May 29, 2025
A Message from our President
At Small Change Fund, we don’t just help our partners with their work, we also run our own programs. This work comes to us when the stars line up and one of our programs has the stars sooo lined up, it would make Einstein proud.
Our Get on the Bus program works with municipalities and transit agencies to provide free transit to high school students and youth. With that, we offer youth engagement and training, ensuring young people feel confident and connected using public transit.
The idea was pioneered in Kingston, where ridership went from 30,000 in 2012 to almost 600,000 in six years! A few years ago, we hired the guy behind that success, Dan Hendry, and now some 50,000 additional students have access to free transit across the country.
Increased transit access brings youth freedom and opportunities and is key to addressing the climate crisis. It also brings more equity to transportation and benefits charities and local businesses by increasing access for volunteers and employees.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. In the coming months, we’ll share results from a study by a Queen’s University professor that quantifies the full impact of free youth transit. (Spoiler: the findings are stunning.)
Read more about it in this space soon.
Happy Spring!
– Burkhard 
A Youth Transit Revolution
Happily, not all of our recent Get on the Bus updates are secret! Program Coordinator Sophia Young recently participated on a panel hosted by Alberta Ecotrust Foundation. The session focussed on how to spark interest and amplify opportunities for youth. “I was able to spotlight something we know deeply at Get on the Bus: increasing youth access to public transit isn’t just about getting from point A to B. It’s about freedom that improves mental well-being,” shared Sophia. Check out Sophia’s blog post for more about her inspiring presentation.
Program Director and Co-Founder Dan Hendry has also been busy! At the beginning of May, Dan facilitated two days of youth transit workshops in Halifax, in addition to delivering a keynote at City Hall. Halifax Regional Municipality and the Government of Nova Scotia have made a combined $1.8 million investment in youth transit access – resulting in free passes for 28,000 youth.
We are so excited to see this movement gaining momentum and encourage anyone who would like to receive occasional updates to sign up using the footer on the Get on the Bus website.
Welcome, Nehan!
We are pleased to welcome Nehan Mohammed as IT Administrative Assistant at Small Change Fund for the summer months. Nehan is a Computer Engineering student at McMaster University with experience in software development and administration. He has worked on systems with the McMaster Mars Rover Team, as well as created a variety of websites and applications focussed on user experience. He is passionate about using technology to streamline workflows and support meaningful work.
In his free time, Nehan enjoys playing volleyball, watching movies and spending time with family.
Have Cabin, Will Travel
Our partner Two Steps Home showcased their tiny home cabin prototype at the housed…[un]housed…[re]housed…2025 Symposium, hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University. The team spoke about policy, activism and services, and held an engaging Q&A on how to bring cabin communities to the city. We are working with Two Steps Home to facilitate a tiny home community in Toronto, with supportive services to assist in lifting people permanently out of poverty. Donations are welcome to help us build Toronto’s first Cabin Community so that unsheltered people in Toronto can move out of encampments and into safe, warm, dignified shelter.
Congratulations, Jacqueline
We are thrilled to congratulate Jacqueline Lee-Tam, Vice President of Projects, on her recent marriage!
Jacqueline and new husband Zach celebrated their love in front of an intimate gathering of family and friends. The centrepiece of the celebration was a stunning wedding cake baked by Jacqueline herself!
Please join us in wishing Jacqueline and Zach every happiness together.
New Projects
- Forest School Tuition Assistance Fund: to make nature more accessible to all children in the Parry Sound community by breaking down financial barriers.
- Grassroots Support Network: to bring together people and projects supporting grassroots organizers, sharing campaign expertise, resources and ideas.
London Calling
Kim Bilous, Vice President of Development, and Aneesa Piracha, Director of Technology, recently connected in person…a continent away! As they were both in the area, Kim and Aneesa met in London for a meal and to catch up in person.
Small News Bites
- Sophia’s speaking skills are in high demand this summer! Catch her next on a panel for The Starfish Canada’s Climate Conversations on June 3.
- Adam Lynes-Ford, who works with us on the project Resilient Together, recently joined CBC’s What on Earth to discuss wildfire season preparation on a budget.
- Don’t forget to catch up on the latest episodes of Hot Globe!
We hope everyone is looking forward to some exciting summer plans!
Sincerely,
The Small Change Fund Team
P.S. Your donation directly to Small Change Fund allows us to keep improving services and supports to help more grassroots projects succeed nationwide. Thank you for helping make change!
