New research shows women’s organizations need more core funding for advocacy

OTTAWA, March 8, 2019 – Recent research conducted by the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW-ICREF) found that most Canadian women’s organizations want to do more advocacy work but are prevented by inadequate resources and uncertain funding. Today, on International Women’s Day, CRIAW-ICREF has released these preliminary findings in their Fact Sheet: Women’s Organizations’ Capacity for Action.

“This International Women’s Day we want to call attention to the importance of advocacy for women. Women’s reproductive rights, employment rights, funding for social services, policies and legislation that support women are the result of advocacy — concerted, collective efforts to make systemic change” said CRIAW-ICREF’s Executive Director, Jackie Neapole.

“CRIAW’s national survey shows how inadequate, unstable funding for women’s organizations hurts all women. Women’s organizations could, and want to, do more to improve services and conditions for all women, to change discriminatory policies and programs for women, to educate, to make legal reforms and to make systemic change.”

CRIAW President Amber Fletcher noted that “Most women’s organizations said they want to do more advocacy but can’t because they have only a few, if any, paid staff. Staff struggle to meet women’s needs and have to let some issues go, like advocating for improvements. Inadequate funding and insufficient human resources were identified as major barriers to their work.”

“The survey also shows how important government funding is for women’s organizations. This International Women’s Day we call on governments to increase funding for services that women rely on and to provide long-term, stable, core funding to the women’s organizations across the country that strive to improve women’s lives.”

For more information about CRIAW’s national survey of women’s organizations please contact: Jackie Neapole, CRIAW Executive Director, Ottawa, 613- 422-2188
Amber Fletcher, CRIAW President & Associate Professor at University of Regina 306-502-0115