Canadian Council of Muslim Women Receives Funding from the Government of Canada

Written by Department for Women and Gender Equality

Published in News

Women's organizations provide essential services to our communities, supporting women and girls to be financially secure, free from violence, and able to fully participate in all aspects of our economy and society. Yet for far too long they have been chronically underfunded, underestimated and undermined.

The Government of Canada recognizes that women's organizations are the lifeblood of the women's movement and that maintaining and growing their ability to do this important work is the most effective way to advance gender equality.

That's why on International Women's Day, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality together with the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and Member of Parliament for York South–Weston, announced that the government will invest in over 250 projects from women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women across Canada under the Capacity-building Fund. The fund stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada.

The announcement was made at the Daniels Spectrum Artscape on March 8, 2019.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women will receive $761,720 for "Strengthening Capacity to empower Muslim Women and Girls", which will increase the organization's ability to apply the gender and diversity lens known as Gender-based Analysis Plus to their services. This will help the organization better identify the interconnecting challenges faced by Canadian Muslim women, and ultimately be better advocates for fair and equitable policies, programs, and services affecting Muslim women and girls.

The project will increase the organization's ability to apply the gender and diversity lens known as Gender-based Analysis Plus to their services. This will help the organization better identify the intersecting challenges faced by Canadian Muslim women, and ultimately be better advocates for fair and equitable policies, programs, and services affecting Muslim women and girls.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) is a not-for-profit organization that works to provide equity, equality and empowerment for all Canadian Muslim women. For the past 30 years, its proud and accomplished members have achieved and continue to achieve great milestones for Muslim women and Canada's multicultural landscape. As a highly diverse organization, the CCMW is firmly committed to the overarching vision of improving the status of Muslim women to remain true to their Islamic heritage and Canadian identity.

The funding stems from a call for proposals announced by Minister Monsef in October 2018.

Minister Maryam Monsef stated "On International Women's Day, we celebrate the women and women's organizations breaking through barriers, and express our gratitude to those who have been doing this work for decades on little more than a shoestring budget. The women's movement across Canada has been asking for a reliable, predictable and accessible source of funds to ensure the sustainability of their work. Our government listened. With this stable and flexible funding we are helping them scale up so they can grow and endure, because we know that investing in women's organizations is the most effective way to advance gender equality. By supporting a movement that has achieved amazing results, we are growing the middle class, strengthening families and communities, and creating lasting change that benefits everyone.

Nuzhat Jafri, the Executive Director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women stated "It's our mission to support Canadian Muslim women and promote an understanding of our lived experiences through community engagement, research, public policy, and positive change. We are honoured to be receiving this federal support to sustain our efforts. It is especially special to us that the announcement today was made by Canada's first Muslim federal Cabinet Minister."

https://twitter.com/MaryamMonsef/status/1104127015274377221

https://twitter.com/Women_Canada/status/1104051698073509888

Department for Women and Gender Equality

The objective of the Women's Program is to achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada. Funding is provided to eligible organizations in support of projects at the local, regional 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

Funding is available for time-specific projects of 36 months or less that address barriers to women's participation and equality in Canadian society. Eligible organizations and activities are determined by the Women's Program's funding criteria. Funding is not provided for ongoing activities, such as an organization's operations and administration. Also, as available funds are limited, not all qualified applicants may receive funding.