Women taking action

A word from FGM – March 2023

Two years ago, the Foundation of Greater Montréal launched the Women’s Impact Montréal Collective Fund (WIM Fund), in collaboration with a group of women philanthropists taking action to support the well-being of women and girls in Greater Montreal. The WIM Fund’s objective is to better meet the needs of organizations that work to help and support them. In other words, the Fund aspires to practice philanthropy in a new way, so that it may truly serve women and girls. Indeed, the organizations that assist them – and especially the smaller ones – are far too often opverlooked by major funding bodies. As we announce the names of the organizations that will receive funding through the WIM fund’s second granting cycle (you can find them at the bottom of this post), this seems like just the right time to examine women and girls’ overall situation in Greater Montreal, and identify the ways in which we can support them.

FGM’s most recent report in the Vital Signs of Greater Montreal series, published last fall and devoted to women and girls, helps us draw several key conclusions. There has been some gains, especially in employment and income. That being said, too many women and girls in our community are still experiencing various forms of exclusion and inequality. Others face threats to their physical safety or their dignity. And it must be said that, on many levels, we are far from having achieved gender equality. That is most notably the case for women and girls who are also members of marginalized groups, or of groups that are still seeking equity. This is particularly true of migrants or immigrants, racialized individuals, individuals in the LGBTQ2S+ communities, youths and the elderly.

Taking action to build a more just community

Fortunately, remarkable women leaders are emerging, and taking on these problems. They come from all walks of life, and they deserve commensurate and stable support adapted to the diverse realities on the ground. On that score, the WIM Fund is an addition to the arsenal of powerful tools FGM is using to better meet the needs of all of Greater Montreal’s communities. It aims to support the education, the research, and the implementation of innovative and foundational solutions that are all needed to respond to the issues women and girls face. In the same spirit, FGM has also created the Collective Fund for Social Equity, and the Fund to Support Indigenous Initiatives.

In every sector of our community, more and more women’s voices are making themselves heard. That is certainly the case in the philanthropic sector, even though challenges remain. We still have far to go before women’s and girls’ perspectives and ways of doing things have their rightful place. A new study on volunteering in the business sector and women’s involvement in philanthropy, which will be published next week by the philanthropic consulting firm Épisode, will certainly shed light on the question. FGM will also, using every means at its disposal, continue to contribute to the movement and support women taking action.

Linda Tchombé
Director of Philanthropic Development
Foundation of Greater Montréal