Press Release: Women and Gender Equality Canada Invests in a Groundbreaking Board Equity Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Ontario Government Grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation Fuels Fora’s Long-Term Sustainability”
Pictured above, Fora’s 2023 Rise on Boards cohort during Young Director Training Day.
Toronto, November 1, 2024 – Fora: Network for Change is proud to announce it has received $1,542,537 in funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) under the Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund. This significant investment will support the scale out of Fora’s Rise on Boards initiative over a 19-month period, which began on September 6, 2024, running through until March 31, 2026.
The Equality on Boards project aims to eliminate systemic barriers that hinder diverse young women and gender-marginalized youth from accessing non-profit board positions and decision-making roles. By scaling out the Rise on Boards Project across Canada, particularly to northern, rural, remote, and Francophone official language minority communities (OLMCs), Fora will be working to build greater capacity for economic prosperity and leadership opportunities for underrepresented groups.
The project responds to a persistent issue in Canada: the glaring underrepresentation of diverse and gender-marginalized youth in leadership, including women and non-binary folk. According to Statistics Canada, women held only 19.2% of corporate board positions in 2019. A 2020 study by Toronto Metropolitan University further revealed that Black and racialized women accounted for only 2% and 10% of board members, respectively. Research consistently highlights the urgent need to dismantle these barriers, as leadership opportunities are often restricted to men and privileged groups.
“Our goal is to empower young feminists navigating gender-based discrimination to take on pivotal roles within organizations, but to also change the systems at the board level itself,” said Emma Asiedu-Akrofi. “Thanks to WAGE’s support, we can ensure more inclusive and equitable boards, which will be a huge part of driving systemic change and creating a sustained impact.”
This expansion of Fora’s work through the Equality on Boards project will include:
In-Depth Original Research and Influential Thought Leadership: The conducting of comprehensive studies to develop evidence-based strategies that address gender inequity on boards nationwide.
Board Equality Events and Workshops: Organizing training sessions across the country to foster supportive, inclusive environments for emerging leaders.
Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with provincial and federal non-profit networks to amplify the project’s reach and impact.
By embedding board equality resources into existing non-profit structures, thanks to this funding, Fora will be able to drive systems-level change to create pathways for young leaders to navigate these traditionally exclusive spaces. This initiative will not only train and empower young leaders and boards, but also foster a future where leadership at the board level reflects the diversity of Canada’s communities.
For more information on Rise on Boards and Fora’s mission to advance gender equity in leadership, please visit www.foranetwork.org/rise-on-boards
Media Contact:
Jen Vachon
Director of Programs & Advocacy
jen.vachon@foranetwork.org
Jenny Jay
Communications Manager
jenny.jay@foranetwork.org
This project has been funded through Women and Gender Equality Canada's Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund.
