This International Women’s Day, TNC would like to spotlight one of our partners, Capacity Canada, an organization dedicated to strengthening the nonprofit sector across the country. Since 2009, Capacity Canada has worked alongside nonprofits to help organizations grow their leadership, strengthen governance, and explore new approaches to meeting the needs of their communities.
TNC has had the pleasure of collaborating with Capacity Canada on the Open Hearth project, a three-year initiative focused on advancing women’s leadership in the nonprofit sector. Open Hearth works to increase the presence of underrepresented women, including Indigenous women, women living with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, newcomers, Black, racialized, and migrant women, and non-binary individuals in leadership and decision-making roles. The project is currently implementing two initiatives – a Women’s Mentorship Network, and a Culture of Belonging Framework for nonprofit organizations. Building on insights from the Makeover Project, the initiative was co-designed with women from underrepresented communities to help break down barriers and expand pathways to leadership within nonprofit organizations. Currently, the project is being delivered across three regions: Waterloo Region, ON, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Calgary, AB.
Katelyn and Sarah particularly appreciate working with Capacity Canada’s team because of their constant desire to learn from evaluation findings and center participant feedback in future design.
We are excited to be part of this important work and to support initiatives that strengthen equity and leadership in the sector. Projects like Open Hearth help create the conditions for more diverse voices to shape the future of nonprofit leadership.
If you are interested in learning more about the Open Hearth project or exploring cohorts in your area, you can find more information here:
https://capacitycanada.ca/open-hearth/