Dr. Bronner’s is proud to announce the 2022 recipients of funding through our All-One Canada Initiative. All-One Canada is a chapter of Dr. Bronner’s All-One International Initiative that seeks to ensure mission-aligned advocacy is supported in markets that we sell products in and is at the heart of our continuing global growth strategy. At a minimum, 1% of Dr. Bronner’s sales to the Canadian market each year is donated to local advocacy efforts in support of our core causes: social justice, environmental sustainability, and animal protection. The recipients of Dr. Bronner’s All-One Canada Initiative represent a diverse coalition of activists, nonprofits, and businesses who are driving change in a more equitable direction. As an anti-racist vegan activist, it was a profound experience to get the opportunity to interact with these organizations, and to witness their creative contributions to the overall project of transforming culture and transcending oppression. These organizations serve as the foundation for an impactful architecture of activism in Canada that boldly centers minoritized voices and effectively advocates for a sustainable future where we can all live and breathe easier.
We directed a total of $112,000 USD (approx. $150,000 CAD) to seven organizations and projects in 2022 in support of the All-One Canada Initiative. The initiative supports grassroots efforts working on limited budgets as well as larger nonprofits in need of funding for specific projects across three core areas:
Animal Advocacy
Environmental Sustainability
Social Justice
All-One Canada has been a chapter of the All-One International Initiative since 2020 and continues to support local organizations that align with Dr. Bronner’s core values.
“The organizations we are supporting through All-One Canada have a demonstrated commitment to environmental sustainability, animal advocacy, and social justice in extraordinary ways. We are excited and inspired to see how these organizations in Canada will continue to highlight the intersections of social justice and create new ecosystems of transformative social change,” says Michael Bronner, President of Dr. Bronner’s. “Localized mission-aligned brand activism is a priority for Dr. Bronner’s, and the organizations we are supporting in Canada strongly align with our core values and advance meaningful impact. We are happy to elevate these causes globally.”
Funding an Ecosystem Approach to Movement Building and Social Change
In 2022 we provided funding to Groundswell Community Justice Trust Fund under the All-One Canada Initiative. Groundswell was founded in 2011 by individuals who were interested in raising capital for transformative social change in their local communities. They provide funding to groups working to confront power imbalances and elevate organizations working to build community power. Groundswell supports several projects that amplify Black-led efforts for health and healing. Ancestral Hands Midwives, a Black midwife-led organization focused on improving Black maternal health, received funds from Groundswell to offer a Black-focused prenatal class. Toronto Black Farmers and Growers Collective received funding from Groundswell to develop food sources for their communities, including buying tools, equipment, seeds, and more. In addition to funding transformative social justice projects, Groundswell also supports efforts that center environmental justice, such as the First Nations organization Sovereign Likhts’amisyu, that works to slow the acceleration of climate change and restore and protect the biodiversity of their region.
“We really value Dr. Bronner’s and their commitment to ethical causes that span different issue areas,” says Jackie Esmonde, a Board Member of Groundswell Community Justice Trust Fund. “Dr. Bronner’s support has been so crucial for Groundswell’s ability to directly support grassroots organizations that are on the front lines of the struggle for a better world. These groups often face difficulties raising funds for their work, so Dr. Bronner’s support is helping to increase their organizational infrastructure and allow groups to do their crucial work on a long-term basis.”
Dr. Bronner’s support of Indigenous Climate Action, an organization that centers First Nations in developing solutions to the climate crisis reflects our understanding of the need to address climate change at its core. Indigenous Climate Action offers pathways for First Nations individuals and communities to amplify their voices and engage in movement building to influence climate policy.
Rivershed Society of B.C. is another example of an impactful organization that collaborates with First Nations communities to combat climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. They restore portions of private land adjacent to the waterways along Fraser River – the longest river in British Columbia – with the help of First Nations communities and agricultural landholders. People and wildlife depend on the Fraser River for their prosperity and survival. The Fraser River is an integral part of a complex and vibrant ecosystem that supports all species of Pacific salmon, 57 other fish species, more than 300 species of birds, and dozens of mammals.
Animal Justice received funding under the banner of the All-One Canada Initiative through our animal advocacy budget to support their work in the courts on behalf of farmed animals in Canada. The lawyers at Animal Justice work to pass strong new animal protection laws, push to hold industries accountable for abusing animals, and fight on behalf of animals in court. In particular, Animal Justice continues to engage in crucial legal work to halt the passage of ag gag laws that would criminalize animal industry whistleblowers and undercover activists and has recently exposed heartbreaking suffering from the first-ever behind-the-scenes footage of a small-scale, local Canadian slaughterhouse in British Columbia selling “humane meat.” Animal Justice is a transformative organization that aligns with our belief that all animals should be treated humanely and with respect for their well-being.
“Dr. Bronner’s support is vital for our fight against ag gag laws in Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba,” says Camille Labchuk, Executive Director of Animal Justice. “Exposing hidden animal suffering is fundamental to the effectiveness of the animal advocacy movement. We rely on photos and videos from investigations in campaigns to promote legal and policy change. With Dr. Bronner’s support, we were able to mobilize quickly to oppose and block Canadian ag gag laws, opposing them in legislatures and in the court. Since Animal Justice has filed suit, no new ag gag legislation has been proposed. Dr. Bronner’s support has been instrumental in our fight against animal cruelty.”
We are also pleased to support the documentary film Coextinction under the banner of the All-One Canada Initiative through our Animal Advocacy philanthropy. Coextinction is a profound award-winning documentary on the extinction crisis, centering on the plight of the Southern Resident Orcas in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Bronner’s has recently launched a limited edition “Protect Orcas!” label of its 946ml (32oz) Castile Liquid Soaps for sale in Canadian stores to further raise awareness about the film and its call-to-action. Like Rivershed Society of BC, Coextinction highlights the importance of salmon to the survival of other species and communities and features different strategies for protecting threatened ecosystems and animals.
Together the organizations supported through All-One Canada provide a template for how to take bold action for environmental justice and transformative social change.
To learn more about the All-One Canada Initiative and the recipients of this program, please visit Dr. Bronner’s All-One International.