London Community Foundation takes part in new Fund for Gender Equality

London Community Foundation Takes Part in New Fund for Gender Equality

London Community Foundation (LCF) announced today it will provide $140,000 to local organizations working to support women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse individuals working towards a future grounded in equity, inclusion and justice. The Fund is part of a partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, funded through the Government of Canada. London Community Foundation is one of the local community foundations across Canada that are taking part.

“To ensure just recovery and a more inclusive future, it is more pressing than ever to invest in women, girls, Two-Spirit people and gender-diverse people,” says Lori Runciman, LCF’s Director of Grants. “We’re pleased to be taking part in this funding initiative, while also looking at systems-level change through our investment and institutional policies.”

The Fund for Gender Equality is part of a five-year initiative to advance gender equality in Canada, led by a collaboration between participating community foundations, Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund, with support from the Government of Canada.

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the many existing inequities women face in our society today. From a lack of representation in political and decision-making positions to increasing wage gaps and economic inequalities and alarming rates of gender-based violence, to name a few of the issues, it’s clear that we have work to do to advance gender equality in communities across Canada.

“Women have been on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. They have also been sidelined and hit hardest by the pandemic. Our government is determined to protect the hard-won gains of the feminist movement and to build back better. We are applying an intersectional feminist response to our pandemic response, supporting the most vulnerable and investing in women entrepreneurs. This builds on our historic investments to support those on the frontlines of the fight for greater equality, including a six fold increase in funds for women’s and equality-seeking organizations since 2015 and dedicated funds to address and prevent gender based violence. We appreciate our partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, which is focused on strengthening the Women’s movement across the country.” - The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Women and Gender Equality

From November 3 to 30, 2020 London Community Foundation will accept applications for funding from organizations at the “heart” of the women’s movement, with a focus on organizations that have demonstrated a long-term commitment to empowering women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people through their mission, activities, or partnerships.

Grants can be used for a variety of purposes, including to pilot new initiatives, to address long-standing community needs, or to support a just recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. The initiatives themselves may touch on a wide range of areas that are affected by gender equality, including food insecurity, income inequality, racial injustice, domestic violence, and many more. In particular, the Fund will prioritize initiatives and organizations that are ‘self-led’—those that are led by the same groups that they focus on serving.

For example, last year LCF participated in the Pilot Fund for Gender Equality and funded two initiatives: Atlohsa Family Healing Centre for its Okaadenige Wellness Retreat for survivors of human trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse, and Anova for Opening the Circle, an initiative aimed at developing a leadership path with women survivors of gender-based violence using peer support.

“At Community Foundations of Canada, our purpose is to “relentlessly pursue a future where everyone belongs” said Andrea Dicks, Community Foundations of Canada President. “To create communities of true belonging, we need to advance gender equality across the country. Investing in women is not just the right thing to do, it is the strategic choice. By funding women-led and women-serving organizations, we can deliver double the impact—support decent work for female staff and support outstanding programming at community-led organizations that also serve women, girls, Two-Spirit people and gender-diverse people. We’re grateful for the financial support from the Government of Canada and the leadership of local community foundations like London Community Foundation who are taking part in these efforts.”

Applications will be reviewed in December and it is expected that funding will be issued in January 2021. To learn more visit: www.lcf.on.ca/equalityfund