About
National Tenant Organizing Fund
The National Tenant Organizing Fund (NTOF) was born out of the Housing Justice Convergence in March 2025, which brought together more than 32 community partners and over 280 attendees from across Canada. This gathering underscored the urgency of creating national infrastructure for tenant organizing and seeded the idea of a collective fund to sustain this work.
The NTOF is designed to fill a critical gap in Canada’s housing justice landscape: the absence of a national body to fund, coordinate, and strengthen tenant organizing. Although tenants across the country face similar struggles, their ability to respond collectively remains fragmented, underfunded, and unevenly supported. The NTOF aims to change that.
What is the fund for?
The primary objective of the NTOF is to establish a national funding source dedicated to tenant organizing. This fund will provide consistent, accessible, and transparent financial support to both established tenant unions and emerging tenant unions across Canada. However, the fund will also create a venue to enable cross-regional solidarity, strengthen tenant leadership, and help lay the groundwork for additional elements of a transformative housing justice movement.
Specifically, the fund will:
- Resource grassroots organizing by supporting core activities such as outreach and door-knocking, campaign materials and printing, equipment and space rentals, tenant education and training, accessibility and translation services, event costs (including food and childcare), digital communications tools, travel for organizing and solidarity actions, and the infrastructure needed to coordinate tenant-led campaigns.
- Address regional inequities by supporting initiatives in under-resourced provinces and territories where tenant organizing faces structural barriers.
- Create a democratic governance structure where tenant representatives from coast to coast, not external institutions, decide funding priorities and oversee the allocation of resources.
- Build national movement infrastructure by convening tenant leaders, facilitating collaboration, and amplifying a unified voice for tenants across the country.
How will the fund work?
The NTOF will operate through a grantmaking model designed by and for tenants, guided by three core principles:
- Democratic decision-making
Tenant representatives shape priorities and oversee funding distribution. - Low-barrier access
A streamlined process that meets organizers where they’re at. - Movement accountability
Funding aligned with tenant-led strategies, not institutional control.
Funding eligibility guidelines and priority areas will be publicly released in December 2025, with the first round of funding scheduled to launch in January 2026.
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The National Tenant Organizing Fund is guided by a tenant-led governance model that keeps decision-making power directly in the hands of the movement. Funding priorities and resource allocations are shaped by those organizing on the front lines of housing justice. Three governing bodies collaborate to ensure fairness, movement accountability, and strong regional representation across Canada.
National Advisory Committee
The National Advisory Committee is composed of tenant union representatives from regions across Canada and serves as the Fund’s primary decision-making body.
Responsibilities:
- Setting funding priorities and eligibility criteria
- Reviewing applications and selecting grant recipients
- Overseeing appeals and accountability mechanisms
- Ensuring the fund remains grounded in tenant needs
Prairies
TBD
Steering Committee
Olivia Champagne
Dru Oja Jay
Geordie Dent
The Steering Committee provides overall leadership and ensures the Fund remains aligned with its mission.
Responsibilities:
- Supporting fundraising and external partnerships
- Coordinating between governance bodies and fund administrators
- Maintaining transparency with movement partners and supporters
Financial Stewardship
As the fiscal sponsor, SEIZE manages the financial and administrative logistics that keep the Fund secure and accountable. This includes:
Responsibilities:
- Managing donations and grant disbursements
- Ensuring legal compliance and strong financial controls
- Supporting reporting requirements and grantee onboarding
Founding Financial Supporter
The National Tenant Organizing Fund has generously received $45,000 per year for its first three years from the Trottier Family Foundation! This early investment has been critical to getting the Fund off the ground: supporting initial infrastructure, governance, and the first steps toward moving resources to tenant-led organizing.
At the same time, this level of funding underscores a core challenge in tenant organizing: the scale of the housing crisis far exceeds the resources currently available. Help close that gap by supporting tenant-led organizing today!
