Women United Annual Impact Report: 2025
Turning your generosity into real, community-driven impact.
Women United is dedicated to creating a lasting impact for women, girls, and gender-diverse people across East Ontario.
Since our local chapter launched in 2014, Women United members have donated over $1 million dollars to help strengthen and support our communities.
All Women United investments support one or more of our four priority areas:
Addressing Gender-Based Violence
Empowering Women in Leadership
Supporting Young Mothers and Their Children
Building an Equitable Economy
Investment Snapshot
In 2025, Women United invested $165,821 to uplift women and girls across East Ontario. The funds support trusted community partnerships and grassroots leadership.
$135,021 invested through the Community fund, 8 programs and 1217 people supported.
- St. Mary’s Home: Free support programs and services to young pregnant women, and young moms and dads.
- Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: Support for people who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence through counselling and crisis services.
- City for All Women Initiative: Works to ensure municipal governments consider the perspectives of women and non-binary people who have experienced marginalization through training, civic engagement, and advocacy.
- Groupe Action: Health and early childhood services for people residing in Prescott-Russell.
- Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa: Programs and support services for women and gender-diverse people who have been or may become criminalized.
- South East Community Health Centre: Accessible healthcare and social services in several languages.
- EcoEquitable: Sewing-based support programs for women while reducing textile waste.
- Minwaashin Lodge: Programs and services for Indigenous women who are survivors of violence and may be living with the impacts of the residential school system.
EcoEquitable helps women build the skills and confidence that they need—not just to find work, but to thrive in their everyday lives.
The organization equips women from diverse backgrounds with professional sewing skills while promoting sustainability through textile reuse. Their program, Sewing for Jobs, provides women with the opportunity to connect with community and build a supportive network.
The program has made a meaningful difference for people like Carolina Nino, a former Sewing for Jobs participant who shared that Sewing for Jobs helped her build confidence after moving to Canada while providing opportunities to practice English and connect with others in her community. Read more
“Regardless of what they do after the program, our goal is that they’re empowered and confident to be able to take those next life steps."
$30,800 in Community Actions Grants invested across 11 projects, 1317 people supported.
- United in Recovery – Hosted by Amethyst Centre Ottawa: Peer-led recovery support for women and gender-diverse individuals through monthly sessions and self-sustaining activities.
- Bells Corners Community Garden (BCCG) Farm to Table project – Hosted by Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre: Food security and empowerment initiative for low-income women that combines gardening, meal preparation, and community-building.
- Ladan: A Space for Connecting & Community – Hosted by Britannia Woods Community House: Culturally responsive weekly mental health healing circles and community dialogue led by trusted Somali community mental health workers for Somali women.
- Gather and Nourish – Hosted by Project Agape: Bi-monthly Afro-Caribbean meals, wellness activities, and storytelling to foster healing, food sovereignty, and community connection for Black women and girls.
- Girls and Fast 2025 Edition – Hosted by Active Newcomer Youth Ottawa: Weekly soccer, badminton, and table tennis sessions in a culturally safe, women-led environment to support mental and physical wellness for racialized newcomer young women.
- Fast and TFKO Girls Ride Program – Hosted by Trips for Kids Ottawa: Free biking sessions that empower newcomers and low-income girls by fostering confidence, leadership, and physical wellness.
- Immigrant Women Entrepreneurs Meetup & Marketplace – Hosted by Immigrant Entrepreneur Canada: Networking, panels, and a market to empower immigrant women entrepreneurs with skills, confidence, and connection.
- Dream Weavers Day Camp – Hosted by Community Resource Centre Killaloe: Youth-led collaborative quilting and inclusive summer programming exploring identity, leadership, and activism for gender-diverse rural youth.
- Smash the Patriarchy – Hosted by Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre: A healing movement and resource fair for survivors of gender-based violence using movement, community care, and mutual aid to foster connection and challenge patriarchal norms.
- Carson Community's Women Group 2025-2026 – Hosted by Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre: Monthly evening gatherings for women in social housing to foster leadership and community building.
- Jardiner pour le bien-être – Hosted by Kigoni Community Project Intergenerational: Culturally inclusive gardening workshops and a harvest celebration promoting food security and social connections.
Project Agape: Gather and Nourish Initiative
Thanks to the funding from the Women United Community Action Grants, Project Agape successfully hosted six dinners through their Gather and Nourish initiative. These dinners supported Black women and gender-diverse people who are survivors of gender-based violence. By fostering community and healing through Afro-Caribbean food, the initiative encouraged attendants to grow as leaders through cooking, storytelling, and care. The project created a welcoming space where people could enjoy culturally relevant meals, connect with community wellness leaders, and participate in wellness activities.
Gather and Nourish demonstrates the power of community in supporting healing, connection, and belonging. Read more
Women United Champions
Women United Champions use their voices, networks, and leadership to create lasting change for women and girls across East Ontario.
Rebekah Kletke
Chief Operations Officer, House of Commons Administration Government of Canada Charitable Workplace Campaign (GCWCC) donor, Women United Champion
Meet Rebekah, one of the Women United Champions committed to creating a more equitable future through advocacy, philanthropy, and leadership.
“I support United Way through the Government of Canada Charitable Workplace Campaign to stay connected with and give back to my community. I especially value my involvement with Women United, as it provides the opportunity to connect with and learn directly from women community leaders whose work is strengthened through the funding I help support. Hearing firsthand how Community Action Grants empower women, build local leadership, and create lasting impact at the community level is incredibly meaningful. It has been personally rewarding to see the difference that I have helped to make.”
— Rebekah Kletke