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"There is no justice without access to justice."

The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin

Funding

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Funding call

The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin Access to Justice Fund (“McLachlin Fund”) was established in 2019 to provide financial support for innovative projects and programs to improve access to civil and family justice. The McLachlin Fund prioritizes projects and programs that address a defined access to justice problem in a way that can be effectively evaluated and scaled-up or adopted elsewhere if successful.

There are currently no open funding calls. Please check back for future opportunities. Please reach out to [email protected] with questions or requests for information.

 

Who can apply?

Applicants from throughout Canada are invited to apply. Successful applicants will have a strong record delivering programs that facilitate and/or evaluate access to civil and family justice on a regional or national level. Successful applicants will also have demonstrated capacity to deliver and evaluate their proposed project and to contribute to a national dialogue on enhancing access to civil and family justice.

Applicants must be either a registered charity or other qualified donee under the Income Tax Act. A registered non-profit or non-incorporated organization may apply in partnership with an eligible organization. The eligible organization must serve as the lead applicant. 

Funding priorities

The McLachlin Fund was established to support innovative projects and programs that are:

  1. working to improve civil and family justice by developing and implementing practical solutions to enhance access to justice;
  2. stimulating innovation in the administration of civil and family justice;
  3. developing evidence-based methods for evaluating outcomes in the civil and family justice system;
  4. supporting collaboration and knowledge-sharing amongst jurisdictions and stakeholders; and
  5. raising awareness of and commitment to the need for improved access to civil and family justice at all levels of the justice system.

The McLachlin Fund defines access to justice issues broadly. The McLachlin Fund recognizes that access to justice issues affect certain vulnerable people and communities disproportionately, including Indigenous people, Black people and people of colour, and members of other equity-seeking groups.

Collaborations are welcome, as are pilot projects with the potential to scale up or be replicated elsewhere in Canada if successful. Projects need not be national in scope – projects with provincial/territorial and regional/local scopes are welcome.

The McLachlin Fund will not support:

  1. capital expenses; 
  2. programs that deliver direct services on an ongoing basis (evaluations of programs or pilot projects will be considered); and
  3. projects that are being delivered outside of Canada.