CWCF’s Racial Justice Project Grant fund was established in 2022, as a part of the Racial Justice Action Plan drafted by CWCF’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization & Inclusion (JEDDI) Committee. This Action Plan has the long-term objective of a worker co-operative movement in Canada which is racially diverse, inclusive, and just. This granting pool is allocated to projects led by individuals who are Black, Indigenous or other People of Colour (BIPOC), or by groups which are majority BIPOC. Projects must support racial justice in the worker co-op sector in Canada via promotion, development and/or education initiatives.
CWCF has decided to award the following grants for the fund’s winter 2023 intake:
- $2,000 to Transform Practice for a facilitated workshop on African and Indigenous approaches to leadership
- $2,000 to Union Cooperative Initiative to create and deliver an educational training module on the history of cooperative and collective economic forms among Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island with a focus on the area today known as Canada
- $2,000 to Libra Knowledge & Information Services Co-operative to set up a language and orientation programme for newcomers focusing on fair employment, worker co-op jobs, and related social economy opportunities
- $4,000 (over two years) to Whole Woman Network to convert Whole Woman Network, a BIPOC-led/owned enterprise, into a formal worker cooperative
Congratulations to the recipients! Watch for details on the fall 2023 intake in the coming months.