Apply for an FCM Canadian Women in Local Leadership Project Grant

The AUMA is proud to participate in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ (FCM’s) Canadian Women in Local Leadership (CanWILL) project, which aims to:  

• Strengthen the capacity of women, particularly diverse women, to run for elected office,   
• Create a more conducive context for women leaders to thrive,   
• Enhance the capacity of municipal stakeholders to address gender-based violence and harassment, and  
• Mobilize knowledge and share best practices across municipalities . 

CanWILL is implemented in partnership with FCM’s membership, provincial and territorial associations (PTAs), including AUMA, and key national partners and local stakeholders. It is funded by the federal government through Women and Gender Equality Canada.  

FCM is now accepting the first round of applications for the Innovative Community Initiatives (ICI) fund, which is a component of the CanWILL project. Between 20 and 25 ICI projects with an individual value of between $5,000 and $10,000 will be funded through two rounds of applications. In the first round, FCM will select 10-to-12 initiatives that will begin by March 2022. The application deadline for municipalities is Nov. 5, 2021. 

These ICI projects will serve to strengthen the capacity of communities to support women in running for, or remaining in, leadership positions. Local governments will need to partner with community groups that work to support and engage women and under-represented groups in local politics. FCM will prioritize initiatives intended to serve under-represented women, including Indigenous, Black and other racialized women, youth, and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

For more information, or to apply, please visit FCM’s CanWILL webpage. If you have questions about the ICI fund, please contact FCM at women [at] fcm.ca (women[at]fcm[dot]ca).