In October 2022, Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and the network of community foundations launched the third iteration of the Fund for Gender Equality — a funding opportunity to support local projects from coast to coast to coast that advance gender equality. We are excited to share the recipients of the Fund for Gender Equality, selected by a cohort of community foundations participating in the Communities for Gender Equality initiative.

The Fund for Gender Equality (the Fund) is part of a partnership between Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) and the Equality Fund. This groundbreaking collaboration is delivering new momentum for women’s movements in Canada and around the world. As part of the collaboration, CFC and the Equality Fund have developed a five-year initiative to advance gender equality in Canada with support from the Government of Canada. 18 community foundations will disburse a total of $3.4M to support 125 organizations working at the community level whose core activities, leadership, mission, and vision are committed to advancing gender equality across the country.

Groups Leading Projects

Please note: Many projects are intersectional and are led by individuals with intersecting identities, or groups with diverse representation. To best capture the breadth of diverse experiences supported by this funding, each identity will be listed (meaning that a project will be counted more than once if they are being led by more than one of the outlined groups).

Women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and we believe that as the work continues towards recovery from the pandemic, it must be a feminist recovery. To create communities of true belonging, we need to advance gender equality across the country. 

Community foundations participating in the Fund for Gender Equality are committed to changing philanthropy from the inside out. These community foundations are also participating in the Communities for Gender Equality initiative and have been on an 18-month learning journey to create systems change within their own organizations, in addition to administering the Fund for Gender Equality. The learning journey involves reviewing and implementing institutional change, investment practices, and internal policies & procedures.

Project Areas of Focus

Please Note: The chart shows all projects who selected a service. Many projects are intersectional and are delivering multiple services.

Participating community foundations have committed to prioritizing gender equality by updating their governance, staffing, human resources, procurement policies/procedures, and more. As a cohort, they are collectively contributing an additional $3.4M of their own capital funds to gender-lens investments.

Since CFC and the community foundation network initiated the Communities for Gender Equality initiative, community foundations have attended learning sessions on topics including gender-lens investing, racial equity, diversity and inclusive approaches to data, along with other equity-focused areas. These community foundations also continue to share their unique learning journeys and experiences with the support of the cohort.

Funded Projects

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