Grants and Contributions

Through this 21-month systemic change project, the Fédération des agricultrices du Québec will scale the Perspective+ Canada Program to advance women’s representation in leadership and decision-making roles. The project will scale to all agricultural organizations in all provinces of Canada. It will address gender attitudes in agriculture that create barriers to women’s professional development in the sector.

To achieve this goal, the project will perform a diagnosis and environmental scan on 50 agricultural organizations—particularly ones in rural areas that include people who are Indigenous, racialized, immigrants, members of official language minority communities, and 2SLGBTQI+, as well as raise awarness about unconscious bias. The project will then focus on a required systemic change in at least one agricultural organization per province; support the organizations in implementing these changes, drawing from customized tools; and monitor progress on the changes. Finally, the project will launch an awareness campaign on gender prejudice and unconscious bias surrounding women in agriculture, and then develop a network of partners to share knowledge.

Through this 21-month systemic change project, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) will scale the Mamaawe: Women Reducing Poverty Together project to advance women’s economic security and prosperity. It will scale the project to the Canadian context, using Ottawa as a compelling case study, by adapting the project from one-off policy initiatives to the promotion of a comprehensive urban policy and planning tool: the Caring Cities model. It will address the need for gender inclusive urban planning that takes into consideration the care and work requirements of women, particularly those who are racialized. To do so, the project will 1) adopt and promote a comprehensive urban policy and planning tool: the Caring Cities model; 2) undertake Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with grassroots women on care economy needs and urban design; 3) design and deliver a Caring Cities training course to policymakers and decision-makers; and 4) build a Caring Cities movement while tracking progress in municipal policy and urban planning.

Through this 21-month systemic change project, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) will scale best practices, programs, and advocacy to Accelerate IDEAS in STEM (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Sustainability) to advance women’s economic security, decision-making, leadership and prosperity. It will scale to companies, professional associations and enhance STEM professions across Canada. It will address gaps in inclusive hiring processes, workplace policies and cultures to create equitable pathways for women, gender-diverse people and youth to access STEM jobs and thrive in their careers. To do so, Accelerating IDEAS in STEM will engage communities affected by systemic barriers to address root causes, understand intersectional needs, and co-create solutions with equity-deserving groups that have been marginalized - including youth, Black, Indigenous, racialized, immigrants, 2SLGBTQ+, and women living with disabilities. The project will also provide workplace training, help develop processes and policies, and share knowledge to change attitudes, behaviors, and power dynamics across all organizational levels.

Through this 21-month project, the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) will build its capacity to advance gender equality. It will address the need to move from a consultant to staff model of employment; identify human resources processes and policies that better reflect organizational values of equity, diversity, and inclusion; and enhance coalition cohesion at the organizational and member level. The project will include strengthening OCRCC as a workplace, strengthening OCRCC member participation, creating opportunities for coalition Board and staff to convene and inform future coalition planning, and building organizational capacity and related in-house resources through professional development and trainings.

Through this 21-month systemic change project, the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society will scale the “Building a Childcare System that Works for Immigrant and Refugee Women” project to advance women’s economic security within the childcare sector. It will scale to deepen the engagement at the policy level between marginalized immigrant and refugee women and provincial and municipal policymakers in the Metro Vancouver area. It will address employment and education barriers faced by racialized, immigrant, and refugee childcare workers. To do so, the project will develop and implement effective engagement strategies with municipalities in Metro Vancouver and the Province of BC, focusing on providing policy recommendations, convening an Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Childcare Leadership Group, and amplifying immigrant and refugee women’s voices at the decision-making tables.

This 21-month systemic change project aims to scale the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) Leading Change program to advance women’s economic security and prosperity. It will scale to a national level, involving new corporate partners and shelters across the country. It will address the effects of violence, harassment, and discrimination on women when in the workplace; and the financial literacy needs and economic empowerment of survivors. It will take a two-pronged approach: 1. Engaging with local and national employers across the country in domestic violence in the workplace training 2. Establishing a Community of Practice for VAW shelters and transition houses on providing economic empowerment and support programs for women fleeing violence.

Through this 21-month systemic change project, Women in Leadership Foundation (WIL) will scale the Bridge to Gender Equality Project, to advance women’s representation in leadership and decision-making roles. It will scale to the democratic, civic, public, and private sectors working with stakeholders including BIPOC communities. The project will identify and address gender bias norms in hiring practices and build an inclusive human resource framework to support more women in applying and to be considered for leadership roles.

To do so, Women in Leadership will design and facilitate pathways for employers to place future leadership opportunities with women candidates including women from the BIPOC communities across the country. This includes a dedicated Indigenous Lead (community leader) working with employers with a reconciliation lens. The project will engage employers to sign the Transforming the Workplace Pledge and provide pledge signatories with consultation on identifying and addressing their workplace policy and culture gaps.

Through this 21-month systemic change project, the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC will scale the $10aDay Child Care initiative to advance women’s economic security and prosperity and representation in organizational leadership and decision-making roles. It will scale the measurable public policy and funding progress achieved to date, prioritizing equitable access to flexible $10aDay child care in BC staffed by fairly compensated educators. It will address intersectional barriers facing women who are disproportionately impacted in their search for and/or work in child care. To do so, the project will engage underrepresented women to co-develop system-building solutions and recommendations, develop a Provincial Advocates’ Network, convene inclusive Policy Tables and Childcare Dialogues across BC, and promote leadership opportunities within the childcare sector for racialized women, women living on low-incomes, with disabilities, and in northern and rural communities.

Through this 33-month project, Le code des filles will help advance women’s economic security and prosperity through systemic change. More specifically, the project will address systemic barriers in QC’s education system so that young girls can gain exposure to careers in technology. To achieve this, Le code des filles will share, enhance, create, and publish digital educational tools on a free platform to guide teachers. The organization will then support teachers in providing a suitable, safe, inclusive environment for elementary and secondary school students to learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The tools and support for teaching staff will encourage youth to expand their knowledge of STEM, with the ultimate goal of giving girls equal opportunities to gain an interest in and pursue careers in technology. An external evaluator will measure and assess the impact of this systemic change project.

Through this 33-month systemic change project, Women’s Enterprises Society of BC will help advance women’s economic security and prosperity through systemic change. Specifically, the project will address systemic barriers within Financial Institutions’ (FI) lending systems for Women Business Owners (WBO) that need capital to start and grow businesses by consulting with WBOs to identify system level barriers, working with Fis to develop tools and best practices, hosting a conference for Fis to learn from the lived experience of community members for systemic change and supporting credit unions to implement changes to policies and procedures.

An external evaluator will measure and assess the impact of the systemic change project.