Fora: Network for Change

Published purpose

Through this 31-month systemic change project, Fora: Network for Change will scale the reach and impact of the Rise on Boards project to advance the representation of young women in pivotal leadership and decision-making roles. The scale-out of Rise on Boards will introduce the project to French-speaking official language minority communities and extend to new locations across Canada, including enhanced engagement in the Northern Region. To do so, the project will undertake in-depth original research, hire and onboard program staff in the Northern and Atlantic & Central Regions with ongoing training, and support regional project community building and oversight. It will reconfigure board equity content for the Northwest Territories and forge strategic partnerships with provincial and federal non-profit networks to increase the reach of board equity resources to non-profits across Canada. Board equality events and workshops will be organized, and resources will be adopted into existing non-profit hubs, ensuring a sustained impact on leadership diversity, increasing young women’s representation as leaders and decision-makers, and the realization of youth gender equality across Canada. With this supplemental funding, Fora: Network for Change will maximize the impact of the project through the creation of sustainable resources and digital assets alongside the final report. It will also allow for the launch of public relations and social media campaigns, an updated and streamlined website, as well as a virtual event connecting young gender-marginalized leaders with nonprofit boards. With the Supplemental funds and extension provided in early 2026, Fora: Network for Change will develop practical governance tools, support organizations in embedding inclusive leadership practices through bylaw reform and institutional adoption, and mobilize research findings through national sector engagement and digital learning platforms. Partnerships will expand to new provinces and cities, and Fora: Network for Change will produce a podcast series sharing key insights and practical pathways to implement findings. The previously developed digital learning platform will also undergo an audit for optimization. Through this Fora: Network for Change will further advance Gender Equality by the meaningful inclusion of young women and gender-marginalized youth on Canadian nonprofit boards and in prosperity-focused design frameworks.