Deadline: 30-Jun-2026
The Department of Family Services is seeking proposals for community-based projects that strengthen gender-based violence prevention, education, awareness, support, and response in Nunavut. The funding opportunity supports larger-scale initiatives that address the underlying causes of gender-based violence and improve outcomes for people affected by it.
The call is open for projects delivered during the 2026–2027 fiscal year under the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan. Proposed initiatives should promote prevention, transform harmful social norms, and support health, social, economic, and justice-related outcomes for individuals and communities impacted by gender-based violence.
What is this Funding Opportunity?
This funding opportunity supports community-based projects that prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Nunavut.
The Department of Family Services is accepting proposals for larger-scale initiatives that strengthen local organizations, community projects, education efforts, awareness activities, and support services.
The funding is provided under the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan.
Main Purpose of the Funding Call
The main purpose of the funding call is to support community-led action that prevents gender-based violence and improves support for people affected by it.
The program aims to:
- Prevent gender-based violence
- Support education and awareness
- Strengthen community-based response efforts
- Transform harmful social norms
- Address attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence
- Improve support for affected individuals
- Strengthen health, social, economic, and justice outcomes
- Address underlying causes of gender-based violence
- Support mitigation and response strategies
Geographic Focus
The funding call supports projects in Nunavut.
Applicants should propose initiatives that respond to community needs, local realities, and gender-based violence prevention priorities within Nunavut communities.
Project Period
The Department of Family Services is accepting proposals for the 2026–2027 fiscal year.
Applicants should prepare project timelines that fit within the fiscal year and clearly explain when activities will take place, who will be reached, and what outcomes are expected.
Key Focus Areas
The funding initiative focuses on preventing and responding to gender-based violence through community-based action.
Key focus areas include:
- Gender-based violence prevention
- Education
- Awareness
- Community support
- Social norm change
- Attitude and behaviour change
- Health outcomes
- Social outcomes
- Economic outcomes
- Justice outcomes
- Underlying causes of gender-based violence
- Prevention strategies
- Mitigation measures
- Response services
What Types of Projects Are Supported?
The program supports larger-scale community-based initiatives that strengthen prevention, education, awareness, and support.
Supported projects may include:
- Gender-based violence prevention programs
- Community education initiatives
- Awareness campaigns
- Survivor support activities
- Programs addressing harmful attitudes and behaviours
- Initiatives focused on social norm change
- Community-based response models
- Projects improving access to health, social, economic, or justice supports
- Prevention and mitigation strategies
- Local capacity-building projects for organizations responding to gender-based violence
Gender-Based Violence Prevention
Gender-based violence prevention focuses on stopping violence before it occurs.
Prevention projects may include education, community dialogue, outreach, training, awareness, leadership development, and initiatives that challenge harmful beliefs or behaviours.
Strong prevention projects should clearly explain how they will reduce risk factors and strengthen protective factors within communities.
Education and Awareness
Education and awareness activities should help individuals and communities better understand gender-based violence, its causes, its impacts, and ways to prevent it.
These activities may support:
- Public awareness
- Community conversations
- Training sessions
- Youth education
- Outreach materials
- Culturally relevant prevention messaging
- Knowledge-building for service providers or community members
Social Norms, Attitudes and Behaviour Change
The funding call emphasizes transforming social norms, attitudes, and behaviours that contribute to gender-based violence.
Projects should address harmful patterns such as:
- Normalization of violence
- Gender inequality
- Stigma toward survivors
- Silence around abuse
- Harmful power dynamics
- Barriers to help-seeking
- Community acceptance of controlling or abusive behaviour
Effective projects should promote respect, safety, equality, accountability, and community responsibility.
Support for People Affected by Gender-Based Violence
Projects should seek to improve outcomes for individuals impacted by gender-based violence.
Support may relate to:
- Health and wellness
- Safety planning
- Social support
- Economic stability
- Access to justice
- Community-based care
- Referral pathways
- Survivor-centred response
- Culturally appropriate support
Addressing Underlying Causes
Proposals should address the underlying causes of gender-based violence.
This may include work related to:
- Inequality
- Social exclusion
- Trauma
- Lack of community support
- Limited access to services
- Harmful attitudes and behaviours
- Economic vulnerability
- Barriers to justice
- Lack of awareness or prevention education
Projects should explain how activities will respond to root causes, not only immediate symptoms.
Key Concepts Explained
Gender-Based Violence
Gender-based violence refers to violence, harm, abuse, coercion, or control directed at a person because of their gender, gender identity, gender expression, or perceived gender role.
Prevention
Prevention means taking action to reduce the likelihood of gender-based violence before it happens.
Mitigation
Mitigation refers to actions that reduce harm, risk, or impact when gender-based violence occurs or when people are at risk.
Response
Response includes services, supports, actions, and systems that help people affected by gender-based violence access safety, care, justice, and recovery.
Social Norms
Social norms are shared beliefs and expectations about what behaviour is considered acceptable within a community.
