Hi friend,
It’s Giving Tuesday and we’re excited to launch our first ever Giving Season campaign anchored in a simple, powerful message: give the gift of stability.
For over two decades, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) has been a home for community-led change in Ottawa. From our early days co-creating accessible civic engagement workshops with newcomer women, to influencing gender-responsive budgeting at City Hall, to supporting grassroots leaders navigating neighbourhood issues – from transit to safety to flourishing public spaces – CAWI has always been rooted in one belief:
When communities have stability, they can thrive.
This year alone, CAWI community members have:
- Facilitated workshops that demystify municipal policies for women, newcomers, and youth.
- Co-designed tools that center equity and care in local decision-making.
- Supported civic engagement training that has empowered hundreds of residents to speak up, organize, and build the city they want to live in.
Why give now?
CAWI needs your support now more than ever. For years, grants kept our work thriving but today’s affordability crisis has drastically shrunk the funding available for gender-justice organizations. Many of us, including CAWI, are now competing for the resources we need just to survive.
This Giving Season, your donation is what keeps CAWI’s work alive beyond 2026. If you believe in feminist, community-led change in Ottawa, now is the time to act. Your gift truly makes the difference between uncertainty and a future where our work continues.
Your donation will support:
- Stable monthly programming that community members rely on, like Maamawe: Women Reducing Poverty Together
- Fair honoraria for community-based leaders
- Accessibility supports so community members can access our programming
- Ongoing advocacy for policies that center safety and care in Ottawa
- The long-term sustainability of a feminist, community-led organization in Ottawa
While CAWI is not yet a registered charity and cannot issue tax receipts this year, we want to be transparent: we are actively and steadily working on our charitable application. Stay tuned! Our goal is to be able to offer charitable tax receipts in the near future.
For now, your gift – no matter the size – has an immediate, tangible impact on the people who make CAWI what it is: residents, organizers, volunteers, and facilitators who believe deeply in building a more caring and inclusive Ottawa.
If you’re able, we hope you’ll join us in giving the gift of stability this season.
Thank you for giving us the gift of stability!
With care and gratitude,
The CAWI Team