Questions and answers

What is the Women’s Program (WP)?

The Women’s Program is the main program through which Status of Women Canada (SWC) makes strategic investments in initiatives with eligible organizations in support of projects at the local, provincial/territorial and national levels that address the following three priority areas:

• Ending violence against women and girls
• Improving women's and girls' economic security and prosperity
• Encouraging women and girls in leadership and decision-making roles

What is the Capacity-building Fund?

Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to the Women’s Program to support more initiatives that build the capacity of equality-seeking organizations, reduce gender inequality in Canada, and promote a fairer and more productive society. This investment will increase organizational and sector capacity on a needs basis, allowing organizations to participate in ongoing training, skills development and community engagement. This investment will also ensure better funding for organizations focused on vulnerable women, including groups such as Indigenous women, women with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2 communities, and newcomer and migrant women.

What is the Capacity-building call for proposals?

The objective of this CFP is to fund proposals that will increase the capacity of eligible women’s organizations and Indigenous organizations whose initiatives contribute to a viable women’s movement in Canada to effectively advance gender equality. Funding will enhance organizational capacity and help organizations to work collectively to advance gender equality issues.

Who is eligible to apply for funding under this call for proposals?

Under this CFP, organizations eligible for funding must be legally constituted not-for-profit organizations in Canada, and must be:

• women’s organizations whose primary objective is to advance gender equality for women in Canada; or,
• Indigenous organizations whose work has a significant focus on advancing gender equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

What is a women’s organization?

For the purpose of this CFP, a women’s organization is a legally constituted not-for-profit organization that has as its primary mandate and objectives to promote equality for women in Canadian society. This includes organizations advocating for women’s equality and promoting broader societal awareness, engagement and action on advancing gender equality.

What is an Indigenous organization?

For the purpose of this CFP, an Indigenous organization is a legally constituted not-for-profit organization that represents First Nations, Inuit, and/or Métis interests and is controlled by members of the population it serves.

Under this CFP, eligible Indigenous organizations are:

• legally constituted not-for-profit organizations in Canada, and
• Indigenous organizations whose work has a significant focus on advancing gender equality for Indigenous women in Canada.

What types of project costs are eligible for funding under the Capacity-building call for proposals?

All proposed costs should be incremental and essential to the implementation of this specific project, such as salaries and professional fees. Other costs that may be eligible for reimbursement can be found in the Applicant Guide.

SWC reserves the right to make the final determination on the value of funding and to exclude expenditures deemed to be ineligible, not necessary for achieving expected results, or outside the scope of the project.

What costs are ineligible?

Ineligible expenditures under the Capacity-building call for proposals include, but are not limited to:

• Capital expenditures, such as land, buildings, vehicles and other major capital costs, with the exception of computer equipment such as desktops, portables, and small peripherals required to carry out the project;
• Salaries, allowances, and benefits for members of a board of directors or other decision-making body;
• Canada Revenue Agency or payroll penalties;
• Budget deficits, debt reduction, organizational reserves or endowment funds; and
• Costs incurred before a funding decision is made.

How do I know if my application has been received?

All applicants will receive a system-generated email confirming that their application has been received. Please check your email spam folder if you do not receive the notification after completing the submission, as it might have been classified as spam by your email server.

If you do not receive an email notification within 24 hours of submitting your application please contact Support Help Services.

How are funding decisions made?

All applications are screened for eligibility and only those that meet all eligibility criteria are further assessed. Applications are then reviewed and rated based on the criteria outlined in the Applicant Guide.

The Minister of Status of Women makes all funding decisions. Decisions are final and there is no appeal process.