For the philanthropic sector, a step forward on ‘direction and control,’ but more work ahead
The Liberal government’s move to legislate the “spirit” of private member’s bill S-216 perpetuates the colonial relationship between charities and groups without charitable status, according to leading sector voices.
Putting data in the hands of clients: Data portability in the social sector
Data collected by the sector is rarely accessible to those who provide it, but giving clients a right to data portability – and recognizing them as data owners rather than simply data subjects – would empower them to choose how it is shared and reused.
State of emergence: Why we need artists right now
What would it mean to ambitiously mobilize artists to do their most essential work well and fully, with the aim of creating a more sustainable, just, and caring society? Contributor Shannon Litzenberger calls for direct support for individual artists, as world-makers with the potential to catalyze transformative change.
‘We don’t have a word for philanthropy’
What do Indigenous Peoples mean when they talk about Indigenous philanthropy? Miles Morrisseau put this question and others to Indigenous people who are leaders in the philanthropic sector.
Featured
Analysis
Changing the story: The Canada-wide push to recognize workers in the non-profit sector
As Nova Scotia gets ready to celebrate its second Day of Recognition for the non-profit sector, one foundation is on a mission to “close the recognition gap” on a national level.
50 years, 50 moments (part 3)
On the occasion of The Philanthropist Journal’s 50th year of publishing, we look back at 50 notable moments, movements, and trends that have affected the non-profit and charitable sector in Canada. Part 3 focuses on the long road to improving sector–government relations.
Diversity and Inclusion
Why philanthropy needs a new story
The story of philanthropy is not static; it evolves with every new challenge faced. Recently, the calls for reform have been loud and clear – to unlock the billions locked up in endowments, remove “direction and control,” and shift to more reciprocal relationships.
Let’s talk about the problems with volunteering
Volunteering is an amazing thing, but it remains an area of unharnessed potential, replete with missed opportunities to build connections across social groups.
Arts and Culture
Nunavut’s Pirurvik Preschool: A place to grow
Arctic Inspiration Prize winner Pirurvik Preschool applies the eight principles that embody Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) to provide culturally relevant early-childhood education.
Traditional Techniques: Helping Indigenous northern artists become self-determined business owners
This is the second in a series of profiles about past winners – “laureates” – of the Arctic Inspiration Prize.
Book Reviews
A commentary on ‘A Short History of Voluntary Sector–Government Relations in Canada (Revisited)’
We asked Hilary Pearson, who frequently reviews books for The Philanthropist Journal, to comment on “A Short History” as a way of providing an entry point for the article.
In defence of philanthropy
In her strongly argued new book, author Beth Breeze takes on three main critiques of the urge to give and offers her own prescription for how philanthropy can be improved.
Series on Rethinking Philanthropy
Rethinking Philanthropy: Emerging paradigms of social justice
In the first of a series that seeks to inform the charitable and non-profit sector’s collective imagination, contributor Gloria Novovic traces the evolution of Western philanthropic models – and charts a new path toward a “just transition.”
Pulse check: Anti-racist practice in international cooperation
In the third article in our Rethinking Philanthropy series, Musu Taylor-Lewis, co-chair of a task force from Canada’s international development sector, shares the main take-aways from the Collective Commitment report, produced in the first stage of a sector-wide initiative to create an Anti-Racism Framework.
Co-constructing an anti-racist agenda for Canada’s international cooperation sector
Over the last year and a half, Canadian international development organizations have been crafting a sector-wide Anti-Racism Framework, with the goal of creating a springboard for collective transformation. This second article in our Rethinking Philanthropy series reflects on the process that led to the adoption of the framework.
Sector News Digest
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Angela Long
This week: Ontario’s inaugural Non-Profit Sector Appreciation Week, Black History Month: February and forever Organizations condemn “freedom convoy”, underfunding LGBTQ2S+ organizations and more. Ontario’s inaugural
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Angela Long
This month: the historic Indigenous child welfare settlement; Omicron pressure on non-profits; poverty and disability; and a new crop of environmental youth leaders. Indigenous child
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Angela Long
Choosing hope: Acts of reconciliation “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul,” wrote Emily Dickinson. But for the Mi’kmaq of Atlantic
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Angela Long
1.5 degrees of separation Against the backdrop of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, the Fondation du Grand Montréal, the Trottier Family Foundation, and the
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Personalities & Interviews
A coalition of the willing: Canada’s health charities fill the gaps in a system in crisis
Health charities play a key role in changing the status quo in our healthcare system. The pandemic has shown us “on the widest scale possible” why these charities need to collaborate and work together. We talked to the CEO of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada, Connie Côté, and the leaders of several of the 24 national health charities that form its membership, about their work and what lies ahead.
‘Indigenous folks have always been philanthropists’: A conversation with Janine Manning
The president of the Laidlaw Foundation’s board of directors talks philanthropy and reconciliation – both the challenges and the opportunities.
The Philanthropist Journal interview: Susan Phillips and Bob Wyatt
Susan Phillips, a professor in Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, and Bob Wyatt, executive director of The Muttart Foundation, are the editors of the comprehensive Intersections and Innovations: Change for Canada’s Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector, a free online resource published by Muttart.
The Philanthropist Journal interview: Mona-Lisa Prosper
Mona-Lisa Prosper is the director of the Black Entrepreneur Startup Program, recently launched by Futurpreneur Canada to address systemic barriers faced by Black entrepreneurs.
More articles From the Archives
Charities and the rule against perpetuities
Charitable status is a legally privileged status. The law in numerous ways, ranging from the trivial to the noteworthy, confers legal advantages upon charities. These legal advantages are often misunderstood.
Charity and public welfare in history: A look at Ontario, 1830–1950
Several historical works have described 19th-century Ontario as lacking a conception of public welfare, where the poor were largely left to the benevolence of religious charities. This assumption, however, ignores the complex web of relationships that characterized the delivery of social services in Ontario and in many English-speaking regions across Canada.
Art, after virus: Seven questions for a sector on the edge
In 1999, the Metcalf Foundation collaborated with The Philanthropist to curate a series on the public value of arts and culture in Canada. Now, in the midst of the pandemic, there is a new urgency to the challenges facing the arts.
Strategies for a caring society
This article was developed from a paper presented at Investigating in the Whole Community: Strategies for a Caring Society, a conference organized by the Trillium
Featured Contributors
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Miles Morrisseau
Miles Morrisseau is a Métis writer, journalist, and multimedia producer from the Métis homeland in Manitoba.
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Christina Palassio
Christina Palassio is a non-profit communications professional and freelance writer. When she tweets, she does so at @mcpalassio.
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Angela Long
Angela Long is a freelance writer currently working on a book about rural journalism in Canada.
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Kareem Shaheen
Kareem Shaheen is a journalist based in Montreal. Previously, he was Middle East correspondent for The Guardian, based in Beirut and Istanbul.
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