Women and Gender Equality Canada

What Women and Gender Equality Canada does

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE Canada) is a Canadian federal government department, headquartered in Gatineau, operating under the Government of Canada as its parent entity. The department was established in its current form in December 2018 when Status of Women Canada was renamed and its mandate broadened to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression, aligning with the Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) framework.

The department's core product is the Women's Program, a federal grant and contribution initiative that distributes funding to community organizations addressing systemic barriers to women's equality across Canada. Programs are accessed through invitational calls for proposals and open application processes. WAGE Canada also administers gender-based violence prevention funding, with a recent allocation of up to $9.7 million across 21 nationwide projects supporting research, community strengthening, and victim support services. Targeted initiatives include funding for women entrepreneurs with disabilities ($797,557 to Eviance, 2026-02-13) and Indigenous-led violence prevention programs (over $478,000 to Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, 2025-02-28).

WAGE Canada does not operate a commercial revenue model. As a federal department, it is funded through parliamentary appropriations and redistributes these funds as grants to non-profit and community organizations. Its go-to-market is community-led, engaging stakeholders through focus groups, interviews, and direct community participation to shape program design. The department employs 101-250 staff and serves populations including women entrepreneurs with disabilities, victims of gender-based violence, men and boys engaged in prevention programs, and Indigenous community organizations.

Name

Women and Gender Equality Canada

Legal name

Women and Gender Equality Canada

Website

https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Women and Gender Equality Canada is a Canadian federal government department that administers the Women's Program and gender-based violence prevention grants to community organizations across Canada, serving women, victims of gender-based violence, and Indigenous and disability communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Gender Equality Grant Administration

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gender Equality, Inclusion & Social Protection Programs (BPADABAK), Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Government grant programs
• Gender equality policy
• Violence prevention funding
• Women's economic empowerment
• Community grants administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Gatineau

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Allocation: As a federal government department, Women and Gender Equality Canada does not generate revenue in the traditional commercial sense. It receives parliamentary appropriations to administer grant programs including the Women's Program, which provides funding to community organizations addressing systemic barriers to women's equality.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Women and Gender Equality Canada is a federal department that administers grant and contribution programs — chiefly the Women's Program and a national Gender-Based Violence Prevention funding stream — distributing parliamentary appropriations to Canadian non-profits and community organizations that address systemic barriers to women's equality, economic insecurity, and gender-based violence. The department does not sell products or services commercially; it channels public funding and coordinates federal gender-equality policy.

Product overview

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE Canada) is a Canadian federal government department that administers the Women's Program as its core initiative, providing funding and support for projects addressing women's equality. The department manages various grant and contribution programs including the Women's Program which funds projects addressing systemic barriers to women's equality through community engagement, research, and support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Program Federal grant and contribution program administered by Women and Gender Equality Canada that provides funding to Canadian non-profits and community organizations working to address systemic barriers to women's equality, with a focus on economic security and leadership opportunities for women, including women with disabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Funding of $797,557 provided to support women entrepreneurs with disabilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Eviance (Canadian Centre on Disability Studies Incorporated)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026Eviance received $797,557 in federal funding through WAGE Canada's Women's Program to implement the project 'Spotlight on Women Entrepreneurs with Disabilities in Canada.' The project engages women entrepreneurs with disabilities through focus groups and interviews to develop an inclusive entrepreneurship strategy. Eviance is a registered non-profit organization focused on disability studies.
• New Power LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026New Power Labs partnered with Eviance to conduct the project 'Spotlight on Women Entrepreneurs with Disabilities in Canada.' The partnership engages women with disabilities through community participation to identify key issues and shape solutions for equitable entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2025Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre Inc. received over $478,000 in funding for the EmpowerMen project, which aims to prevent sexual exploitation and sex trafficking by engaging men and boys as part of broader gender-based violence prevention efforts across Manitoba and Canada.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• UN Women: The United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Comparable to WAGE Canada in core mandate (advancing gender equality globally) but operates internationally with a much larger footprint and budget.
• YWCA Canada: Federation of YWCAs delivering gender-equality programming, shelter services, and economic empowerment across Canada. Overlaps with WAGE Canada's target populations and GBV prevention focus, but operates as a service-delivery NGO rather than a policy department.
• Department of Canadian Heritage: Canadian federal department with overlapping social-policy and equity-related programming. Comparable as a peer federal department administering grant programs to community organizations, though with a broader cultural and identity-focused mandate.

Direct peers

• Canadian Women's Foundation: Canada's national public foundation for gender equality, funding community programs across Canada to end gender-based violence and advance economic security. Highly comparable to WAGE Canada in target beneficiaries and program focus, though funded through private donations rather than appropriations.
• UK Government Equalities Office: UK ministerial department responsible for equality strategy and legislation, including gender equality. Directly comparable as a government body with a mandate to advance gender equality and coordinate cross-departmental policy.
• Native Women's Association of Canada: National Indigenous women's organization representing the political, social, cultural, and economic interests of Indigenous women in Canada. Comparable as a recipient and convener of gender-equality programming with overlapping beneficiary populations (Indigenous women, GBV survivors).

Regional players

• Australian Government Office for Women: Australian government office within the Prime Minister's portfolio responsible for women's policy and gender equality. Functionally comparable as a national government body advancing gender equality, but operates in a different geography with distinct policy frameworks.

Others

• Public Services and Procurement Canada: Other Canadian federal department. Adjacent as a peer federal entity but does not share gender-equality mandate; useful as a benchmark for federal administrative scale and operations rather than mission alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wage_fegc
• Facebookfacebook.com/wage.fegc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wage-fegc-ca

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments56 records

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Frequently asked questions about Women and Gender Equality Canada