Grants and Contributions

Through this 29-month project, RÉZO will strengthen 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations’ networks and capacity to promote equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people. It will address retention, community engagement, and understanding of community governance as well as the need to nurture volunteer social activities and give a voice to marginalized communities. The project will include four components: governance, analysis, and tool creation; strengthening the volunteer sector; monitoring of challenges and barriers faced by communities; and planning of advocacy activities.

This project is specifically targeted towards communities of gay and bisexual men, trans people, and men who have sex with men, and their networks.

Through this 30-month project, Association for the Alberta Network of Immigrant Women (ANIW) will scale its Well-being Group (WBG) for Latino immigrant men to strengthen the GBV sector. It will scale it to men and women in five ethnocultural communities (Bhutanese, Ethiopian, Filipino, Iranian, and Nepalese), as well as to couples in three of these communities that have been identified as being of highest priority. It will address the need for ethnoculturally appropriate and relevant promising and evidence-based primary violence prevention programs. To do so, the project will adapt WBG training materials for delivery to new population groups; engage, train, and support cultural peers to facilitate the project’s WBG group sessions; evaluate the applicability and impact of facilitator onboarding training; and form a Learning Collaborative which will share knowledge, build collective capacity, and support a developmental project evaluation process. ANIW will develop infographics, community reports, and social media content and host events and webinars to share information on the promising practice with others so that they may replicate it or expand upon it.

The project will partner with Alberta Men’s Network (AMN) and the University of Calgary (UofC) to leverage expertise and networks. AMN has extensive experience in engaging men for social change and will utilize their community networks and social media platforms to assist with project recruitment, knowledge dissemination, and public engagement. U of C will leverage their social transformation research expertise to oversee the design, implementation, and analysis of the scaled WBG program and its developmental evaluation.

Through this 5-month project, PRISM will build stronger capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations and networks to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equality. It will address the formalization of PRISM’s structure and the development of future plans. The project will include applying to become an incorporated not-for-profit organization, developing the capacity of PRISM, strategic planning, and assessing the needs of the local 2SLGBTQI+ community.

Through this 29-month project, PEI Transgender Network (PEITN) will build stronger capacity of 2SLGTBI+ community organizations and network to advance 2SLGTBQI+ equality. The project will address the organization’s capacity to gather knowledge and resources, while addressing data gaps pertaining to the community. This will allow PEITN to identify common barriers faced by community members in Prince Edward Island. This will be achieved by strengthening the organizational governance structure and advocacy planning, and by designing and implementing a strategic plan that is developed by and for transgender and gender diverse community.

Through this 29-month project, the multi-sector Safe at Home Hamilton Steering Committee of Mission Services of Hamilton Inc., will put in place a Safe at Home (SAH) program to strengthen the GBV sector in Hamilton, Ontario. It will address survivors’ right to affordable and quality housing; the need for a new housing option for survivors fleeing violence; and create a comprehensive set of wrap-around supports and services for survivors of partner violence. It will also address the need for a gender transformative approach to the design and delivery of GBV and related services, and lack of availability of a Canada-specific SAH Policies and Practice document.

This initiative will include a network of cross-sector service providers in Hamilton so women (and children) will be diverted from VAW shelters and stay "Safe at Home" guided by a plethora of supports. An external evaluator will measure and assess implementation successes and the impact of this promising practice, and the Steering Committee will summarize lessons learned around adaptation and implementation as well as program impacts on system change, client housing stability, and violence reduction to share information on the promising practice with others so that they may replicate or expand upon it.

This 7-month project will build the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ community-serving organizations and networks to advance the equality of older 2SLGBTQI+ adults. This will be achieved through the founding and incorporation of a pan-Canadian coalition which will focus on 2SLGBTQI+ older people. The purpose of the coalition will be to build networks, research, education, and partnerships that support the health and well-being of 2SLGBTQI+ older people and raise awareness about their challenges while advocating for policy changes to improve lives.

In addition to incorporating, Senior Pride Network Canada will develop a 3-year strategic plan. The coalition will undergo a process of data compilation and member input to ensure that its strategic plan is informed by the needs and priorities of the older 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

This project will enable Senior Pride Network Canada to develop a GBA+ framework, build capacity and awareness, develop recommendations for policies and programs and to advocate for change.

The supplemental funding will be used for legal services associated with the incorporation of the organization.

Through this 30-month project, Rainbow Coalition of Waterloo Region (RCWR) will build stronger capacity to support 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations and networks to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equality. This project will address various issues, including a lack of community feedback across diverse 2SLGBTQI+ communities, capacity-building support for grassroots 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, and limited foundational capacity of RCWR.

The project will include the development of a strategic plan that is responsive to local 2SLGBTQI+ community needs, the creation of a Community Advisory Council, and regular Community Forums to better understand community needs and experiences. It will also increase capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ community leaders within RCWR's network and provide training for Board members, Council members, and volunteers to support sustainability, including governance, grant-writing, and anti-racism initiatives. RCWR will enhance its organizational profile, including clear branding and digital presence, to increase its visibility, impact, and partnership development. The project's success will be evaluated through feedback from the Council, surveys of participants, and regular reviews of organizational capacity and strategic goals.

Through this 29-month project, Muskoka Parry Sound Coordinated Sexual Assault Services (MPSSAS) will develop and put in place Aanji Bimaadziwin (A Changed Life) – a project linking Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, women and 2S people as mentors or mentees – to strengthen the GBV sector. They will address needs in rural/remote and diverse communities in a manner that recognizes the colonial impacts of gender-based violence and marginalization and provides strategies for trauma-informed and culturally relevant healing.

To do so, the project will build on the agency’s Survivor-to-Survivor Peer Mentorship Project, working with Indigenous Leadership to develop a training program and toolkit that is delivered with a decolonial and culturally relevant lens. They will develop and deliver land-based healing events, piloting and refining the model. An external evaluator will measure and assess the impact of the project, and they expect to see additional modules/materials developed to address needs identified both by Indigenous groups and mainstream organizations.

MPSSAS will promote the promising practice of their project within their network/sector through social media and the sector’s provincial coalition so that they may replicate it or expand upon it. The results will also be shared with the WAGE GBV Knowledge Centre.

Through this 29-month project, Toronto Queer Media & Arts Centre will build stronger capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations and networks to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equality. It will address the need to increase organizational governance structures and undertake strategic planning to provide a community art exhibition space in Toronto for work by and about marginalized queer and trans people. The project will review day-to-day and governance policies to support the development of the organization’s staff manual, orientation package and a new five-year organizational strategic plan.

Through this 29-month project, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary will conduct research that will help improve GBV services for Indigenous women. It will identify and address the intricate systems that influence inequality and increase susceptibility to GBV for Indigenous women who also experience or are at risk of criminalization. In addition, this project will study the systemic consequences of GBV that emerge because of existing structural, physical, and socio-cultural barriers that heighten the vulnerability of Indigenous women to negative outcomes such as homelessness, poverty, and criminalization. To do so, this project will employ an Indigenous research methodology, receive the guidance of Knowledge Holders and Elders through regular discussions and meetings, and create Advisory Circles of women with lived experience, which will guide and inform recommendations for the restructuring and decolonizing of supports and services for Indigenous women. The Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary will also hold a community photo exhibit, coordinate a community validation ceremony and community sharing circles, to share findings, as well as compile an in-depth final written report, which will be shared through presentations, conversations, and a publication.