Community Needs Grants Update

Important Changes to the 2025 Community Needs Grant Process

The Canadian Women’s Foundation typically launches an annual call for proposals for our Community Needs grants, providing approximately $20,000 per grant. In 2025, we are piloting some important changes to this process to better serve underfunded and overworked organizations in the women’s and gender justice sector.

Our annual call for proposals receives significantly more applications than we are able to fund. In 2024, we were only able to approve 7% of applications—far below our goal of funding 25%. This means that many valuable organizations spend time preparing proposals with little chance of securing funding. As a feminist funder, we recognize the need for a more equitable approach that reduces the administrative burden on organizations doing critical work.

Rather than issuing a broad national call for proposals, our Community Initiatives team will conduct smaller, targeted intake processes across all funding areas. We will prioritize Underserved populations and regions, and specific program types that address critical needs.

This new approach will help us direct funding where it’s needed most while maintaining our commitment to feminist grantmaking principles.

We will share any new application opportunities through multiple channels, including:

Our sector newsletter 

Our website 

Have Questions?

If you have any questions or would like more information about this pilot approach, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Thank you for being an essential part of the movement for gender justice in Canada.

Community Needs Grants are made possible by the following generous donors to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, and our many other corporate partners, individual donors, and private family foundations throughout the country.

Logos for Women and Gender Equality Canada and Government of Canada

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