At MakeWay Foundation, climate is not a discrete program area or standalone strategy, and many of the initiatives they support do not define themselves as “climate projects.” Instead, climate is embedded across its work in food sovereignty, healthy lands and waters, cultural revitalization, and community wellbeing. 

This integration allows the organization to remain responsive to how communities themselves define their priorities. In moments of acute climate disruption, flexible funding can be mobilized quickly to meet immediate needs. At other times, the same flexibility supports leadership wellbeing, cultural continuity, and long‑term resilience, recognizing that burnout, loss, and cumulative stress are also climate impacts shaping communities’ capacity to respond. 

Starting with Relationships, Not Program Design 

MakeWay was built around a guiding question: “how can philanthropy contribute to a healthy planet and a just society?”  

Over more than two decades, MakeWay has pursued this question by working in deep partnership with communities, particularly Indigenous communities, across Canada. 

This approach has led to place‑based programs in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and across the North. In many cases, programs emerged only after extended periods of learning and relationship‑building. The result is work that reflects community‑defined priorities and adapts to local realities rather than advancing externally imposed philanthropic agendas.