At the Spur Change: Pathways to Gender Equality Conference in November 2024, small and medium organizations (SMOs) were asked to speak on the importance of supporting organizations like theirs: the unique value they bring to the international cooperation sector and what they would like to see in future support. Hear what they had to say below:
SMOs value support that is tailored to their specific needs: opportunities to connect and learn from one another, build new partnerships, access resources and funding to strengthen and implement sustainable projects around the world.
During International Development Week 2025, members of the Inter-Council Network (ICN) were pleased to receive news from the Government of Canada that the Spur Change program has received a no-cost extension to continue until December 2025. Commenting on the news, Sandra Muchekeza, the Executive Director of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation which administers the Spur Change program, is glad to see this continued support for SMOs:
“SMOs are specialized, well-connected, flexible and are directly engaged with the communities they work with internationally and in Canada—with many leading the way in localization efforts and innovation. This news is truly a testament to the vital impact that SMOs continue to have in the international cooperation sector. Thank you to Global Affairs Canada for this continued support promoting meaningful and sustainable change.”
Last week, Minister Hussen also announced support for SMOs working in global development in the form of an upcoming ICN project: “LIFT for Small and Medium Organizations”. Read the full statement from the ICN to learn more.
About Spur Change
In 2017, the Government of Canada announced the SMO initiative targeting Canadian SMOs to engage them in international assistance efforts consistent with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP). In 2019, on the heels of the Development Impact Window (DIW), the Fund for Innovation and Transformation (FIT) and the Spur Change program were launched as pilot programs. Together, all three contribute to the ecosystem of support for SMOs here in Canada.
Spur Change supports SMOs through capacity-building and knowledge sharing—increasing SMOs effectiveness to deliver sustainable results. To this end, Spur Change has reached over 450 Canadian SMOs through over 100 online and in-person workshops and learning opportunities. From these opportunities, the program has created a resource library with over 400 resources tailored to SMOs’ needs which have contributed to SMOs effectiveness and with some being more successful in receiving funding from FIT and/or the DIW. With the opportunity to continue activities until December 2025, the Spur Change team is excited to continue promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing by hosting more training and networking opportunities to unite the sector and supporting SMOs funded through the DIW with the tools to effectively implement their programming. To stay up to date on Spur Change’s activities, keep an eye on their LinkedIn and be sure to subscribe to the Spur Change newsletter.
Jetske Duintjer, National Director of the Spur Change program, is looking ahead to this next year:
“Spur Change is thankful to continue meeting the capacity-building needs of SMOs until the end of the year. Having received an extension in 2024, this latest extension in 2025 is well timed to ensure continuous capacity-building and knowledge sharing support for SMOs.”