How we work
The Inside-Out Approach
Most programs for women facing economic barriers are designed around what the system needs women to become. Rising Sisters Canada starts from a different question: what does this woman need to build her own economic future?
Change that works for the people living it, not change imposed from the outside.
It means we begin with dignity, trust, and community. The practical tools, business education, and skills development follow from there.
Who We're Here For
Rising Sisters Canada is building a community for women and gender diverse people who face real but not insurmountable barriers to economic participation.
Our primary community is single mothers who cannot find work that fits around caregiving, and women over 50 who have been pushed out of or overlooked by the traditional workforce. Both groups share a common experience: they are capable, resourceful, and ready to build something, but the supports around them were designed for someone younger, partnered, or in a different life stage.
We also welcome gender diverse people, including non-binary, transgender, and Two-Spirit people, who face structural exclusion from economic life. Statistics Canada's 2021 Census found that non-binary people face a poverty rate of 17.8%, more than twice the rate for cisgender Canadians, and that transgender women face an earnings gap of 20.3% compared to cisgender men, even after accounting for education and occupation.
If you are looking for a pathway to economic security through owning a small business, you are welcome here.
What We Provide
A clear pathway forward
We are not a drop-in program. We walk alongside women for the long term, from exploring a first business idea through to generating sustainable income and building the financial foundation that, for many women in our community, means home ownership. Our programming maps a six-step journey: from that first idea, through income generation, business stabilization, and financial resilience, toward the kind of security that changes not just one life but a family's story.
Community
Peer support is not a nice-to-have. It is the foundation. Research from the Global Sisters model consistently shows that community and connection are among the most significant factors in whether women persevere through the challenges of building a business. We build relationships first.
Business education and practical tools
Our programming will be designed to help women move from idea to income at a pace that fits their lives. We focus on sustainable micro-businesses built to last, not high-growth startups designed for investors. The women in our community are building the next chapter of their financial lives.
Encouragement and accountability
Starting something new is hard. Having a community that believes in you, and holds you accountable with kindness, makes the difference between giving up and keeping going.
Research and knowledge sharing
We track outcomes and document what works. Canada has structural barriers to women's economic security that no single organization can dismantle alone. RSC contributes rigorous evidence to the broader conversation and works alongside partner organizations who carry that advocacy in their own domains.
Where We Are Now
Rising Sisters Canada is currently in development. We are building our community, establishing our partnerships, and adapting the model for the Canadian context.
If you are a woman or gender diverse person who identifies with what we are building, we want to hear from you. Join our interest list and be part of shaping what Rising Sisters Canada becomes.
If you are a funder, partner organization, or prospective founding board member, we want to hear from you