Overview
Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) works to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada's economic, social, and political life.
There are two call for proposals.
Call for proposals 1: Women's Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund (Systemic Change)
Women in Canada are more likely than men to have post-secondary education. They are participating in the labour market in record numbers in recent months. However, gaps and barriers remain. These include the impact of poverty on women and the continuing gender pay gap. Family care and other unpaid domestic labour are not shared equally. Women do not have equal access to jobs in higher paying sectors such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Inflation and the rising cost of living further weaken women's economic security and prosperity. Although more women have become leaders in some sectors, progress is slow. Barriers to women include:
- harassment
- discrimination
- limited access to mentors and networks
- lack of flexible work arrangements
This call for proposals will support projects that seek to change these conditions. Since diverse women face multiple barriers, we will focus on projects that address this complexity.
Call 1: Systemic change: The objective is to address barriers to women's success. Projects can work to change systems to improve women's economic security and prosperity. They can also work to increase women's representation as leaders and decision-makers through changes to systems. The department will support projects under the following two streams:
- Stream A: for new systemic change projects
- Stream B: to scale successful systemic change projects to expand their reach and impact
Call for proposals 2: Women's Capacity Fund (Capacity-Building)
A viable women's movement in Canada is one that includes a diverse range of organizations and perspectives. Some women's organizations continue to face challenges, particularly those who work with diverse women. Activities that build the capacity of these organizations will help them support women in the future.
This call for proposals will support women's and Indigenous women's organizations. We will give priority to projects proposed by those that have never received WAGE capacity-building funding.
Call 2: Capacity-building: The objective is to build the long-term capacity of women's and Indigenous women's organizations.
Note: You can only submit one application for these calls for proposals.
What is systemic change?
A system is a way of thinking about and making sense of the world. Present-day systems create gender inequality and reinforce it. Systems have various parts, but for this call for proposals, we will focus on the following elements:
- gender norms and attitudes
- authority, voices at the table, and decision-making power
- networks
- resources
- policies and practices
Systemic change refers to changing one or more of the above elements. The goal of the change is to allow women and girls to fully take part in the economic, social, democratic, and political life of Canada.
What is capacity-building?
Activities that build capacity are those that increase an organization's ability to reach its goals. They can improve the way an organization works, how it builds knowledge, and how it collaborates. They also often improve the potential for an organization to be sustainable.
Note: You can only apply to one call for proposals and one stream. This means that you can only apply once.
Deadline: November 3, 2023, at 12:00 pm (noon) Pacific time
For more information visit: Open calls for proposals: About these calls for proposals - Women and Gender Equality Canada
