Two grant programs were established. Through the Ontario Basic Skills (OBS) programme, integral to the broader training reorganization, Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology are funded to provide ABE. At least 20% of funding goes to the basic level, to "ensure that training organizations do not focus primarily on the needs of the larger and more active groups requiring upgrading at the secondary level only."¹⁰⁰ Ontario Community Literacy grants¹⁰¹ support programmes operated by non-profit community based organizations (by legislation, grants can not go to school boards or colleges) for people "for whom a lack of literacy skills has been a barrier to participating fully in society, and who have been unable to benefit from the existing institutional delivery system." Funds are also available for outreach and publicity, and for co-ordination between programmes. A later program, Ontario Basic Skills in the Workplace, provides grants to employers, employer associations, non-profit delivery organizations acting on behalf or employers, or to unions, to cover instructional costs for basic education and basic technical and scientific knowledge.¹⁰²

Ontario Basic Skills projects now operate in 23 community colleges at over 90 college campuses, and involve 14000 students. Ontario Community Literacy funding has increased substantially since 1986. The number of programs funded by Ontario Community Literacy increased from 107 in 1987, to 137 in 1990,¹⁰³ to 164 in 1991.¹⁰⁴ In this period the number of francophone programs nearly quadrupled (to 23), the number of native programs more than doubled (to 27), and five programs were begun for students with disabilities. Between 1985 and 1989 there was a fivefold increase in the number of Toronto literacy and ESL programs (which involved 9000 students),¹⁰⁵ and school board programming has increased substantially across southern Ontario.¹⁰⁶