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First of all,

As guests of Turtle Island...

The L. A. Foundation would like to acknowledge with respect that our headquarters are located on the unceded territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən People, known today as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. We have board members, chapters and volunteers working across Turtle Island and in each and every location we acknowledge celebrate, thank, and give back to the First Nations communities that call each place home. We thank them for having cared for this land, continually caring for this land, and having us as a guest within their traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory.

This acknowledgment is a reminder of the discriminatory, racist, and colonial practices that have created a lasting legacy, and continue to create barriers for Indigenous peoples and communities in North America. Allyship is a verb; we encourage you to click above and learn the Lək̓ʷəŋən People’s incredible history + current culture. We don’t have all the answers but believe we should give them their land back, and place Indigenous adventurers in leadership positions across the outdoor industry. And we want to do just that.

A safe space for women+

The L. A. Foundation is an inclusive foundation, supporting women+, nonbinary adventurers and allies in the outdoors. You may notice that in many places we are working on shifting from our previous name “The Lady Alliance” to the L. A. Foundation. There are so many reasons for this shift, and as we learn more about inclusivity we recognize the need for action and change, and want to embody the efforts of inclusion we hope to see across our industry.

We have listened, learned and reflected and recognize that the “lady” in our name can feel like an obtrusion and we are working to eliminate the feeling of binary exclusion.  Even for some of our cis-gendered community members felt off the term “lady”. We felt it was time for a shift. “Lady” does not accurately represent our entire community, and as an inclusivity-first nonprofit we are making a big change to be inclusive for everyone. As we work towards rectifying our name we want to ensure that we support everyone. To bring this effort to the forefront we often use term Women+.

“Women+” is an inclusive term which the Society uses to recognize different identifies pertaining to the societally defined gender spectrum, including all those that see themselves as women, with an additional effort in including community members who are nonbinary or transmen, as well as those exploring gender identity and anyone who feels safety and solace within our community. This can include, but is not limited to: transwomen, femmes, 2-spirited people, genderfluid people, gender non-confirming people, nonbinary people, cis women, transmen, cis-adjacent individuals, and anyone who identifies with our community in a way that is significant to them.

We want to hear your thoughts on our efforts. If our community feels exclusive in any way, please contact our board chair at kieren@theladyalliance.com so we can improve and include.

Building confidence and community through adventure by expanding what leadership looks like in the outdoor industry.

We are a nonprofit aiming to support, amplify and inspire individuals and communities to build a more inclusive and equitable outdoor industry.

We aim to do this through our two main pillars:

  1. Local Grassroot Events: Each of our active chapters across Canada host local, grassroot, community-based meetups once a month to help build confidence, introduce newcomers to outdoor sports and connect the local community through adventure.
  2. Scholarships: By helping to amplify the BIPOC community into leadership positions within the outdoor industry by minimizing financial barriers to entry through educational and gear-based scholarships.

Together we overcome our own personal, societal and financial barriers to inclusivity and equity in the outdoors.

Because we are truly stronger together. 

Our goal is to help each individual who joins us gain confidence in themselves, in their ability, AND help everyone meet incredible, like-minded kindred spirits to help grow their communities.

Whether your goal is to is to summit the next peak, learn about safety, check off a big bucket-list expedition, build your confidence, overcome financial barriers or to reconnect with yourself through outdoor adventure; we want to be there, every step of the way.

As a nonprofit, we rely on fundraising and donations to make these dreams come true.

Your donation changes lives by supporting The L.A. Foundation’s mission. Together we are providing free events and educational programs for women+ across the country. Every dollar donated goes towards creating longterm equity and inclusivity in the outdoor industry. Whether you’re able to give one dollar or thousands, your support means the world when it comes to accomplishing someone’s dream.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

The L.A. Foundation Today

The L.A. Foundation has morphed into a beautiful community providing opportunities for women+ to find empowerment through adventure and, of course, each other.

