Grants and Contributions

The primary goal of the Climate Resilient Smallholders Programme would be to significantly increase smallholder’s resilience and adaptation to climate change, demonstrating Canada's leadership and commitment to sustainable development and climate justice for the poorest and most vulnerable. The objectives would be to 1) Strengthen the environmental sustainability and climate resilience of poor rural people’s economic activities; 2) Increase poor rural people’s productive capacities; and 3) Increase poor rural people’s benefits from market participation.

The First Response Fund (FRF) is a global humanitarian pooled fund that resources grassroots, local, life-saving humanitarian responses led by women-led and women’s rights organizations (WLO/WROs). The FRF leverages the global network of over 50 national, regional and multiregional Women’s and Feminist Funds (W/FF) to support WROs/WLOs to provide fast and effective humanitarian services in ODA-eligible countries, including to communities that may not be reached otherwise. The FRF supports WROs/WLOs to provide humanitarian response services in their communities, with a focus on humanitarian aid to high-need groups who often face barriers to access, including refugees and internally displaced people, women with disabilities, gender expansive and transgender people, Indigenous and Black women, rural women, and those at the intersection of many of these identities.

This project represents Canada’s support to the First Response Fund. Specific funding amounts, and targeted countries, will be identified based on humanitarian need, coordinated humanitarian response plans, and FRF members’ delivery capacity, as per the FRF’s Operational Manual. The use of Canada’s financial contributions will be limited to prioritized geographical areas in UN Humanitarian Appeals and/or UNCHR Refugee Response Plans.

March 2025 – The humanitarian situation in Syria has continued to deteriorate due to years of civil war, resulting in displacement, severe protection risks and restricted humanitarian access despite the recent fall of the Assad regime. According to the United Nations, an estimated 16.5 million people need humanitarian assistance in Syria, with over 7 million internally displaced persons.

With GAC’s support, the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations – International (UOSSM) will aim to increase access to primary healthcare services through mobile clinics and strengthened referral networks, increase screening and treatment of moderate and severe acute malnutrition among children under five, and increase access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), including for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV).

June 2025 –The health situation in Gaza remains critical due to ongoing hostilities which led to high numbers of casualties, injuries, and mass displacement. Health facilities are operating under severe constraints, with limited supplies, damaged infrastructure, and staff working under extreme pressure. The already fragile healthcare system is struggling to meet the growing needs, particularly in trauma care, maternal and child health, and infectious and chronic disease management. Ongoing support is crucial to sustain and restore urgent medical care and essential healthcare services.

With GAC's support, Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) helps reduce suffering, maintain human dignity, and save lives in communities experiencing humanitarian crises in Gaza.
Project activities include: (1) providing emergency health services especially for conflict-related injuries; (2) providing primary healthcare services including sexual and reproductive healthcare and mental health, maternal nutrition, and mental health and psychosocial support; (3) providing gender-based violence (GBV) medical and counselling services; and (4) distributing hygiene and dignity kits to displaced women and adolescent girls.

April 2025 - The population in Gaza continues to grapple with severe shortages of food, healthcare, medical supplies, clean water, and fuel. The United Nations estimates that the entire population of Gaza, over 2 million people, require emergency assistance. Since hostilities resumed in Gaza, civilian casualties have surged, with many being forcibly displaced.

With GAC’s support, International Medical Corps UK, aims to address the urgent health and protection needs of nearly 230,000 crisis affected households in Gaza in collaboration with Juzoor for Health and Social Development. Project activities include: (1) provision of primary health care and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services; (2) provision of inclusive gender, age, and disability responsive gender-based-violence (GBV) prevention and response services; and (3) provision of high-quality malnutrition prevention and treatment services.

April 2025 - The population in Gaza continues to grapple with severe shortages of food, healthcare, medical supplies, clean water, and fuel. The United Nations estimates that the entire population of Gaza, over 2 million people, require emergency assistance. Since hostilities resumed in Gaza, civilian casualties have surged, with many being forcibly displaced.

