Jessica Houssian is Co-CEO of the Equality Fund. She fell in love with feminism as a little girl and has focused her career on advancing women’s equality ever since. Jessica is a Senior Advisor at Women Moving Millions, a global community of women philanthropists who invest boldly with a gender lens. Jessica currently serves on the Board of Directors of RefugePoint and as Co-chair of The Houssian Foundation. In 2019, Jessica co-founded the Equality Fund, a Canadian-led collaboration that combines international feminist philanthropy and grantmaking with an innovative investment component to its work.
Announced in June 2019 with a historic contribution of $300 million CAD from Global Affairs Canada, the Equality Fund is an innovative model delivering unprecedented resources to feminist movements. Our goal is ambitious: Mobilize $1 billion for gender equality in philanthropic and investment capital in Canada and around the world.
Canada’s Minister for International Development and Minister of Women and Gender Equality announced Canada’s $300 million contribution to the Equality Fund on June 2, 2019. Members of the Equality Fund Collective from left to right: Sharon Avery (Toronto Foundation), Keely Tongate (PAWHR), Lindsay Patrick (RBC Capital Markets), Theo Sowa (African Women’s Development Fund), Jess Tomlin (Equality Fund), Jessica Houssian (Equality Fund), Paulette Senior (Canadian Women’s Foundation), Andrea Dicks (Community Foundations of Canada), Nadine St. Louis and The Honourable Maryam Monsef.
We are shifting power and resources to organizations and leaders on the frontlines. Why? Because this is the most effective way to fight inequality.
