About The Canadian Women’s Foundation
We are Canada’s public foundation for gender equality.
The Canadian Women’s Foundation is a national leader in the movement for gender equality in Canada. Through funding, research, advocacy, and knowledge sharing, we work to achieve systemic change.
We support women, girls, and gender-diverse people to move out of violence, out of poverty, and into confidence and leadership.
Since 1991, our generous donors and supporters have contributed more than $185 million to fund over 3,000 life-transforming programs throughout Canada.
Together, we will build a gender equal Canada by:
Areas of Impact
The work of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and the organizations we support takes place on traditional First Nations, Métis, and Inuit territories. We are grateful for the opportunity to meet and work on this land. However, we recognize that land acknowledgments are not enough. We need to pursue truth, reconciliation, decolonization, and allyship in an ongoing effort to make right with all our relations.
Gender Inclusion
We aim to be inclusive of diverse people across gender and sexuality spectrums. We focus our efforts on supporting those who face the most barriers and have least access to relevant services. This includes people who identify as women, girls, trans, genderqueer, non-binary, and 2SLGBTQI+.
United Nations Representation
The Canadian Women’s Foundation is an Economic & Social Council accredited organization in consultation with the United Nations. This designation enables us to participate in international events focused on advancing gender justice with other non-governmental organizations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gender equality: UN Women explains it as “equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities” for all genders. It doesn’t mean that everyone should be the same. It means peoples’ rights, responsibilities, and opportunities shouldn’t depend on their gender. It implies that the interests and needs of everybody, in all their diversities, are important. It’s not a “women’s issue.” It’s everyone’s issue, and it makes life better for all of us.
Gender justice: Global Fund for Women defines it as the redistribution of power, opportunities, and access for people of all genders. Achieving gender justice means that all women, girls, and Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people get the full rights, support, and respect they deserve. This includes paid fair and livable wages, safety from violence and harassment, representation in all levels of decision-making, and every opportunity to thrive. Pursuing gender justice means pursuing a wide range of systemic changes for social justice, including an end to racism, poverty, and other forms of discrimination and barriers. As Third Wave Fund notes, “gender justice can only truly be achieved when all forms of oppression cease to exist”.
The work of the Canadian Women’s Foundation and the organizations we support takes place on traditional First Nations, Métis, and Inuit territories. We are grateful for the opportunity to meet and work on this land. However, we recognize that land acknowledgments are not enough. We need to pursue truth, reconciliation, decolonization, and allyship in an ongoing effort to make right with all our relations.
To start, we are learning and unlearning within the Foundation itself. In 2019 and 2020, we will learn from key reports on truth and reconciliation and grow our understanding of relevant issues such as the historical impacts of “charity work” on Indigenous communities; gender rights activism led by Indigenous leaders; and how settler-based organizations can build allied relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
This will prepare us to commit to concrete action across our departments and sign onto The Philanthropic Community’s Declaration of Action developed by The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. We will also take learnings from the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to inform our work and actions.
After these initial steps, we will further pursue truth and reconciliation efforts in our organizational plans. This will include how we make grants, administer community gatherings, deepen community relationships, engage in policy and practice change work, and report on activities and outcomes along the way.
Hands up if you’ve noticed that – despite progress – gender equality STILL hasn’t been achieved in Canada? Gender equality is more complicated than just having rights on paper or legislation on the books. Over and over, statistics and research show that equity is not a “lived reality” when you look at people’s daily lives and experiences. Hands up if you know:
- a woman, girl, trans, or non-binary person who has experienced physical or emotional abuse, sexual assault, or harassment
- a woman, girl, trans, or non-binary person who feels nervous about getting assaulted or harassed going to work or school, going out in their neighbourhoods, going out to meet friends, staying inside their own homes.
- a mother struggling to raise her children on a low income
- a woman, girl, trans, or non-binary person who has been discriminated against
- a girl who doesn’t feel confident because she’ll never live up to the hypersexualized “ideal” she sees in the media
- a woman who feels pressured to give up a leadership opportunity for family responsibilities.
This inequity touches everyone’s lives. But we can do something about it. When you contribute and get involved with us, you bring us closer to achieving gender equality for ALL in Canada. Are you with us?
Read our Principles for Feminist Funding.