Appendix 8: Sample Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement, Law Foundation of Ontario^[1]

The Law Foundation of Ontario (the Foundation) is committed to being a leader in supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value the diversity of the people and communities we serve and recognize and respect human differences and similarities.

Our commitment to diversity includes all of the groups protected by the Ontario Human Rights Code. We recognize that an individual’s needs and experiences may reflect intersecting membership in more than one of those groups.

We also understand that diversity can include a variety of other personal characteristics such as area of residence, thought and opinion, or socio-economic status.

To effectively advance access to justice, the Foundation believes we must engage in the full range of human experience paying particular attention to groups who have experienced injustice or inequity – past or current – and those who have experienced exclusion or barriers in society.

Our Diversity, equity, and inclusion statement applies to all Foundation activities including:

• Our strategic and operational priorities
• The grants we make
• The communities we serve
• The organizations we support
• How we communicate with others
• Our workplace environment and employment practices
• Our relationships with applicants, grantees, partners, and all others interested in access to justice

Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion allows us to better achieve our vision and mission by ensuring that our grantmaking is responsive to individual and community needs.

We have a long tradition of considering and valuing diversity in our grantmaking. We intend to continually improve how we apply principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion to all our activities and are convinced that this improves the contributions that the Foundation, grantees, and our partners make to advancing access to justice.

Illustrative practices

• Ensuring that our grants serve diverse communities and that our grantees have the skills and experience to serve those communities, including the involvement of persons with lived experiences
• Making outreach efforts so that diverse communities are aware of granting opportunities and included in Foundation discussions about the access to justice landscape and assessment of need
• Having accessible customer service and workplace policies
• Actively offering French language services to grantees
• Integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into all our human resource policies and decisions
• Providing training and educational opportunities to staff that help create a positive work environment and strengthen our ability to provide inclusive and non-discriminatory services.