Meet the Inspiring Non-Profit Founder Championing Women in Sports

In the competitive world of elite sports, wearing the maple leaf on the global stage is a profound honor—but it also comes with significant challenges. 

For many Canadian athletes, the financial burden of pursuing excellence—covering costs like proper nutrition, top-tier equipment, and essential coaching—can be overwhelming. 

Enter CAN Fund, a non-profit organization founded by Jane Roos, dedicated to supporting Canadian athletes by providing direct financial assistance to help them reach their full potential. 

Over the years, CAN Fund #150Women has become a lifeline for female athletes, ensuring that they have the resources they need to compete at the highest levels. In partnership with the Sport Your Period movement, aimed at lessening period stigma in sports, Knix donated $1 from the sale of all Knix activewear items sold between July 25 and September 1, 2024, with up to $25,000 of activewear sales going towards the organization. 

Jane Roos’ journey to founding CAN Fund is one marked by resilience and a deep-seated commitment to helping others succeed. A former athlete herself, Jane grew up with a passion for track and field, dreaming of one day representing Canada on the world stage. 

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However, her life took a tragic turn when a car accident claimed the life of her best friend and ended her athletic and modeling careers. Despite this devastating loss, Jane channeled her grief into a new purpose. Through her own struggles, she discovered a calling to support athletes who faced the same barriers she once did. 

What began as a small fundraising effort during her recovery has since blossomed into the largest direct funding organization of Canadian athletes. For over 20 years, thousands of athletes have been impacted by CAN Fund helping to make their dreams achievable.

Jane’s personal philosophy of focusing on the "why" rather than the "how" has guided her throughout this journey, enabling her to build a movement that not only funds athletes but also inspires Canadians to believe in the power of collective support. 

Her story is a testament to the idea that even in the face of adversity, one can find purpose and create lasting change. Through CAN Fund, Jane continues to uplift athletes, ensuring that their success on the world stage inspires future generations to dream big.

Ahead, catch us in conversation with Jane as we talk period stigma in sports, her aspirations for the future, and the challenges facing female athletes today. 

How have your personal experiences shaped the inception of CAN Fund #150Women and its support of athletes?

As a female entrepreneur, I'm really bold. I just ask. I feel like more women need to ask for what they want. I always say to women: share one thing you want and one thing you can give. We're all in this together, right? 

With CAN Fund #150Women, I noticed that most of our donors were men. The reason it’s called CAN Fund #150Women is because most events are $150, and I wanted every woman in this country to give $150 or more.

I thought, if every woman out there became the woman they needed when they were in the thick of it—when nobody was showing up for them, or giving them resources and opportunities—that could make a difference in the lives of athletes. 

Our first CAN Fund #150Women recipient was figure skater Piper Gilles. Today, we’ve now funded 580 female athletes. We give each athlete $8,000. I call female athletes and say you’re gaining thousands of dollars, and it’s from women in this country stepping up, showing up, believing and investing in you. 

We’re changing the narrative—it’s not women against women. With CAN Fund #150Women, it’s women celebrating women. What we try to do is build a community where everyone shares their knowledge, their interests, and their passions. 

What unique challenges do female athletes face, and how does CAN Fund #150Women specifically address those challenges?

The sports system in Canada is really broken. Three-time, four-time, five-time Olympians still apply to CAN Fund #150Women. The majority of athletes go into debt in order to continue to compete. For many sports to be on the national team, you often have to pay what's called a team fee.

I think what CAN Fund #150Women has done for our female athletes has changed their experience of what it means to be a female athlete in this country. It means that other women are backing you.

Sometimes, for athletes, it’s not the best athletes that get into certain competitions—it’s the athletes who can afford to. With CAN Fund #150Women, we want to level the playing field. We want everyone to have the same opportunities. We want to give everyone resources they can access.  

There’s obviously anxiety and pressure, but there’s also not a lot of community among female athletes. When you know that 500+ female athletes are part of a community, that makes a difference. We have programs for athletes who are struggling, we’ll match them with an athlete who can help them through it. 

We help athletes learn how to brand themselves better, how to do public speaking. We give them tools and offer classes. For me, it’s always about matching the needs of people. What we’re doing with CAN Fund #150Women is building a community that doesn’t exist in Canada for female athletes.

Were you surprised by any of the survey results that came out of CAN Fund’s survey on period stigma in sports, in partnership with Knix?

I don't think I was surprised, only because I’ve worked so closely with female athletes. A lot of athletes are pitted against each other based on performance. 

The fact that a female athlete isn’t sharing that she’s on her period or having issues, whether it’s a miscarriage, low self-esteem, or an eating disorder. I feel like these conversations need to be had more. I think the Sport Your Period campaign created space for this. 

I love the whole campaign. I love that we got to ask our athletes about their experiences of menstruation in sports. The response we got from a lot of the athletes we surveyed was, thank you for asking, thank you for letting me share.

I know some of the athletes wrote that they won medals in their period underwear—and they’re like, that’s all I wear now. 

What are your aspirations for the future of CAN Fund #150Women?

I would love to increase the amount of funding we give each athlete because of the amount of debt they often accumulate in representing our country.

This year we did the Be Epic Awards—we had women across the country nominate women who are epic in their community. I'd like to see the Be Epic Awards become a big annual event where we celebrate women for being epic. 

I’d love for our membership to explode. Every time women get together, that’s when magic happens. We’ve helped 580 female athletes who are all phenomenal and are competing on the world stage. I think we need more of this in Canada—we need to celebrate people more. 

The biggest problem we have is that most female athletes in this country are in debt—and the majority of people don’t think that’s their scenario. When you’re watching the Games, you think they’re able, they’re strong, they’re beautiful, and they have no idea the realities of being an athlete. 

But I can see where we’re supposed to be. I know we’re going to get there.