Appendix 2: Examples of associations and networks
Indigenous networks and associations
- Indigenous Friendship Centres are typically members of provincial or territorial associations of Friendship Centres. See the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan, linking the 11 Indigenous centres in the province, and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, which supports about 29 Friendship Centres in Ontario.
- The Native Women’s Association of Canada is a national network for organizations that provide services to Indigenous women, while smaller regional networks work on a smaller scale. For example, the Ontario Native Women’s Association, an active provincial network, has a membership of 13 independent front-line service organizations and 21 councils (grassroots groups supporting community development) (as of 2022).
Networks that support women experiencing intimate partner violence or sexual assault victims
- Networks and associations also support organizations that serve women experiencing intimate partner violence, including women’s shelters. For example, the Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters (MAWS) has ten provincially-funded shelters as members, with additional associate members.
- Regional associations also support organizations that serve victims of sexual assault. For example, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services supports and connects 15 Centres throughout Alberta.
Networks and associations that support refugee-serving and settlement agencies
Many community-based not-for-profits support people who have recently arrived in Canada and are seeking to settle in Canada, and many networks and associations support their grassroots work.
- At a national level, the Canadian Council of Refugees has hundreds of member organizations from across Canada that provide services in a number of different sectors.
- Many provinces have associations that support local agencies that serve immigrants and refugees. In Manitoba, the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO) has 76 member organizations. MANSO’s website lists 10 additional regional and national networks, of which MANSO is a member. In Ontario, the Ontario Coalition of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) has more than 200 member organizations, and operates numerous programs to support and advocate for the sector and its client communities.
National coordinating bodies
Some not-for-profit organizations share the same name and same mandate, but are independent organizations supported by a national body. For example, independent YWCAs across Canada are members of YWCA Canada, the national body that provides coordination and a range of supports.
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