PRAN Community Institutional Scan (CIS)
Why conduct a Community Institutional Scan?
The Community Institutional Scan, or CIS, is one of the key projects under the Partnership for Research with African Newcomers (PRAN) at the University of Alberta.
The study focuses on organizations that support Sub-Saharan African immigrants and refugees (SSAIs) in Canada, including community associations, faith-based groups, and settlement agencies.
Our goal is to understand how these organizations operate: the services they offer, how they reach their communities, and what challenges or gaps they face when serving African newcomers. We also want to highlight the creative and culturally rooted ways these organizations promote belonging and resilience.
What we are doing:
The CIS is being carried out across four major cities: Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON; Montreal, QC; and Halifax, NS. We are carrying out interviews and focus group discussions with leaders and representatives of organizations that serve African newcomers.
The insights gathered will directly inform future research, help strengthen community programs, and guide policy changes that reflect the realities of African newcomer communities in Canada.
The CIS is part of a larger effort to build a clear national picture of how sub-Saharan African communities are supported in Canada, and how these supports can be improved to help these communities thrive.
Our Questions
We are asking leaders and representatives of organizations that serve sub-Saharan African newcomers:
- Services and programs offered
- Community needs and challenges
- Institutional strengths and success stories
- Partnerships and collaborations
- Visions for supporting resilience for African families and communities
PRAN Research Project Overview
Project Part 1—Cross-Sectional Survey
Sub-Saharan African Immigrants and Refugees in Canada
University of Alberta Research Ethics ID#: Pro00133601
Completed collecting responses in March 2025. Data analysis is on-going. Results will complement the ANLQS and CIS.
Project Part 2—Community Institutional Scan (CIS)
Sub-Saharan African Immigrants and Refugees in Canada
University of Alberta Research Ethics ID#: Pro00139861
Will capture the critical roles that SSAI-serving organizations play for SSAI communities in Canada.
Project Part 3—African Newcomer Longitudinal Qualitative Study (ANLQS)
Sub-Saharan African Immigrants and Refugees in Canada
University of Alberta Research Ethics ID#: Pro00146378
Will explore and track resilience among SSAI families through the early years of their settlement in one of four Canadian cities (Edmonton, Halifax, Toronto, and Montréal).