Menstrual Equity Fund

Menstrual equity means everyone has what they need to manage their periods with dignity – affordable products, safe facilities, education, and the ability to talk about menstruation without stigma. Period poverty happens when people can’t afford or access these products or resources.

Addressing barriers related to affordability and stigma

The Menstrual Equity Fund (MEF) national pilot project used a phased approach to address barriers to accessing menstrual products and reduce stigma through education and awareness activities.

Phase 1: Research and engagement

Throughout 2022 to 2023, WAGE undertook research and engagement activities to better understand the menstrual equity landscape in Canada. This included:

• An online survey of over 200 not-for-profit organizations, led by WAGE
• Five group discussions and several bilateral discussions with community organizations (shelters, food banks, community centres, and friendship centres)
• Environmental scans on the menstrual equity landscape across Canada, including the existing programming and initiatives in place to address period poverty, led by the Community-Based Research Centre
• Research on the intersectional prevalence and impacts of period poverty in Canada, as well as national and international promising practices (collected through interviews with menstrual equity advocates working within the menstrual equity space), led by Douglas College
• Engagement with WAGE’s Indigenous Women’s Circle, other federal departments, and the provinces and territories
• Public opinion research:
  • Phase 1: Omnibus survey on menstrual equity with a random sample of 1,000 Canadians, led by the Privy Council Office
  • Phase 2: Public opinion research to better understand how the Canadian public views menstruation, free access to period products, and period poverty, led by Environics Canada

What we heard from MEF engagement activities (2022 to 2023)

Phase 2: Design of the pilot – A national approach

Information gathered through engagement activities informed the design of the MEF pilot, which centered on selecting one established national non-profit organization to:

• Test approaches to distribute free menstrual products to community organizations serving diverse low-income populations in various locations across Canada
• Partner with a small number of grassroots organizations across Canada that are already advancing menstrual equity to scale up education and awareness activities to inform Canadians about period poverty and reduce stigma around menstruation

Phase 3: Targeted call for proposals

WAGE launched a targeted call for proposals to solicit applications from five national not-for-profit organizations. National candidates that were invited to apply demonstrated qualities that would support a successful MEF pilot, including:

• A broad reach and distribution network
• The capacity and expertise to deliver an innovative pan-Canadian project in both official languages
• The demonstrated capacity to manage the procurement and distribution of products in diverse locations
• Existing partnerships with diverse community organizations and the private sector

Food Banks Canada, one of the country’s largest organizations to fight food insecurity, was selected to run the MEF pilot. Visit Food Banks Canada for implementation details.

Phase 4: The MEF pilot in action

The MEF pilot began on September 1, 2023. Since then:

• Almost 400 pilot site and over 2,000 distribution locations participated, with representation in all provinces and territories across Canada
• Disposable and reusable products were offered, providing access to a variety of menstrual products
• Six menstrual equity organizations across the country scaled-up nearly 300 education and awareness resources
• Disposable and reusable menstrual products were distributed to additional sites in Northern Communities
• Additional disposable products were distributed to pilot sites demonstrating the greatest need based on data collected during the early stages of implementation
• Additional funds for menstrual education and awareness were provided to organizations to expand the scope of their work

Results and key learnings:

• The pilot results demonstrate a consistently high demand for menstrual products from users accessing food banks and community organizations
• Millions of menstrual products have been distributed, resulting in over 4 million instances of individuals accessing these products. Product demand exceeded the supply made available through the pilot
• Testimonials from the MEF national pilot show that people’s quality of life has improved
• Many said they were able to spend money on other essentials and they missed fewer days of school or work because they had enough supplies to manage their periods safely
• Menstrual equity organizations were able to meaningfully engage with thousands of people, many of whom had never received menstrual health education before