MakeWay

06/01/2026

“I dreamt up this world where the land, animals, and ancestors held me in this magical place away from all the hate. I saw an Indigenous q***r land, where all of us 2SLGBTQIAP+ gender diverse people are loved exactly as we are.”

Credit: "Q***r Earth" by Shawn Howe (Red Cedar Tree), Anishinaabe - Bear Clan

Today, as we welcome Indigenous History Month and Pride Month, we celebrate love, courage, joy, and community. We honour the diverse and vibrant identities, histories, and contributions of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

The overlap of these important months reminds us that the work toward justice has always been interconnected. It is a time to come together, to lift one another up, and to continue working side by side toward a world where everyone is safe, supported, and free.

To see more of Shawn’s work, follow their Instagram , visit PACHA Indigenous Art Collection or stop by their booth at the upcoming 2-Spirit Powwow in Toronto.

05/29/2026

What's stopping climate action in Canada? Not a lack of evidence or concern.

EcoAnalytics, a project on MakeWay's shared platform, is nearing the end of its Clean Cities Research project, a multi-phase study uncovering the barriers to meaningful climate policy in metropolitan areas across B.C. and Ontario.

One of their key findings: There is a large and persuadable segment of Canadians called the "curious middle" that is not opposed to climate action—they're just not yet engaged with it. EcoAnalytics and its partners are looking to change that.

Learn more about this important work and how you can support it:

To help answer these questions, EcoAnalytics launched the Clean Cities Research (CCR) project, generously funded by the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.

05/25/2026

Reel Youth, a project on our shared platform, is seeking ten 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to join the Troublemakers X program this June.

Troublemakers is a free youth filmmaking program in Vancouver designed to teach and foster connection through film. In a time of increasing transphobia, this year’s program will honour and celebrate trans folks.

Interested in participating or want to nominate a Troublemaker who might be willing to share their story? Learn more about the program and how to get involved:

TROUBLEMAKERS X We are so excited to celebrate 10 years of Troublemakers programming and this year, in response to growing transphobia in British Columbia, we are doing things a little different. Troublemakers X will be be supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to make films featuring transgender Troublemakers...

05/22/2026

Tanisi, nitotemak! We are now welcoming SUMMER INTAKE applications! 🌞

Please reach out to Taylar at [email protected] or 1-306-400-6750 to connect. Our practice is to set up a learning call prior to sending an application to hear more about your initiative to ensure our priority areas are aligned with your work!

June 10th deadline

Visithttps://makeway.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Sihtoskatowin-brochure.pdf for more information about our program.

M'westas!

05/20/2026

✨ NEW funding opportunities for First Nations! ✨

We've updated our list of external grants and funding opportunities that support First Nations stewardship efforts and community-driven priorities in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii.

🔗 See the latest opportunities here:
https://ow.ly/BHiF50YYoVe

05/13/2026

“I think everybody who has contributed to this vision has a deeper commitment to seeing Indigenous communities thriving in the North. EntrepreNorth exists because of many people's brilliance.” - Xina Cowan, Entreprenorth CEO.

After many years of working together, EntrepreNorth is starting an exciting new chapter: transitioning off MakeWay’s Shared Platform and becoming its own, autonomous organization! We join them in celebrating this next phase. We are grateful for our long partnership and are excited to discover new ways of collaboration.

EntrepreNorth’s story features a wide variety of innovators, mentors, knowledge holders, funders and allies who all share a passion for building sustainable economies across the North.

Learn more about the journey behind the project and hear directly from a few of the voices who helped make it the success it is today. https://makeway.org/in-the-news/entreprenorth-exists-because-of-many-peoples-brilliance-celebrating-entreprenorths-new-chapter-as-an-independent-organization/

05/08/2026

“Black philanthropy is ancient. It predates Western philanthropy. And the ways of being that make it up live in the bodies of Black people. It is the way we survive, the way we care for one another, the way we express generosity, the way we stay connected.” -Nneka Allen, Founder, Black Canadian Fundraisers’ Collective.

What began as a lunch among seven Black women fundraisers in the summer of 2018 has grown into one of the most quietly revolutionary forces in Canadian philanthropy. The Black Philanthropy Fund, a Community Advised Fund held at MakeWay, sits at the heart of the Black Canadian Fundraisers’ Collective (BCFC). Both are the work of a community that knows, from lived experience, exactly what is missing from the sector.

We recently sat down with Nneka Allen, founder of the Collective, to learn more:

What began as a lunch among seven Black women fundraisers in the summer of 2018 has grown into one of the most quietly revolutionary forces in Canadian

05/05/2026

We observe Red Dress Day each May 5, honouring the thousands of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people. We hold our grief for loved ones taken through the MMIWG2S+ crisis. It’s a heavy day felt in communities and across Turtle Island and a call to action.

We know today can be very triggering. Please be gentle with yourself, step away from social media if needed, and if you can, spend time on the land or in safe, supportive spaces.

Today, take time to reflect and act. The National Inquiry’s Final Report outlines 231 Calls for Justice. Learn them. Share them. Stand in solidarity with families, communities, and those continuing the work to raise awareness and push for change.

**Support Services for Indigenous Peoples:**
• MMIWG2S+ Support Line: 1-844-413-6649 (English, French, Cree, Ojibwe, Inuktitut)
• Hope for Wellness Helpline: 1-855-242-3310 or hopeforwellness.ca (English, French, Cree, Ojibwe, Inuktitut)
• Talk4Healing: 1-855-554-HEAL (4357) — available to Indigenous women in Ontario (14 languages)

04/24/2026

The Seal River Watershed is one step closer to permanent protection—congratulations, Seal River Watershed Initiative! 🎉

The Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Dene Nation, Barren Lands First Nation, and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation have come together to permanently protect the Seal River Watershed—one of the world’s largest intact watersheds—as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.

Learn more about the plan to protect the watershed below.

📣 MAJOR news: Today, our four First Nations, the Government of Canada, and the Manitoba government announced major steps to protect the Seal River Watershed. This includes new investments and a new conservation proposal! ✨

After years of hard work, collaboration, public input, and advocacy, we are thrilled to be taking the next step towards protecting our traditional homelands. The proposal outlines how we can achieve this through Indigenous leadership and collaborative governance by creating a star blanket of protection that would designate the entire watershed as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, and many areas as provincial parks and a national park reserve.

This is a pivotal moment for conservation, and we are thrilled to have reached this milestone with the support of our communities and from all of the Manitobans who share our vision of protecting this vast and irreplaceable landscape.

Read more about the announcement: https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.html?item=73462&posted=2026-04-17

04/23/2026

It has been more than 25 years since Nuxalk Nation community members were able to harvest sputc (oolichan, or ooligan) in Bella Coola. Ceremony, a beautiful new film by Slts’lani (Banchi Hanuse), documents the Nation's efforts to revitalize these once-plentiful fish and the importance of spuctc to the community over generations.

Ceremony will be premiering at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto on April 30 with an encore second screening on May 1.

🎟️ Trailer and tickets: https://tinyurl.com/ceremonyfilm

We're looking forward to celebrating this powerful film and the brilliant people behind it. See you there!

Screening with closed captions. There will be ASL interpretation for the intro and Q&A on May 1.After a long winter in British Columbia’s Coast Mountains, the spring flow and annual arrival of the ooligan fish was a time of celebration for the Nuxalk people. It brought the community together, prov...