Ottawa – Through an open call for proposals in January 2022, the Supporting Indigenous Women’s and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Organizations program provides contribution funding for projects within Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations that will support meaningful systemic change in Canada and advance grassroots voices and the priorities of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ people at all levels of government.
In January 2022, the Government of Canada launched a call for proposals, through which 17 projects were selected to receive funding via single and/or multi-year agreements, and in December 2022, an additional 11 projects supporting Indigenous women’s organizations were selected through a targeted call for proposals. In summer 2023, funding to support 2SLGBTQI+ organizations will be announced.
Between 2021 and 2026, the Government of Canada will have provided over $33 million for projects, with over $8 million in ongoing funding set aside to allow stable and longer-term project funding to support Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations. This program partially responds to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Call for Justice 1.8, which calls upon governments to support national, regional, and local Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.
Funded projects
Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak / Women of the Métis Nation
Project: Métis-Specific Knowledge Gathering Strategy and Implementation Plan
Funding: $100,000.00
Location: National
Project Description: Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak will complete a detailed “Métis Women and Gender-Diverse People’s Knowledge Gathering Strategy.” This strategy will be the first-ever assertion of principles required to implement, engage, collect, preserve, retain, and transfer data about Métis women and gender-diverse people. It will also establish guidelines on the analysis and use of this data from a distinctions-based, gender-focused perspective.
Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak / Women of the Métis Nation
Project: Métis-Specific Women’s Economic Development Environmental Analysis
Funding: $100,000.00
Location: National
Project Description: Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak will undertake an environmental analysis to assess existing resources and opportunities for Métis women entrepreneurs to inform the development of a Métis women’s specific economic development strategy and the advancement of economic reconciliation.
Native Women’s Association of the NWT
Project: Community Voices
Funding: $803,217.50
Location: Northwest Territories
Project Description: As part of a four-year project, the Native Women’s Association of the NWT plans to create formal partnerships and expand their network with 2SLGBTQQIA+, Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations. Through the project, the organization will engage the seven regions of the NWT to raise awareness about the issues facing their community and provide grassroots solutions.
Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society
Project: Data Governance Project
Funding: $105,000.00
Location: Yukon
Project Description: The Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society (LAWS) will have greater ownership, control, access, and possession of its data by using a multi-pronged approach to data governance and aligning its data systems to better support the organization and enhance its capacity.
British Columbia Native Women’s Association
Project: Symposium – Indigenous Women’s Voices
Funding: $75,000.00
Location: British Columbia
Project Description: This project aims to bring Indigenous women together from around British Columbia for an engagement session on priorities, collective solutions and tools to inform policies, programs and legislation. The goal is to strengthen their provincial network and create a space that supports Indigenous women using their collective voices to create change.
Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
Project: Alberta Indigenous Women and 2S+ People Environmental Scan: Gap Analysis Report and Data Collection
Funding: $120,175.00
Location: Alberta
Project Description: Through this project, the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women will conduct engagement, research and strategic analysis to determine the gaps and needs of Indigenous women and their families in First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Indigenous communities across Alberta.
Project: Supporting Indigenous Voices through Data Collection
Funding: $106,000.00
Location: Manitoba
Project Description: The project Supporting Indigenous Voices will allow Manitoba Moon Voices Inc. (MMVI) to implement a data strategy that will identify the unmet needs and gaps in support for Indigenous women in Manitoba. This will enable targeted action and investment to help address the outstanding Calls to Justice and Calls to Action by providing Indigenous-led organizations with the data needed to assess gaps and advocate for systemic change. This project will help MMVI support the drive toward reconciliation and increased safety for Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals.
Project: Enhancing Engagement, Consultation and Advocacy Capacity to Support Red River Métis Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Individuals
Funding: $390,211.11
Location: Manitoba
Project Description: This project aims to improve the engagement, consultation, and advocacy of Infinity Women Secretariat, thereby promoting and advancing the equality of Red River Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in their social, economic, and political life. The project will expand partnerships and advance research and analysis of existing government policies, programs, legislations, regulations and services. It will also collaborate with all levels of government to advocate for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals’ priorities and perspectives. This project will help improve the organization’s capabilities to successfully access, implement, and evaluate funding opportunities. Il will also develop proposals and create position and research papers through relationship-building across all levels of government.
Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)
Project: ONWA Community Mapping Project
Funding: $150,000.00
Location: Ontario
Project Description: Through this project, ONWA will support the undertaking of an environmental scan across the province of Ontario to identify gaps in services, programming, support, needs, and challenges for Indigenous communities in Ontario. The environmental scan will support the identification of programs and work being done in relation to MMIWG, TRC, and Reconciliation with the ONWA Indigenous Women Report.
Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association
Project: Nova Scotia Indigenous Gap Analysis Report and Data Collection
Funding: $147,600.00
Location: Nova Scotia
Project Description: This project is to undertake a gap analysis and data collection project targeted at Indigenous women and communities in Nova Scotia. This project will conduct engagement, research, and strategic analysis to determine the gaps and needs of Indigenous women and communities in Nova Scotia and conclude with a public presentation on the project findings to community, provincial, and GOC partners.
Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network (NAWN) / Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities (EIWFSC)
Project: Building healthy communities, strong community ties and strengthening future relationships through data strategy
Funding: $427,845.08
Location: Newfoundland
Project Description: This is a joint project between the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network and Empowering Indigenous Women for Stronger Communities to support a data strategy. The project will support networking with Indigenous communities and organizations with a particular focus on the Labrador Region to create an Indigenous-led data collection policy and supporting data infrastructure to identify community-based knowledge, existing programs/services, and community gaps, to support funding opportunities and consultation on MMIWG TRC and other issues deemed critical to Indigenous communities in Newfoundland and Labrador.