Microsoft invests in local programs that benefit people of all ages. In Canada, our collaborations are organized by our focus areas of Building Digital Skills, Enabling Sustainability, and Empowering Communities. The following program list contains a sample of the kinds of investments Microsoft makes on an annual basis.

Building digital skills 

Microsoft believes everyone should have access to the skills, technology, and opportunity they need to succeed in a changing economy.

NPower Canada creates pathways to economic prosperity for Canada’s underserved youth and adults by launching them into meaningful and sustainable digital careers.

• NPower Tech Skilling FY24 provides upskilling and mentorship for learners to obtain high-quality employment in diverse, professional workplaces where they apply skills gained in the program. NPower focuses on building technical skills to help under and unemployed individuals, particularly people of color, women, persons with disabilities, and others, in the technology sector. NPower partners with Canadian social services providers to identify beneficiaries in need.

Enabling sustainability

Climate change requires swift, collective action and technological innovation. We are committed to meeting our own goals while helping communities to do the same.

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is a passionate community of people who believe that nature is the foundation of strong communities, a prosperous economy, and a sustainable future that supports the hopes and dreams of the next generation. Together, they conserve and restore some of the most valuable and threatened landscapes on the planet.

• DUC is conducting three wetland and water development and restoration projects in the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions of Quebec with support from Microsoft Canada. In the town of Donnacona, a retention basin on Chemin Doré is being transformed into a living environment by reshaping its boundaries into marsh. The basin will retain its function of managing the overflow of rainwater from nearby areas while providing more stable water levels throughout the year, creating favorable habitats for native wildlife. In addition to these ecological and climate benefits, the project is adding an observation point and interpretive signage for the community. Other projects include trail improvements in Lévis that will help protect a conserved wetland and tree plantings along the Lorette River in Québec City to mitigate flood risks and promote biodiversity.

Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.

• Québec City landfill site restoration project is restoring a degraded and highly disturbed site to the benefit of the environment and to the visitors and nearby inhabitants. The project lot is part of a future nature reserve that is largely covered by mature forest which comprises mixed deciduous and coniferous trees, along with important riparian and wetland habitats. Covering an area of 1.8 ha, the targeted site is a landfill that was active until 2012 and has been used for at least 49 years prior. The landfill has is now overgrown with mainly herbaceous vegetation typical of disturbed soils including several invasive exotic species such as Japanese knotweed and exotic phragmites. The topography and plant diversity of the disturbed zone is relatively homogeneous and lacks the complexity that could have been expected prior to the creation of the landfill. This project will restore the area to a near-natural state and create opportunities for recreation.

Empowering communities  

Microsoft is committed to strengthening communities and empowering the organizations that help them thrive. Whether affected by a recent emergency or decades of challenges, we use data, technology, and strategic investments to restore and support them for future generations.

ChangeX International helps to create thriving communities everywhere by democratizing change, ensuring proven innovations and finance are accessible to everyone, everywhere. ChangeX is a community engagement platform that, with Microsoft’s support, has funded more than 500 groups in communities across Europe and the United States since 2015. Funds are repeated often throughout the years.

• ChangeX Québec City Community Challenges make financing, resources, and support available to those who are interested in starting a proven idea, across the themes of community environment and community tech skills, with the aim of strengthening their local community. Supported projects include community or school gardens, revitalization projects, and STEM labs or workshops. Key goals are to launch new local projects in the region around environmental sustainability, digital skills, and community prosperity, contributing to more sustainable, livable, and inclusive communities.