This summer, CEO, Joanna Kerr, spent 4 days in Northern Ontario hosted by the Mushkegowuk Tribal Council. This was a donor trip that included representatives from MakeWay, Moore Foundation, and OceanKind.
For the past few years, MakeWay staff have been in conversation with the Mushkegowuk Council, working to understand their needs. The Mushkegowuk Traditional Territory is home to nearly 1500 species and supports the livelihoods of over 30,000 people. It also faces a multitude of ecological threats such as pollution runoff, increased mining development, and habitat fragmentation. Communities have been looking to advance collective well-being and conservation but have faced barriers in accessing government and philanthropic funding to do so.
This year, these conversations have accelerated as community leaders have been connecting with MakeWay program leads for different supports, alongside other key non-Indigenous allies. We plan to continue these conversations and use our role as an intermediary to connect philanthropic supports to community partners in ways that are designed and directed by the community, for the community.
