groups across Canada. Recognizing that cultural bridge-building is a powerful force against ignorance, xenophobia, racism, and discrimination, this partnership empowers Black communities to actively engage with others, fostering dialogue, cultural exchange and learning and building long-term relationships.

A central focus of the initiative is strengthening ties with Indigenous communities and peoples of Canada, honoring meaningful reconciliation, and demonstrating solidarity with First Peoples. Kente House encourages Black communities to incorporate cultural bridging initiatives into their yearly commitments. Participants document and share their experiences, insights, and best practices in the Program Learning Review, contributing to knowledge on Indigenous community engagement.

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Black Leaders Roundtable

The Black Leaders Roundtables is the premier national platform for convening distinguished Black leaders from different sectors—community, business, nonprofit, professional, and academic—and key stakeholders and decision-makers. Through various Roundtables held all year round, influential Black leaders and professionals engage in meaningful dialogue, share knowledge, and provide expert insights on issues that matter to Black Canadians and all Canadians alike.

The Roundtables provide high visibility for Black leaders and professionals, amplifies their voices and drive meaningful conversations on national and jurisdictional priorities. They also inspire the next generation—offering Black children and youth tangible examples of excellence, leadership, and achievement within their own communities.

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Breaking down silos, building partnerships

Black communities and organizations have varying levels of capacity, experience, knowledge, expertise, networks and program innovation. Stronger assets are often confined to specific organizations, niches and focal areas; and they are almost always nested within local, regional and provincial-territorial jurisdictional boundaries. There are barely any opportunities for stakeholders to collectively leverage these available strengths across boundaries for shared learning, mutual benefit and collaboration at the national scale.

Kente House Community Partnerships

Kente House Community Partnerships was designed to address this gap by mobilizing community partners, breaking down the silos between them and unleashing for the broader benefit the assets and strengths embedded in the Black community ecosystem. The Partnerships therefore create an expanded space for national-level engagement, collective learning, capacity building and collaboration with outcomes of Canada-wide impacts that are only possible through partners working together.