  • Grassroot Community Led Events

  • Educational Outdoor Courses

  • Education-based Scholarships

  • Gear-based Scholarships

because everyone should have the opportunity to experience education in the outdoors.

Our journey here...

After being told too many times that she was “brave for a girl”, Kieren Britton, our founder, had had enough. We have this bravery in all of us, it’s not restricted by gender. Kieren was determined to bring this to light.

The L. A. Foundation – at the time called The Lady Alliance – started as an online social community where women had the chance to share their story. Whether it was a photo or adventure article, ladies could submit their adventures and speak through The Lady Alliance.

As the community grew, so did the demand for a chance to meet everyone in person. The Lady Alliance’s first all women meet up was held in September 2017 at the A O Wheeler Hut in Glacier National Park.

This meetup was titled the “First Annual Long Weekend Meet Up” as there was no original intention of becoming an adventure traveling community. We had no idea how excited this community was to meet in person. It reached capacity in only a matter of weeks and was full of inspiring women from all over the globe.

After our first trip, The Lady Alliance grew to include other adventures, retreats, and courses. We have yoga’d in Bali, surfed in Tofino, learned avalanche safety, and so much more. In March of 2018 Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) partnered with The Lady Alliance to help extend our reach to empower women of all ages and backgrounds, including local grassroots chapters thriving across Canada inspiring hundreds of each month through free local adventures.

We also began hosting socials, inspirational conferences, mother-child educational events and so much more!

As we hosted retreats, events and festivals we recognized a massive barrier to adventure. The financial commitment to travel, education and gear turns so many people away from experiencing all that the outdoors have to offer. We wanted to find a way to mediate the issue.

As we grew, we hosted a diverse collection of speakers at over 100 events, and one message shined bright amongst them all – representation matters.

Creating a more inclusive outdoor industry requires diverse leadership and inviting, safe and fun communities full of adventure and experience. Now, as a nonprofit organization The L. A. Foundation is creating both. In 2022 The L.A. Foundation shifted to become a nonprofit organization supporting adventurers through scholarships. Our local chapters will continue to grow and provide free events for women+ across Canada, however our baseline goal has shifted.

As a foundation, we aim to break down financial barriers to adventure in the outdoor. Representation matters, and currently the leadership in the outdoor community is still very limited to a very exclusive group of people.

We want everyone to see themselves as leaders in the outdoors. We want to bring outdoor education, adventure, gear and certifications into everyone’s reach – making the outdoor industry a more inclusive space.

Our mission is to make the world a better, more inclusive place, one adventure and adventurer at a time. Our scholarship program helps change the face of leadership in the backcountry.

And thanks to our sponsors, we provide scholarships that are helping change the face of leadership in the outdoors. From AST 1 courses to full hiking guide certifications we are growing our scholarship opportunities to help the BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, non-binary and female leaders excel in the backcountry.

Because everyone should have the opportunity to experience education in the outdoors.

Caused-Based

With thousands of women+ attending our free events since 2016, our impact has been felt across the country. And with your help, we can reach even more aspiring
adventurers.

Mission Committed

Since 2016 our core mission has never changed. Our efforts in building confidence and community through adventure has now been amplified by your support.

Impact-Dedicated

Dedicated to our values of inclusivity, education, support and amplification The L. A. Foundation aims to break down barriers and offer support and community through outdoor education.

Your support matters.

Here's where you've helped us so far

There are so many ways you have supported us through the years. From bringing us in as speakers at your events, to supporting a scholarship or offering a brand donation, or purchasing apparel – you’ve helped us along the way.

You have made a difference. You have helped women+ gain confidence, and helped women⁺ find their community. 

Each optional donation at our events or on our website helps us continue to offer free local meet-ups and low costs events, bring on and train ambassadors to help them improve their local communities, treat you to giveaways, and more. 

So thank you! Thank you for joining us! Thank you for supporting us! And thank you for showing the world that where we put our support matters.

All Reports + AGM Minutes

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