Fund for Gender Equality

$320,000 distributed locally to support organizations serving girls, women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people at the heart of the women’s movement.

What is this fund supporting?

This fund is supporting organizations whose core activities, leadership, mission and vision are committed to advancing gender equality. Local grants will empower women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals through projects and programs that include health-related services, peer support, food security and the arts.

The Victoria Foundation is proud to be one of the participating community foundations across Canada taking part in the Fund for Gender Equality in Canada. This program is a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund which is supported by the Government of Canada. In 2022, the Fund was hosted by participating community foundations who made a total of $3.4M available to projects in their communities across Canada.

2023 Fund for Gender Equality Recipients

Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness – Finding Our Strength: Empowering Marginalized Indigenous Women through Culture, Life Skills Development & Employment Readiness
Birthing Families Foundation – Community Doula Connection Program
Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria – The Circle
Island Sexual Health Community Health Centre – Expansion of Island Sexual Health’s Gender-Affirming Apparel Program
Peers Victoria Resources Society + Victoria Sexual Assault Centre – Outreach and Online Communications
Puente Theatre Society – Bridging the Gap Residency for Indigenous, Black People of Colour Female and Gender-diverse Playwrights: Year 2
The Cridge Centre for the Family – Supporting Mental Health and Well-being in Women
University of Victoria + Rainbow Health Cooperative – 3 Mothers Medicine Camps
Victoria Restorative Justice Society – Strengthening Capacity: Restorative and Transformative Justice Services for Cases of Sexual Harm
Victoria Women’s Transition House Society – Food Security Project
VIDEA a BC-Based International Development Education Association – Kinship of the Travelling Ribbon Skirt

Fund for Gender Equality 2021 & 2022

Through this Fund, in 2021 and 2022, the Victoria Foundation delivered $300,000 locally to support a wide range of organizations in this critical work to advance gender equality. See the list of recipients.

Communities for Gender Equality Grant Timeline

October 3 to 31^st – grant application portal open
November/December – applications reviewed, decisions made and communicated to all applicants
November 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024 – funded projects take place
January/February 2023 – first installment of 25% of total amount to successful applicants
March 31, 2023 – deadline for spending first installment
April 3, 2023 – interim report due date
May/June 2023 – second installment of 75% of total amount to successful applicants
March 31, 2024 – deadline to spend all grant amounts
April 5, 2024 – final report due date

We believe that to create communities of true belonging, we need to advance gender equality across the country. By participating in the Fund for Gender Equality, we and other participating foundations are also committing to a number of other actions, including an examination of our own organizational and investment practices for women. By catalyzing the community foundation movement and the thousands of Canadians we connect with each day, we believe we can do more than just foster gender equality. We have an opportunity to begin removing the long-standing barriers to it.

To learn more about the collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada, the Equality Fund, visit the CFC website.

The Fund for Gender Equality is supported by a collaboration between Victoria Foundation, Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund, with support from the Government of Canada.