Inviting difficulty into the room at PFC’s Together 25 Ensemble
Philanthropic Foundations Canada’s 25th anniversary conference addressed polarization head-on – with tangible resources from conflict mediators to move forward during tense times.
Why the Trottier Foundation is following the science and betting big on climate solutions
The family foundation’s commitment to the Climate Champions initiative is a call to action for other funders to adopt a climate lens and grant in this space. Lorne Trottier offers three reasons why they should.
The case for new poverty metrics
In this era of fast and deep change, the boundaries and geography of poverty have changed. We need to update our indicators to address this complex reality, writes Centraide of Greater Montreal’s Claude Pinard.
Help those who need it
Ratna Omidvar and Tim Brodhead call on philanthropic and charitable leaders to mount a campaign urging Ontarians who can afford it to invest in the province's collective well-being by donating their $200 rebates to meet the urgent needs of their fellow citizens.
Featured
Analysis
What non-profits need to know about AI policy-making in Canada
Canadian non-profits need to get involved in advocacy relating to artificial intelligence policy. It’s complex and fast-moving, contributor Katie Gibson writes. Here’s what you need to know to get started.
Pressing forward
In today’s “survival-of-the-nimblest” journalism industry, an October summit organized by media advocacy group Press Forward aims to get people excited about journalism and the future of community-centred media in Canada.
Philanthropy and Funding
Regranting: How funders can further Indigenous self-determination
Toronto Foundation and the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council partnered to regrant funds to Indigenous organizations – with the foundation ceding full control over designing and delivering the grant program to TASSC.
How a Black, community-led fund is shifting organizations’ expectations of themselves
In the second iteration of its participatory grant fund, the Foundation for Black Communities aims to reach more communities and needs. Recipients of the first round of the Black Ideas Grant share what they’ve gained and what’s missing from foundation grants in Canada.
Case Studies & Guides
‘You have to prepare to be bold’: How three charities harnessed visual campaigns
For each of these organizations, creating a “successful” visual campaign was about authenticity, bold storytelling, and navigating ethical complexities.
Strategies to better support newcomers to Canada
With Canada welcoming more newcomers than ever, the non-profit sector faces pressure to not only scale up its operations but also innovate in its approaches to support and integration. The experiences of four visionary leaders highlight some key lessons.
Decolonization and Reconciliation
How to listen: An interview with Mastercard Foundation’s Reeta Roy
The Canadian-registered Mastercard Foundation is one of the largest charities in the world and has a global/local mandate, with its Young Africa Works 2030 strategy and a commitment to reaching 100,000 Indigenous youth in Canada.
Learning with the I4DM, a tool to increase accountability to uphold Indigenous self-determination
How has the I4 Definitional Matrix (I4DM) – created in large part to see more funding go toward Indigenous-led work – been used? How has it affected Indigenous-led groups, organizations, communities, and nations? The Circle on Philanthropy shares lessons learned.
Series on Work in Progress
The future of non-profit work and workers post-pandemic
In the face of unprecedented demand for services, financial vulnerabilities, and a human resources crisis, the sector is at a crossroads. In this introduction to our Work in Progress series, which will examine the key issues relevant to the future of non-profit work and workers, contributor Yvonne Rodney outlines some of the fixes that are needed now.
The decision to step down: Reflections from four foundation leaders
When long-serving leaders leave their roles, what can we learn from them that will help our sector traverse the challenging times ahead?
Building a sense of belonging and connection at work in the hybrid era
With remote and hybrid work the new norm post-pandemic, non-profits are tailoring strategies to ensure that employees feel heard, seen, and valued – and have discovered that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
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Most Popular
Analysis
An ‘agitator’ seeks a solution to the charitable funding gap
The founder of a charity that promotes greater giving in Canada has proposed a mandatory “Social Sector Grant” to build capacity and impact. Is it the type of shake-up a moribund sector needs or the scheming of someone who does not understand how the sector operates?
What are the fundamentals of philanthropy today?
Funders and conference speakers say they’ll be highlighting non-qualified donees, participatory grantmaking, and youth-led organizing as fundamental to working in philanthropy today at Philanthropic Foundations Canada’s 25th-anniversary gathering.
Building a coalition of the willing means power in numbers for the philanthropic sector
Collaborations, or the lack of them, will feature prominently at the Philanthropic Foundations Canada 25th-anniversary conference in Ottawa, when leaders will be challenged to stop talking and start doing.
Funding narrative change
What can we do to capture attention and meaningfully shift the mindsets on our issues? And how can we do that in a way that prioritizes shifting narrative power to the groups affected by the issues we’re talking about? With a rising number of organizations engaging with narrative change and sharing learnings, more ways of thinking about and approaching the work are emerging.
More articles From the Archives
A short history of voluntary sector–government relations in Canada (revisited)
The original version of this story, published in 2007, is one of The Philanthropist Journal’s most popular pieces of all time. In this updated version, Peter Elson and Peyton Carmichael expand on that detailed (and not so short) history.
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.
‘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.
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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Yvonne Rodney
Yvonne Rodney is a Toronto author, career consultant, speaker, and non-profit worker with extensive experience in career development. She is the author of Moving On: A Quick Guide for Non-Profit Workers and Military to Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioner’s Guide.
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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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Miles Morrisseau
Miles Morrisseau is a Métis writer, journalist, and multimedia producer from the Métis homeland in Manitoba.
- All Featured Contributors