Funding Awarded for 19 Community Violence Prevention Initiatives

September 3, 2025

The Honourable Sherry Gambin-Walsh, Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality, today announced more than $828,000 in funding for 19 projects through the Province’s Community Violence Prevention Grants Program.

Funding for this program is made possible through a $13.6 million, four-year bilateral agreement with Women and Gender Equality Canada under the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence.

The program’s objectives support targeted and community-driven efforts led by community partners within Newfoundland and Labrador to address the complex root causes of gender-based violence and to help reduce underlying risk factors that lead to harm and victimization. The program also includes supports for individuals who may be underserved or who are the most at risk, such as Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and women living in rural and remote communities.

The Community Violence Prevention Grants Program was launched in 2024, when more than $520,000 was awarded for 14 violence prevention projects throughout the province.

Project funding for 2025 was considered based on the following criteria:

• Building community support networks, especially at regional and/or municipal levels;
• Supporting survivors, their families, and their communities;
• Engaging men and boys in gender-based violence prevention;
• Ending the normalization of violence within communities;
• Addressing the stigma against gender-based violence; and/or
• Promoting the healing and well-being of those impacted by gender-based violence.

Details on the 19 projects can be found in the backgrounder below.

Quotes

“Community violence prevention grants provide the foundation for lasting change. By focusing on the root causes of gender-based violence, these funds give communities and organizations the capacity to build safer spaces and stronger futures, ensuring survivors are met with care, dignity, and hope.”
Honourable Sherry Gambin-Walsh
Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality

“Community-based solutions are at the heart of building a safer Canada. Through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, these grants are a meaningful step in ensuring more people in Newfoundland and Labrador can access the prevention programs, resources and services they need and deserve. The Government of Canada is proud to fund initiatives that stop violence before it starts, support survivors and their families, engage allies, and foster healing across communities.”
Honourable Rechie Valdez
Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)

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Learn more
Community Violence Prevention Grants Program

Office of Women and Gender Equality 

National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence

BACKGROUNDER

Buckmaster’s Circle Community Centre
Funding will be used for the Circle of Support Healing and Self-Empowerment Project, to provide trauma-informed emotional and psychological support services to women living in Buckmaster’s Circle and the surrounding area. The overarching goal is to foster strong peer support networks, while enhancing the overall capacity of the community to respond to and support women affected by trauma and violence.
Grant Awarded:  $39,000

Canadian Council of Muslim Women (Atlantic Chapter)
Funding will address the urgent need for culturally safe, anti-racist, community-led responses to gender-based violence, affecting Muslim and racialized women and gender-diverse people in St. John’s. Through survivor-centered workshops, peer support, service provider training, and a locally tailored gender-based violence prevention toolkit, the goal is to improve safety, solidarity, and systemic accountability. Project activities are designed to build capacity, foster healing, and strengthen access to culturally appropriate supports.
Grant Awarded:  $50,000

Farm and Market Clarenville
Funding will be used to facilitate weekly programing for at-risk populations, including but not limited to 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, women, youth, Indigenous peoples, new Canadians, persons with disabilities, and seniors. Programming will include games, art therapy, workshops on setting boundaries and building self-confidence, cooking classes, paint nights, gardening classes and coffee houses.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

Global Citizen Inc. and The End FGM Canada Network
Commonly viewed as an international issue, female genital mutilation is a lived reality for thousands of women and girls across Canada. This funding will be used to hire a project coordinator in Newfoundland and Labrador, to lead community consultations regarding this form of gender-based violence with impacted individuals living in this province. The coordinator will also deliver trauma-informed, culturally responsive training to educators, healthcare professionals, mental health workers and social service providers.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

Iris Kirby House Inc.
This grant will be used to fund a Child and Youth Services Worker position at Iris Kirby House, who will provide trauma-informed care for children and youth exposed to intimate partner and family violence.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

John Howard Society
This project will deliver three trauma-informed group programs at the Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Centre in Whitbourne, to help reduce engagement in gender-based violence and support healthy reintegration into society. The programs will focus on emotional regulation and trauma recovery and will teach strategies to manage stress and difficult emotions by promoting positive social interactions.
Grant Awarded: $49,000

Labrador Friendship Centre
This project will engage men and boys in the Lake Melville region, in gender-based violence education and prevention, while promoting healing and well-being of those impacted by gender-based violence.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

City of Mount Pearl
Funding will be used for the RISE Project (Respect, Integrity, Strength through Community, and Empowerment for All), which is a community-based violence prevention initiative in the City of Mount Pearl aimed at supporting residents – especially women, girls, racialized individuals, newcomers, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people – who face barriers to accessing services.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

Nain Transition House Inc.
Funding for this project will be used to develop outreach materials, to make community members aware of the services offered at the transition house, to provide professional development and training for transition house staff, and to invest in the Nunatsiavut Energy Efficient Retrofit program for energy savings.
Grant Awarded: $15,000

SaltWater Community Association Inc.
This funding will be used to help prevent violence in Bonavista Peninsula communities by addressing inequity, marginalization, and social exclusion. Through workshops, peer-led dialogue, and leadership training, marginalized individuals will be empowered to challenge harmful norms, promote inclusion, and lead with empathy.
Grant Awarded: $44,000

St. John’s Pride
This funding is being provided for the annual Pride Festival and two expanded events to promote 2SLGBTQQIA+ visibility, safety, and inclusion. The initiative includes trans visibility programming and a rural Pride social to strengthen community connections and support networks.
Grant Awarded: $36,100

Stable Life Inc.
This grant will be used to help fund a 12-week, trauma-informed initiative for Indigenous youth and their families, combining private and group equine-assisted sessions rooted in culturally safe practices.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

Town of Centreville-Wareham-Trinity
In partnership with the Black’s Brook Park Committee, this funding will be used to install solar-powered safety lighting along a four–kilometre walking trail to improve safety and accessibility, especially for women, 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals, and seniors. A safety awareness campaign and signage will complement the lighting to foster long-term community resilience.
Grant Awarded: $41,500

Town of Cottlesville
Funding for this project will be used for a 17-week community violence prevention program to address and reduce gender-based violence through education, workshops, and volunteer training. The initiative includes hiring staff to develop materials, facilitating targeted sessions for adults, youth, and children, and building support systems for survivors. The goal is to foster awareness, promote healthy relationships, and empower the community to recognize and respond to violence.
Grant Awarded: $43,000

Town of Marystown
This funding will be used to conduct 20 sessions focusing on mental wellness, life skill building, and food poverty reduction. The sessions will include outdoor therapeutic activities to support healing, relaxation, and empowerment.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

Town of Placentia
Funding will be used to support a community-driven violence prevention program designed to address and reduce gender-based violence among women and youth in the Placentia region.
Grant Awarded: $20,000

Trans Support NL
This funding will be used to expand survivor support and violence prevention programs, including weekly gender-affirming counselling, peer support groups, and regional training for service providers.
Grant Awarded: $41,000

Women in Resource Development
This funding will be used to support the Allyship Conference, which is designed to engage men as allies and leaders in preventing gender-based violence, by fostering respectful workplace cultures.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

YMCA of Northeast Avalon Inc.
This funding will be used for the ‘Be The Program’, a youth-centred initiative that empowers participants ages 14 to 24, to recognize, prevent, and respond to relationship violence through critical thinking, leadership and peer mentorship.
Grant Awarded: $50,000

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