Sask. puts $400K into new MMIWG+ Community Response Fund

The Saskatchewan government is putting $400,000 into the new Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls+ (MMIWG+) Community Response Fund.

According to a release from the government Monday, the funding will go to “projects that promote and enhance prevention, and build safety for Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit+ people, their families and communities.”

Don McMorris, the provincial minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, described the program’s importance.

“This new funding program will support valuable community-led Indigenous projects to address the issues raised in The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls,” McMorris said in the release.

“We are proud to work collaboratively with Indigenous women, who know first-hand how these projects can help enhance prevention and build safety. I thank them for their valuable contributions on this important work.”

The government noted the fund criteria and supporting documents were developed with input from four Indigenous women: Lori Whiteman, Marlene Bear, Myrna LaPlante and Autumn Larose-Smith. They were credited as being “instrumental” in launching the fund.

The funding will go to at least 10 community projects, with each receiving up to $40,000.

The government said communities, organizations in Saskatchewan and organizations that partner with Indigenous entities are eligible for funding and were encouraged to apply.

Eligibility requirements and application instructions for the fund are available here. The deadline for 2022-23 applications is Dec. 16.