The United Church of Canada Foundation is committed to becoming Anti-Racist
We are excited and humbled to announce The United Church of Canada Foundation has formally committed to becoming an anti-racist organization. We acknowledge that there is much work to do to become anti-racist, and we commit ourselves to continued training, discussion, revision of processes, procedures, policies and the incorporation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion principles in all our work as part of our journey to learn, grow, and be transformed.
What does it mean to be anti-racist?
As has become evident over the past few years, it is no longer enough to be ‘not racist’, we must acknowledge racism and actively work to eradicate it. Though the United Church of Canada has long condemned racism as a sin, the General Council Executive made a clear and unequivocal commitment become an anti-racist denomination in 2020, working to dismantle racism and White supremacy at all levels of the church, decolonizing its theology, and striving to redistribute racial power more fairly.
In step with this decision, the Foundation’s Board discerned the need for our organization to embark on a similar journey and commit to anti-racist practices throughout our fundraising, investing, governance and granting activities. The Board has named several areas of work that have been initially engaged:
- Racial justice training for staff and volunteers
- Naming racial justice as an impact investing theme
- Requiring prospective grantees to account for the full diversity of their communities,
- Being more inclusive and welcoming in order to build diversity within our volunteers and staff
These initiatives are the beginning, not the end, and as we carry on our journey, we will trust in the Spirit, so that people from all racial backgrounds can participate in the Church’s life fully and freely now and into the future.
The board of directors affirms the following statement:
We acknowledge that there is much work to do to become an anti-racist organization which we see as a path of discipleship. The United Church of Canada Foundation is committed to becoming an anti-racist organization. We commit the Foundation to continuing its journey and furthering our efforts to become an anti-racist organization through initiatives such as continued training, discussion, revision of processes, procedures, and policies, and the incorporation of the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in all our work as per our 2022 Strategic Plan. These initiatives are the beginning, not the end, and as we carry on our journey we will trust in the Spirit – learning, growing and becoming transformed.
