Empowering People. Launching Ideas. In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health or addiction challenge. Amongst the population of people with disabilities, those with a mental health issue face the highest degree of stigmatization in the workplace, and the greatest barriers to employment (CMHA). And yet, for people living with a mental illness or addiction, employment brings stability and opportunities for well-being and can promote recovery. Entrepreneurship is one solution, as it offers individuals the opportunity to re-enter the workplace on their own terms. As entrepreneurs, people can experience pride of ownership while having the flexibility and control to structure their business around their health needs. Rise is the only national charity dedicated to helping people with mental health conditions or addiction, achieve financial independence through self-employment or small business ownership. We provide resources, mentorship and micro-financing to eliminate barriers, improve life outcomes and strengthen communities. In ten years of operation, Rise has trained and coached over 1,000 clients and disbursed more than 1.5 million dollars in small loans to launch over 400 businesses. We maintain a competitive repayment rate of 92%, disbursing loans to people who cannot access traditional forms of financing.