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$135K in funding available in central Alberta for charities advancing gender equality

The Red Deer & District Community Foundation is providing $135,000 to local organizations working to support women, girls and gender-diverse individuals in an effort to develop a future grounded in equity, inclusion and justice.
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The Red Deer & District Community Foundation is providing $135,000 to local organizations working to support women, girls and gender-diverse individuals in an effort to develop 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. The Red Deer & District Community Foundation is one of 25 agencies across Canada that are taking part.

“Over the last 13 years, our foundation has been at the forefront of the gender equality conversation, as demonstrated with our Women of Excellence Gala,” said executive director Erin Peden.

“Even still, our communities continue to be faced with increasing wage gaps, economic inequalities, and alarming rates of gender-based violence, to name a few of the issues. Our foundation is committed to working towards advancing gender equality in central Alberta and across Canada.”

Peden said to ensure a just recovery from the effects of COVID-19, and for a more inclusive future, it is more pressing that ever to invest in women, girls and gender-diverse people.

“We’re pleased to be taking part in this funding initiative, while also looking at systems-level changes through our investment and institutional policies. We are as committed to creating impact internally at the foundation governance and administrative levels, as we are throughout our district.”

The Fund for Gender Equality is part of a five-year initiative to advance gender equality in Canada.

Women have been on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, says Maryam Monsef, minister of women and gender equality, adding 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.

From Nov. 3 to 30, the Red Deer & District Community Foundation will be accepting 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 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.

Charities and community organizations can visit the foundation website for eligibility and application details.



mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com

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