Survivor-Centred Support
Survivor-centred support means prioritizing the safety, dignity, choices, needs, and rights of people affected by violence.
How the Funding Works
Eligible proposals should present community-based initiatives that align with gender-based violence prevention and response objectives.
Projects should clearly explain the problem being addressed, the community need, proposed activities, target participants, delivery approach, expected outcomes, and connection to the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan.
Selected projects will support local efforts to prevent violence, strengthen awareness, improve community support, and contribute to better outcomes for affected individuals.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a proposal that clearly shows how the project will prevent or respond to gender-based violence in Nunavut.
Suggested Application Steps
- Identify the gender-based violence issue or community need the project will address.
- Define the target community or population.
- Explain how the project will support prevention, education, awareness, mitigation, or response.
- Describe how activities will address harmful social norms, attitudes, or behaviours.
- Explain how the project will improve health, social, economic, or justice outcomes.
- Develop a clear project plan with activities, timeline, staffing, and delivery approach.
- Describe how the project reflects local community needs in Nunavut.
- Include expected outputs and measurable outcomes.
- Prepare a realistic project budget.
- Submit the proposal according to the Department of Family Services’ requirements.
Assessment Considerations
Proposals should demonstrate strong alignment with gender-based violence prevention and response priorities.
Applications may be assessed based on:
- Relevance to gender-based violence prevention
- Community need in Nunavut
- Strength of education or awareness approach
- Ability to address social norms, attitudes, and behaviours
- Focus on affected individuals and communities
- Potential to improve health, social, economic, or justice outcomes
- Clarity of prevention, mitigation, and response strategies
- Feasibility of the project plan
- Capacity to deliver community-based programming
- Expected measurable results
- Alignment with the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan
Expected Results
Funded projects should strengthen community-based prevention and response efforts in Nunavut.
Expected results may include:
- Increased awareness of gender-based violence
- Stronger prevention education
- Improved community support systems
- Changed attitudes and behaviours
- Greater understanding of healthy relationships and respect
- Better access to support for affected individuals
- Improved safety and wellbeing
- Stronger local organizational capacity
- Improved health, social, economic, or justice outcomes
- Better community-based response to gender-based violence
Why It Matters
Gender-based violence affects individuals, families, and communities and can have long-term health, social, economic, and justice-related impacts.
Community-based projects are important because they can respond to local needs, cultural contexts, service gaps, and lived experiences.
This funding opportunity helps Nunavut communities strengthen prevention, education, awareness, and support systems while addressing the root causes of gender-based violence.
Tips for Strong Proposals
A strong proposal should clearly explain the community need and the practical change the project will create.
Applicants should focus on:
- Clear gender-based violence prevention goal
- Strong community-based approach
- Practical education or awareness activities
- Survivor-centred and trauma-informed support
- Clear link to social norm change
- Measurable outcomes
- Strong implementation plan
- Realistic timeline
- Relevant partnerships where appropriate
- Clear strategy for prevention, mitigation, and response
- Strong connection to Nunavut community needs
Applicants should avoid vague proposals and clearly explain what activities will be delivered, who will benefit, and how the project will reduce gender-based violence or improve support.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should carefully align their proposals with the objectives of the funding call.
Common mistakes include:
- Not clearly focusing on gender-based violence
- Providing only general awareness without prevention or response strategy
- Not addressing underlying causes
- Failing to explain how social norms or behaviours will be changed
- Not identifying target participants or communities
- Providing unclear project activities
- Not explaining expected health, social, economic, or justice outcomes
- Submitting an unrealistic timeline
- Providing an unclear budget
- Not showing how the project fits the 2026–2027 fiscal year
- Ignoring local community context in Nunavut
FAQ
What is this funding call about?
It supports community-based projects that prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Nunavut.
Who is offering the funding?
The Department of Family Services is accepting proposals for this funding opportunity.
What fiscal year does the funding cover?
The funding call is for projects delivered during the 2026–2027 fiscal year.
What areas does the program focus on?
The program focuses on gender-based violence prevention, education, awareness, support, social norm change, behaviour change, and improved health, social, economic, and justice outcomes.
What types of projects may be supported?
Supported projects may include prevention programs, awareness campaigns, education initiatives, support services, community response models, and projects that address the underlying causes of gender-based violence.
What should proposals demonstrate?
Proposals should show a clear approach to prevention, education, support, social norm change, mitigation, response, and improved outcomes for people affected by gender-based violence.
Is this connected to a national initiative?
Yes. The funding opportunity is provided under the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan.
Conclusion
The Department of Family Services funding call supports community-based projects that prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Nunavut during the 2026–2027 fiscal year. The initiative focuses on prevention, education, awareness, support, social norm change, and improved health, social, economic, and justice outcomes for people affected by gender-based violence.
Strong proposals will demonstrate clear community need, practical prevention and response strategies, measurable outcomes, local relevance, and a strong commitment to addressing the underlying causes of gender-based violence in Nunavut.
For more information, visit Government of Nunavut.