With GAC’s support, Humanity and Inclusion, aims to address the urgent health and protection needs of over 5,700 crisis affected households in Gaza. Project activities include: (1) provision of emergency rehabilitation, assistive devices, prosthetics and orthoses, and psychosocial support services; and (2) facilitating an inclusive humanitarian response through mapping disability-focused organizations, training stakeholders, establishing and disseminating guidelines, and strengthening referral mechanisms for vulnerable individuals.

This project is part of Canada’s Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL) Program. It supports local and regional women’s rights organizations (WROs), lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex plus (LBTQI+) groups and feminist networks working to promote the rights of women and girls and advance gender equality in Global South countries. The Program responds to the globally recognized and significant gap in funding and support for WROs and movements worldwide.

This project will complement the renewed WVL program to strengthen women’s organizations and feminist movements, including WVL partners’ engagement with the feminist funding ecosystem. Project activities include: 1) Developing a membership engagement strategy; 2) Providing online training to increase knowledge of the funding landscape; 3) Organizing in-person convenings to be co-developed with participants; and 4) Conducting an annual flagship event during the Commission on the Status of Women meetings featuring WROs and donors in dialogue together.

December 2024 - As a result of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, Sudan is facing a complex and unprecedented humanitarian crisis. This is characterized by massive protection violations, the displacement of over 11 million people and dire levels of acute food insecurity and malnutrition in many parts of the country.

With GAC’s support, Action Against Hunger Canada aims to reduce mortality and morbidity, improve wellbeing and support the dignity of conflict-affected refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in Central Darfur and South Kordofan, with a particular focus on women, adolescent girls and children under the age of five. Project activities include: (1) providing life-saving nutrition treatment to acutely malnourished women and children; (2) provision of sexual and reproductive health services, such as family planning, to women and adolescent girls; (3) construction and rehabilitation of water supply systems, gender-sensitive sanitation facilities and waste management systems; (4) distribution of gender-sensitive hygiene and non-food item kits to vulnerable households; (5) distribution of multi-purpose cash assistance, with a particular focus on women-headed households; and (6) support for local health facilities, health workers and other service providers in the form of training, nutrition products and data collection tools.

October 2024 – Afghanistan continues to experience deteriorating humanitarian conditions, with high levels of need cutting across all provinces and sectors. In 2024, an estimated 23.7 million people require humanitarian assistance due to the impacts of many years of conflict, chronic food insecurity, displacement, broad economic crisis, and climatic events.

With GAC’s support, War Child Canada provides humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities in Afghanistan. Project activities include: (1) providing health care services to women and children; (2) providing psychosocial support to women and children and other community members; (3) providing protection services; and (4) distributing essential relief items.

November 2024 – According to the 2024 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) humanitarian needs overviews, 13.6 million people in Syria and 17.4 million people in Yemen need water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance. In Syria, the ongoing economic and environmental shocks, particularly the water crisis and disease outbreaks, combined with the February 2023 earthquake and ongoing conflict increased the severity of the humanitarian crisis. Half of Syria’s water and sanitation systems no longer function properly, with wastewater often discharged in rivers.

Yemen, one of the most water-stressed countries globally, faces water sources depletion and desertification due to recurrent drought, rising temperatures, and prolonged conflict. Over 80% of Yemen’s population is not connected to the sewer system, and 39% lacking access to safe sanitation disposal. The country experienced the largest cholera outbreak reported in recent history from 2016 to 2022, with 2.5 million suspected cases. As of 2024, the WASH sectors in Yemen and Syria face significant funding gaps, with 16.2% of WASH needs in Syria and 44.5% in Yemen funded according to OCHA's 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan.

With Global Affairs Canada’s support, ACTED helps meet the critical WASH needs and reduce health risks for vulnerable women, men, boys and girls in Northern Syria and Yemen. Project activities include: (1) strengthening gender-inclusive WASH facilities in health facilities; (2) strengthening emergency water assets and water trucking support in at-risk communities; (3) strengthening emergency sanitation infrastructure in at-risk communities; and (4) providing emergency cholera hygiene kits and promoting hygiene awareness. With these activities, the project aims to reach 555,500 beneficiaries.