Community - Education - Research - Action
Women's Studies Online
Charitable Foundation
Decolonizing Feminist Education To Change The World.
Every Program Is Offered At No Cost To The Woman Who Needs It.
The Impact Is Real.
The Need Is Urgent.
When a woman is sexually assaulted, the impact on her life can last for years, and the trauma can affect her education, employment, and long term well-being.
Society pays, too.In Canada, the annual costs of sexual assault and related offences for the criminal justice system, social services, and employers add up to an estimated $200 million, according to the Department of Justice. When you include the medical costs, lost productivity, and pain and suffering of victims, the cost skyrockets to $4.8 billion.
In Canada, men kill women and girls at alarming rates – a man murders a women or girl every other day.
- Canadian Women's Foundation, 2018
Male Violence Against Women and Girls Is An Urgent Global Issue
In Canada, men kill women and girls at alarming rates –
a man murders a women or girl every other day.Globally, on average, more than 5 women or girls
are killed every hour by a man in their own family.
No Fees. No Barriers. No Tiers.
All of WMST's work — the circles, the courses, the research, the advocacy -
is offered at no cost to every woman who needs it.
Community • Education • Research • Action
Your donation supports four interconnected areas of work -
all offered at no cost to the women who need it.
Your Gift Keeps The Door Open
Every week, women gather online from across Canada, the US, Australia, and beyond — to learn, to speak honestly, and to build the kind of community most of them have never had.Every one of these spaces is offered at no cost to the women who need them.
Your donation is the reason they exist.Share your name and mailing address when you donate, and we'll send you a specially designed postcard by Cherry Smiley - a personal thank-you from WMST Charitable Foundation to you. Anonymous gifts are always welcome too.
What You Support
Women's Studies Online is an Indigenous women-led organization working to end male violence against all women and girls and increase women's safety, wellbeing, and socioeconomic security.Everything WMST does is rooted in decolonizing feminism and Indigenous philosophy -
and everything is offered at no cost to the women who need it.A gift to the Women's Studies Online Charitable Foundation supports all four areas of this work.
Community - Education - Research - Action
Community
Women finding each other — across distance, across generations, across difference.
WMST's circles are facilitated spaces offered at no cost where women gather weekly to learn, speak honestly, and build connection. For many members, these are one of the only spaces in their lives where feminist conversation happens without apology or performance.
Sister Circle : A weekly gathering to discuss the issues that shape women's lives, from violence and pornography to aging, health, and feminism
Sapphic Circle: A dedicated space for lesbians to build community and support one another
Your support keeps those circles running, keeps facilitators paid for their labour, and keeps the platform that makes it all possible.
No woman is turned away. No woman pays to attend. Every program is offered at no cost. That is only possible because of donors like you.
Education
Feminist knowledge, kept alive and shared freely.
WMST offers mini-courses, guest speaker webinars, and circle-based learning grounded in radical feminist and decolonizing analysis — theory and practice, always with action in mind. Education at WMST connects women's lived experience to systemic analysis, builds skills for advocacy, and passes knowledge between generations.
Your support funds new courses and educational materials, honoraria for feminist and Indigenous women scholars and speakers, and the infrastructure that keeps learning accessible to every woman who seeks it.
Research
Gathering knowledge, naming what is happening, and asking what we can do about it.
WMST conducts feminist action research on male violence against women, with a particular focus on the experiences of Indigenous women and girls. This includes documenting ongoing cases, researching the history of women's organizing, and developing best practices for decolonizing organizational structures.
Research at WMST is not produced for its own sake. It is built to inform action — to help women and organizations understand what has happened, connect it to systemic causes, and work toward change.
Action
Research and education in service of real change.
WMST takes the knowledge built in its circles and research and puts it to work — through campaigns, policy and legal advocacy, alliances with women's and Indigenous organizations, and marking the days and cases that must not be forgotten.
Your donation supports an organization that does not stop at education. It supports women taking action together.
No Fees. No Barriers. No Tiers.
All of WMST's work — the circles, the courses, the research, the advocacy -
is offered at no cost to every woman who needs it.
Every program. Every circle. Every week.
When you give to the Women's Studies Online Charitable Foundation, you are sustaining the full scope of this work — not just one program,
but the whole commons.
Visit Women's Studies Online →
Ways To Give
Support Feminist Learning. Sustain The Commons.
WMST exists because women make it possible - through shared care, collective effort, and community support. Every contribution helps sustain free feminist education, survivor-led circles, and spaces where women’s knowledge and connection can thrive.Whether you give once, give monthly, or include WMST in your future plans, your support keeps the feminist commons alive for all women.
1. Become A Monthly Donor: Join The Circle Keepers
Circle Keepers are the women sustaining WMST's feminist commons - the shared virtual space where women’s knowledge, care, and collective power grow.Monthly gifts provide steady support for:
No-cost, women-led education and circles
Facilitator honoraria
Digital access for women everywhere
Every monthly donor is part of a growing community sustaining feminist learning all year long.
2. Make A One-Time Gift
A one-time gift helps WMST keep its doors - and circles - open to every woman who seeks feminist education and connection.Your contribution sustains the commons and supports survivor-led, Indigenous-women-rooted work that resists male violence and restores women’s knowledge.
3. Give Stocks Or Securities
Gifts of publicly traded stock or securities are a meaningful and tax-efficient way to support feminist education and survivor-led work.By donating securities directly, you can eliminate capital gains tax while making a powerful contribution to WMST's mission.We are legally able to receive gifts of stock and can help guide you through the process.If you are considering this type of gift, please click on the button below.
4. Leave A Legacy: Remember WMST In Your Will
A legacy gift ensures that feminist learning continues for generations to come.Including WMST in your will or estate plans helps sustain this movement far into the future - keeping our circles strong, our education free, and our community-led work thriving.If you’re considering a bequest, click below for sample wording to include in your will or to share with your lawyer or executor.
Transparency
Donations received through Women's Studies Online Charitable Foundation support the decolonizing feminist programming of Women's Studies Online.
Visit Women's Studies Online →
Become A Circle Keeper
Being a Circle Keeper is about helping to sustain a space where every woman is free to learn, to lead, and to live as herself.
Your Monthly Gift Fuels:
Survivor-led education and peer circles where women reflect, rebuild, and resist.
No-cost feminist learning spaces connecting women across Turtle Island.
Creative and intellectual renewal, led by women for women.
Every gift adds warmth and strength to the fire we share.
Circle Keeper Levels
Each level reflects how the fire grows - from a spark to a flame to a blaze.Choose what feels right for you:✨ Spark - $25/month
You ignite feminist knowledge and connection. Your gift helps ideas catch light and spread.🔥 Flame - $50/monthYou keep the fire alive - steady and strong - sustaining survivor-led circles and women’s community.
🌋 Blaze - $100/month+You illuminate the path forward.. Your support sustains collective power, leadership, and renewal for the next generation.
Why It Matters
WMST is one of the few spaces in Canada created entirely by and for women - a place where we can think, heal, and create freely, without policing or apology.Your monthly support keeps that space open for everyone. It’s a shared act of care - a flame passed hand to hand, across time, generation, and distance.Together, we keep the fire burning.
Women’s Studies Online is an Indigenous-led, survivor-led, feminist, and women-centered organization offering free, accessible education and community spaces.All donations receive a tax receipt. Every gift strengthens the circle.