This week, 11 Victoria-based organizations leading initiatives in support of gender equality have been awarded grants to support women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals.
In a collaboration between Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund, the organizations will receive grants totalling over $320,000.
The 11 initiatives receiving support this year include:
- 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
The Victoria Foundation is one of 21 community foundations from across Canada taking part in the program, granting over $3.4M towards the gender equality movement.
This funding from these grants will go towards efforts to pilot new initiatives, address long-standing community needs and support a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Community organizations led by and dedicated to supporting women, girls, gender-diverse and
Two-Spirit individuals are at the centre of the movement toward gender equality and equity,” said Andrea Dicks, Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) President.
“While this can feel daunting at times, these organizations demonstrate tenacity, resiliency and hope as they shift power,” said Dicks.
Among the local initiatives supported by the Fund for Gender Equality are programs and projects that deal with food insecurity among women fleeing domestic violence, racial injustice, alternative forms of justice for sexualized violence victims, mental health and wellness support for transgender people.
The first round of the Fund for Gender Equality was hosted between May and November of 2020 and distributed a total of $3.4M to projects in local communities across Canada.
