One letter from Connect Fund can change someone's life.

We provide more than funding: we offer relief, freedom, and the chance to finally move forward.

Imagine knowing exactly what you need to live fully, but being told to wait, pay thousands or prove you deserve it. Then, a message arrives: you’re approved. It’s paid for. You're supported. That’s the moment Connect Fund creates. These are the messages we get to send and they are life-changing. With access to care, everything else—confidence, relationships, education, work—can finally begin to bloom.

A Connect Fund volunteer told us:

"I came out in my early fifties at a time when I was not well resourced. I could not afford electrolysis or facial surgery, trachea shave, etc. and I had experienced hair loss. I had no recourse but to figure out a way to still carry myself in the world… I have settled for less than I would have liked. Had there been a way to access these modifications…  I know I would have wanted them. This illustrates for me the importance of a fund to offer services beyond the insured health services to assist trans people in their transition."

Another said:

"It might seem like an exaggeration to those who do not experience the life of a trans person to refer to gender-affirming care as a life-saving service, but: if one is unable to get and maintain a job due to not having the "look" that people are even comfortable with …; if one is not even being able to look at their reflection as they pass by any reflective surface …; if one has to fear for their life because they feel unsafe walking down the street because they do not 'pass'; is it truly considered living?"

This is a critical moment for gender-affirming care in Canada.

Political shifts and systemic gaps are growing, but so is our movement to meet the need.

Across Canada, access to gender-affirming and transition-related care is under threat. Court decisions are pending, care coverage continues to lag behind and political rhetoric is intensifying. But the need hasn’t slowed down. Thousands are waiting, not because they’re uncertain, but because their care is not covered. Connect Fund is stepping in to ensure access continues, even as public systems fall behind.