Founded in 1999 with more than 130 full time staff and more than 200 partners across Canada, the Diversity Institute helped co-create the Challenge. Additionally, working with the Standards Council of Canada, the Diversity Institute developed the Publicly Available Specification (PAS), which outlines the terminology and definitions of the Challenge.

The Diversity Institute is also one of the organizations supported by the Ecosystem Fund to help signatories to the Challenge and other organizations achieve gender parity and increased diversity on their boards and/or in senior leadership, and advance their equity, diversity and inclusion goals. The Diversity Institute is particularly focused on supporting Small Medium Enterprises with training and tools, and also will provide a database of women and diverse leaders. Other ecosystem partners include: Egale, Colleges and Institutes Canada, Global Compact Network Canada, and the Women’s Economic Council.

The Diversity Institute is also hosting the What Works Toolkit developed by KPMG to support Canadian organizations striving to meet the Challenge goals. It offers tangible actions, strategies, and recommendations for incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion. The toolkit also includes examples and successful efforts from Canadian organizations.