Ottawa Allocates $100 Million to Expand Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب
Canada’s federal government has announced a $100-million investment in projects designed to remove barriers preventing women from accessing leadership positions and higher-paying economic opportunities.
The funding is being offered through the 2026 Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund. It will support initiatives that increase women’s representation in decision-making roles and improve participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, skilled trades and other traditionally male-dominated sectors. Projects may also address women’s opportunities in an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.
The initiative does not provide direct grants to individual women or business owners. Applications are limited to legally constituted Canadian nonprofit organizations with demonstrated experience advancing equality for women. Women’s organizations and Indigenous women’s organizations will receive priority consideration.
The fund is intended to produce systemic change rather than finance stand-alone employment services or short-term training programs. Eligible projects could work to reform workplace policies, improve hiring and promotion practices, expand women’s influence in decision-making and address institutional attitudes that restrict women’s advancement.
Organizations may apply for up to $625,000 for locally focused projects, $1 million for regional, provincial or territorial initiatives, and $1.4 million for projects with a pan-Canadian reach. Projects may run for up to 60 months and should begin no earlier than November 2026.
The assessment criteria may also give consideration to proposals addressing gaps affecting newcomers and migrants, racialized women, women with disabilities, low-income women and those living in rural, remote or northern communities. The criteria do not guarantee that a specific portion of the funding will be reserved for any individual group.
Applications must be submitted by noon Pacific time on September 15, 2026. The new call builds on a 2023 fund that supported approximately 170 projects focused on women’s economic security and prosperity.
