We know that investing in women is both right and strategic. We’re able to double our impact when we support women-led and women-serving organizations by supporting decent work and supporting good programming.
As we mark Gender Equality week, The Foundation is proud to support and steward a number of women-led and women-focused charitable activities, including the Fund for Gender Equality and the Women’s Giving Collective
Fund for Gender Equality
The Foundation is proud to be part of the Fund for Gender Equality, distributing dollars to charities that are actively working to advance gender equality. The goal is to help shift power into the hands of women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals by supporting their leadership and engagement in community-level initiatives.
The Fund for Gender Equality is a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund, supported by the Government of Canada. The Foundation has been actively participating in the Fund since 2019 and is proud to be one of 25 local community foundations signed up to participate in the final cohort.
Through this final cohort, The Foundation will distribute $200,000, in addition to the $190,000 that was distributed through two previous cohorts. Eligible charities can apply for a grant between $5,000 and $40,000 from October 3 to October 31. For more information on this upcoming round of funding, click here.
“Being able to participate in this National program has allowed us to support local organizations whose work is grounded in building a just future, advancing women’s rights and gender equality and creating a better Oakville for everyone.”
–Mary Lui, Fund for Gender Equality – Former Review Committee Member
Through the Pilot Fund for Gender Equality, in 2020 The Foundation distributed $50,000 to five charitable organizations that were exploring ways to support leadership in the women’s movement and advance gender equality in all communities.
In 2021, The Foundation distributed $140,000 to seven local charities as part of the second cohort. In addition, The Foundation made a commitment to gender lens investing, with a $250,000 investment in the Ilu Women’s Empowerment Fund. This investment helps to promote women in leadership and governance, products and services that meet the needs of women and girls, gender-sensitive value chains, and workplace equity.
The charities funded span a variety of purposes, including efforts to pilot new initiatives, to address long-standing community needs, or to support a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To see the full list of charities funded through The Fund for Gender Equality, click here.
Women’s Giving Collective
The Women’s Giving Collective brings together a group of likeminded women who are interested in learning more about the community while giving back, benefitting from a unique sense of comradery.
By coming together to pool their dollars and their knowledge, the members of the Women’s Giving Collective are able to increase their charitable impact. They grant their pooled dollars with the goal of supporting their chosen priorities: education issues for women, support networks and mental health.
“I understand and strongly believe in the idea of women supporting women. Through the Women’s Giving Collective, we can help women be more empowered, more strategic, and achieve a more significant impact as a group than we might alone.”
~ Natalie Jamison, founding member, Women’s Giving Collective
Their first multi-year grant recipient was Heartache2Hope, a suicide-loss support charity that received a total of $16,500 over three years. The Collective has embarked on their second multi-year grant commitment with the Halton Youth Collective to support youth transitioning out of the care of the Halton Children’s Aid Society. Learn more about the Women’s Giving Collective here.
Next month, the Women’s Giving Collective will celebrate its fourth year with its annual Person’s Day Event. If you are interested in learning more about the Collective or attending the event, please contact Taline McPhedran at taline@theocf.org.
