Canada: Community Needs Grants 2023

Deadline: 26-Jan-23

The Canadian Women’s Foundation is now accepting proposals for the Community Needs Grants to provide short-term support for organizations doing gender justice work, with a focus on smaller grassroots organizations, to meet a range of immediate needs.

The aim of the Community Needs Grants is to provide short-term support for organizations doing gender justice work, with a focus on smaller grassroots organizations, to meet a range of immediate needs.

Funding Pillars

The proposed funding will support your organization’s ability to provide programs, services and/or advocacy initiatives, either directly through funding program or service costs, or indirectly through funding core operational costs, that align with one or more of the Foundation’s funding pillars:

• Gender-Based Violence: Organizations that support women, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people, and their children, who have experienced violence or that work towards violence prevention with teens of all genders.
• Economic Security: Organizations that aim to improve employability and economic possibilities for women, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people living with low incomes, or who are unemployed or underemployed. Proposals for programs or services solely aimed at poverty alleviation or providing direct financial support will not be considered.
• Girls’ Empowerment: Organizations that support girls, Two Spirit, trans, and nonbinary youth aged 9-13 years through regular group activities, in girls-only settings, that empower and build a sense of belonging among participants.

Funding Information

• Approximately 25 grants of up to $20,000 each will be allocated in 2023.

What they fund?

• The Community Needs Grants can fund a range of costs from supporting direct program and service delivery costs, to undertaking timely policy or advocacy initiatives, to supporting organizational capacity-building or professional development, to building networks, and/or for operational and administrative expenses.
  • Gender-based violence
    • Housing or shelter and wraparound supports provided to women who have experienced violence, and their children.
    • Crisis counselling, support and information services or lines, systems navigation, and case management for survivors of gender-based violence, including physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, financial, spiritual, and harassment or stalking.
    • Outreach services, participant-led support groups, and other programs or supports to survivors of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace and on campus.
    • Legal information, court support, or other navigation programs for those involved in family, criminal, other justice systems resulting from gender-based violence.
    • Healthy relationships programs for teens of all genders that work to prevent genderbased violence.
    • Support to children who have experienced or witnessed gender-based violence or for parenting children who have witnessed gender-based violence/abuse.
    • Organizations providing supports by and for sex workers who have faced or are at high risk of experiencing gender-based violence.
    • Projects using other approaches to support survivors of gender-based violence or aimed at violence prevention.
    • Sectoral resource sharing, capacity building or training opportunities, and knowledge mobilization by regional, provincial, or national groups.
    • Policy work/leadership on gender-based violence that actively involves survivors.
    • Advocacy that aims to address systemic barriers for survivors of violence.
    • Education and action on gender-based violence involving First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, Black, 2SLGBTQI+ and survivors living with disabilities.
    • Additional staff or other operational and/or administrative support for organizations working to address gender-based violence.
  • Economic development
    • The Foundation will not consider programs or services solely aimed poverty alleviation measures or direct financial support.
    • Workplace navigation and inclusion programs providing workplace readiness support, including within a social enterprise setting.
    • Trades and technology programs that develop opportunities for participants to enter work in the areas of skilled trades and technology, including job-readiness, placements, and apprenticeship programs.
    • Self-employment training and business accelerator programs that provide one-on-one coaching, financial management training, business goal setting, and/or customized marketing and sales training.
    • Sectoral resource sharing, capacity building or training opportunities, and knowledge mobilization by regional, provincial, or national groups.
    • Policy work/leadership on feminist economic development or economic recovery.
    • Advocacy that aims to address systemic barriers to employment for low-income First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, Black, 2SLGBTQI+ and women, girls, Two-Spirit, trans, and non-binary people living with disabilities.
    • Additional staff or other operational and/or administrative support for organizations working to address feminist economic development or economic recovery.
  • Girls’ empowerment
    • Programs or services applying for funding under this pillar must be aimed at participants aged 9-13 years.
    • Regular programming in schools or community settings that enhance protective factors for girls, such as connectedness, confidence, and critical thinking skills using one of the following approaches:
      • Science, technology, arts, engineering, and math (STEAM);
      • Social and/or environmental justice;
      • Indigenous culture and teaching;
      • Physical literacy and sports;
      • Leadership and empowerment;
      • Media literacy.
    • Group mentorship programs or services that engage older students/youth, adults, and/or Elders.
    • Capacity-building with girl-serving organizations through formal networks that focus on one of the following populations or issue areas:
      • Northern, rural, or remote communities;
      • Girls with disabilities;
      • Gender diversity;
      • Mental health;
      • One of the approaches or topics named above.
    • Additional staff or other operational and/or administrative support for organizations working to address girls’ empowerment.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be incorporated non-profit organizations and have a valid charitable number or be a First Nations Band designated as a qualified donee by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
• If your organization does not have charitable status or is not a qualified donee, they can consider an application in partnership with another organization that is a registered charity or qualified donee with a mandate relevant to your proposal.
• Gender-based programming, services, and/or advocacy are core or central to your organization’s mission AND you have significant experience working with/for women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people who face multiple barriers and are underserved, including:
  • First Nations, Métis, and Inuit
  • Black
  • 2SLGBTQI+
  • With disabilities
  • Living in rural, remote, or northern communities
  • Racialized
  • Refugee, immigrant, or non-status
  • Living on low incomes
  • Older/Seniors
  • Youth
• Your organization is grassroots with a small budget (defined as organizations with an operating budget of less than $1 million per year OR shelters/transitional housing with an operating budget of less than $2 million per year).
• Note: Larger organizations (ex. Band Councils, shared platforms, or hamlets, etc.) may present an application on behalf of a non-profit organization without charitable or qualified donee status.

For more information, visit Canadian Women’s Foundation.