Our Work

Your support enables the Canadian Women’s Foundation to focus on critical challenges facing diverse women, girls, and Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people all over Canada today. And you make effective long-term change for gender equality and justice possible.

Areas of Impact

Out of Poverty

Out of Violence

Into Confidence

Into Leadership

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Grants in Focus Areas:

Meet urgent community needs.

Flexible and fast annual grants make sure communities have help where they need it most.

Empower community impact.

Multi-year grants help grassroots communities deliver tailored local programs to end violence, empower girls, build inclusive leadership, and support economic stability. They benefit thousands of people and benefits ripple across communities.

Bolster the movement for gender justice.

Grants enable “root-cause” work, enable collective learning and action, and help our grassroots partners to get their local gender justice needs on the national agenda.

We deliver grants in the areas of Out of Poverty, Out of Violence, and Into Confidence. Our fourth focus area, Inclusive Leadership development, is incorporated into the other focus areas.

Out of Poverty Grants

Focus on economic development and enhancing women’s employability and opportunities to explore new possibilities to secure stable financial futures. Program effectiveness is measured by applying a special “Sustainable Livelihoods Framework”.

Out of Violence Grants

Focus on building teen healthy relationships and helping women and their children rebuild their lives after violence.

Into Confidence with Girls’ Fund Grants

Boost “protective factors” that grow girls’ resilience as they develop into adulthood. These include self-confidence, community connectedness, critical thinking skills, and school and civic engagement.

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Feminist Grantmaking

The Canadian Women’s Foundation’s grant selection process enables us to identify high-impact Grantee Partners who:

have a strong track record of lasting, quality impact, not just “quantity impact”
address barriers faced by those who are underserved by mainstream social services
administer programs that are co-created and co-led with participants
meet multiple needs of participants to ensure services are accessible (e.g. childcare, transportation, one-on-one advocacy)
work in partnership with other local organizations and community leaders

In general, grantees are selected by diverse community reviewers. Along the grant cycle, we stay in contact with grantee partners to provide support, and they connect with each other in “communities of practice” to share promising approaches to service delivery all over the country.

Special Projects

Black Innovation Fellowship

The Canadian Women’s Foundation is a founding partner of the fellowship, run by Ryerson University’s DMZ. This is a first-in-Canada program provides startups led by Black entrepreneurs with network support, programming, and access to mentors, experts, and affordable spaces. The Foundation supports women entrepreneurs through the Fellowship and provides leadership and personal development training.

Roadmap to Future Workplaces

After the #MeToo Movement went viral, the Canadian Women’s Foundation partnered with AFTERMETOO, to address increased demand on sexual violence support services in Canada. In 2019, the Foundation partnered with AFTERMETOO and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network to address workplace sexual harassment through Roadmap to Future Workplaces, supported in part by the Government of Canada.

The Landsberg Award

This annual award is presented by The Canadian Journalism Foundation in association with the Canadian Women’s Foundation. It celebrates a journalist who is raising awareness about women’s equality issues in Canada and aims to inspire an increase in the media coverage and voice of women in Canada. It is named after Michele Landsberg—award-winning journalist, author, social activist, and feminist—to acknowledge the tremendous impact that she has had as an advocate and role model.

The Tireless Will Achieve Gender Justice

Years of gender equality gains have been shaken. From economic security and freedom from violence to quality of life and human rights, women, girls, and gender-diverse people are struggling. In 1991, the Canadian Women’s Foundation was founded by visionary women to put Canada on a fast track toward equity. You can join in doubling down on the efforts to build a new and better future.

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