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This is a webinar. The webinar registration will be available starting on Friday May 22nd 2026.

Advancing Equity and Intersectionality in Nonprofits and Policy

June 8^th 2026, 10-11.30 EST

This online event, open to all and hosted by 91��ɫ’s Centre for Feminist Research, will bring together leading equity-seeking nonprofit practitioners from Canada and internationally to reflect on the key findings emerging from the recently published report “Advancing Equity in the Nonprofit Sector, Funding and Policymaking”

The aim of the event is to discuss how equity and intersectionality can be further advanced in nonprofits and in policy, in Canada and internationally.

Key Findings

• For some organizations, 2020 sparked renewed interest in racial and Indigenous justice and intersectionality, but these struggles were being waged in Canada long before that. Many changes made after this were performative, and didn’t last. Whiteness is still pervasive.
• The framework of intersectionality doesn’t necessarily do everything on its own. Equity specialists use multiple, complementary frameworks to guide their work.
• Equity frameworks are understood differently by different people, organizations, and sectors. There are more and less authentic ways to use equity frameworks.
• Equity frameworks need to be applied both externally (e.g. in policy advocacy) and internally within organizations.
• Increasing diversity within organizations is important, but doesn’t solve all problems of inequity or necessarily create structural changes within organizations. Not all members of a group are the same and can speak for the group. Equity work needs to be shared within organizations.
• Equity-seeking nonprofits experience solvable funding barriers to innovation in intersectional practice.

We will also be joined by equity-seeking practitioners in the Swedish context to comment from a comparative and international perspective.

Speakers

Debbie is the former Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights. Before joining Action Canada, she was the Executive Director of The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) and has been instrumental in advancing the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ youth and communities.

She has spoken at Parliamentary and Senate standing committees and has appeared in numerous media outlets. She has held several advocacy and policy-oriented positions in government and non-profit organizations, including Oxfam Canada and Global Affairs Canada.

Debbie is an accomplished community educator, feminist activist, and social justice advocate driven by the mission of creating a more inclusive, equitable, and safe world. She has continued to dedicate her time to local progressive organizing, including, most recently, as a commissioner for the Ottawa People’s Commission on the Convoy Occupation.

Ingrid Palmer is a community amplifier; uplifting the voice, perspective, and inherent value of those pushed most to the margins. As a Black, visually impaired, former foster kid she brings a lifetime of expertise in challenging social and systemic inequity, while fostering connections across diverse identities. Ms. Palmer is a champion for intersectional leadership and her acclaimed storytelling brings the nuanced issues facing equity-denied people from the background to the forefront. An award-winning global speaker and bestselling author, Ingrid is regularly invited to speak on gender equity, decent work, poverty reduction and other barriers debilitating stigmatized communities. As a consultant she has informed on the creation of education resources, engagement, and organizational reform to better support the interests of students with child welfare experience and students with disabilities. She is the former Director of Networks and Relationships at Toronto Neighborhood Centers and Director of Agency Partnership and Learning at Up With Women. Currently, Ingrid holds the role of Principal IDEAL Advocate at Realize where she leads 3 national research projects on intersectional barriers to employment for people living with episodic disabilities and educates organizations on creating inclusive workplace cultures that support diverse realities and promotes universal belonging. Her background in service includes Board Chair of the Child Welfare PAC, Vice Chair of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, the Partnership and Accountability Circle with the Confronting Ant-Black Racism unit, Right To Housing Toronto, and St. Michael’s Pediatric Research Advisory Board. Her education accomplishments include graduating from 91��ɫ BA, Toronto School of Business (Hons), and certification in Power and Influence from Harvard Business School.

Maria Dexborg is a therapist from the Global Majority based in Sweden. In her daily practice, she specializes in trauma-informed care, working with both survivors and perpetrators of violence. As the founder of her own practice, Maria focuses on healing within norm-critical and safe(r) spaces. With a lifelong commitment to civil society, she has been a dedicated advocate for anti-racism, socialjustice, and inclusion since her youth, bringing a deep understanding of how systemic inequities impact mental health and community resilience.

Susan Hamsis serves as Chair-woman of Afrosvenskarnas Riksorganisation, a national, non-partisan organization working to advance equality, challenge structural racism, and strengthen the rights and representation of Afro-Swedes in society.

She is also the founder of Inclusiverse and works to strengthen inclusive leadership and workplaces. With experience from the United States in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), she helps organizations turn strategy into practice through trainings, workshops, and leadership programs.

Her work across both sectors focuses on creating environments where people from multicultural backgrounds can reach their full potential and where inclusion becomes a driver of both innovation and sustainable societal change.