Canada's New Social Finance Fund | Learning Opportunities for Nonprofits | Grants
Alberta Election Wrapup
Thank you to everyone that signed the letter of support for the 2023 Platform Priorities. Over 62% of eligible voters voted in the provincial election and we will have 30 new faces in the legislature.
We look forward to working with the newly elected government to move forward with the platform priorities.
Kiitaamoko Passkaan (Everybody Dance) Powwow
Inn from the Cold will be hosting their first annual Kiitaamoko Passkaan (Everybody Dance) Powwow on Saturday, June 17, 2023 from 1pm-5pm in the J.J. Bowlen Greenspace.
This high-energy event and community celebration showcases vibrant Indigenous culture, song and dance. This will be a Traditional Powwow where invited traditional dancers and drum groups will showcase their talents and culture and where everyone is invited to join in and dance! Learn more here.
Policy Updates
Social Finance Fund
Diane Berard, Future of Good
On May 29, Minister for Families, Children, and Social Development Karina Gould launched a long-awaited $755 million Social Finance Fund.
The fund, a long-term program, will run until 2039. It includes conditionally repayable contributions to invest in social finance intermediaries, like credit unions and private equity firms, and in rare cases, directly into social purpose organizations. Up to 10 per cent of total funding will be non-repayable contributions to cover administrative costs, blended finance, and ecosystem-building activities.
The Social Finance Fund has two objectives: “First, to support social purpose organizations, so they can expand and have a real tangible impact. And to do so, we need not just government funding but we also need private capital. So by putting forward a solid investment of $400 million today, and $755 million overall, that gives investors confidence to say that is a bet worth taking.” The government established a target of leveraging a minimum of $2 private investment for each $1 Social Finance Fund contribution. The expectation from fund managers is for 35 per cent of capital to be deployed into initiatives promoting more significant social equity. Learn more about the Social Finance Fund and the three fund managers here.
23% of Canadians Now Rely on Charities to Meet Essential Needs
CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps has published the findings from a new Ipsos poll that reveals 23% of Canadians are currently accessing charitable services to meet essential needs such as food, clothing, or shelter; this is expected to increase to 26% within six months. The alarming number of Canadians expecting to turn to charity represents a four-point increase since last fall. The poll also reveals that among those Canadians who are expecting to use essential charitable services in the next six months, 62% of them say they can’t keep up with the rising cost of living, ultimately resulting in charities facing unprecedented new strains on their operations and pressure to meet growing demand. Find out more information about the poll here.
Learning Opportunities
Learning Opportunities
Audience Research: Save Time and Effort with you Communications
Jun 6 | Online
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From Coaching to the Practice of Collaborative and Inclusive Leadership
Jun 7 | Online
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The Basics of Good Writing
Jun 7 | Online
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Books and Records
Jun 7 | Online
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10 Greatest Challenges Facing Charities
Jun 8 | Online
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The Practice of Leadership for Nonprofits
Jun 14 | Online
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Funding & Grants
Blue Cross Built Together Program
The Blue Cross Built Together Program helps Albertans build spaces for active living in their community. Each year the program awards $50,000 grants in Edmonton, Calgary, a secondary city, rural community and an Indigenous community.
Projects must be publicly accessible and free of a membership charge. Organizations must provide services without regard to race, religion, creed, gender or sexual orientation. Priority will be given to projects that promote active living and wellness at a grassroots community level, with an emphasis on children. Any Alberta-based and operated community group or organization can apply.
Applications are due by September 18 and successful applicants will be notified by December 31, 2023. Find more information and apply here.
Mitacs Business Strategy Internship
In partnership with Canadian academic institutions, Mitacs is pleased to offer the Business Strategy Internship (BSI). The award provides either $10,000 or $15,000 per intern to allow them to undertake a four-month internship project with a partner organization in Canada. Interns will work with their academic supervisor to co-design a project with their partner organization to work on the organization’s innovation activities, helping them improve their products, processes, or services. Innovation projects are expected to lead to change and improvements for the partner and/or community, through exploration, design, and implementation of improvements/efficiencies in business models, products, processes, or service delivery.
The BSI program will provide an award of $10,000 per intern with the full amount of the award going towards intern stipend. The partner organization will contribute $5,000 towards the award.
Alternatively, partner organizations can select a $15,000 funding model where up to $5,000 of the funds can be used for eligible project costs or to top up an intern stipend. Any combination of funding is allowed as long as the minimum intern stipend is $10,000 and the minimum partner organization contribution is $7,500.
Projects should be designed as four-month internships, however, they can be adjusted to six-month internships to provide flexibility to accommodate the intern’s other responsibilities.
This internship program is open to incorporated nonprofits in Canada. Find out more information here.
Venture for Canada Internship Program
Venture for Canad'as internship program provides a 50-70% wage subsidy (capped at $7,000), per student per term. Programs can start in the summer, fall or winter semesters. Employers are required to pay interns a minimum wage of $15.00/hour or higher. Half of the allowable subsidy is paid within six weeks of your intern's start date, and the remainder is paid upon completion of the placement.
To receive a 70% wage subsidy, employers must hire a student from an underrepresented group, such as:
a woman studying in STEM;
students with disabilities;
an Indigenous student;
a newcomer to Canada;
a first-year student;
a visible minority
Charities and nonprofits that employ fewer than 500 people are eligible to apply. Internships can be full or part time. The deadline for fall employer applications is July 7 with internships starting between August 14 and September 11. Find the application here.
The .ORG Impact Awards
The .ORG Impact Awards is a global awards program to recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations that have a connection to a registered .ORG domain for their contributions, achievements and impact they have made in their communities.
The award categories are:
Rising Star - For individuals under the age of 25
Community Building - For individuals or organizations involved in community building
Hunger and Poverty - For individuals and organizations that have made contributions to alleviate hunger or poverty
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - For individuals and organizations that have made efforts towards furthering diversity, equity and inclusion.
Quality Education for All - For individuals or organizations that have contributed to providing education
Health and Healing - For individuals or organizations who are dedicate to providing health or wellness resources
Environmental Stewardship - For individuals or organizations working to combat threats to the environment
.Org of the Year - An award for outstanding achievement in any category
Five finalists from each category will be honored. Finalists receive a $2,500 donation, Category Winners will receive $10,000, and the .ORG of the Year will receive $40,000. Applications are due by June 28. Find out more information here.
Blogs & More
"The Leadership Did Not Reflect Me": An Interview with Paulette Senior About Leadership in Canada's Nonprofit Sector
Charity Village
Paulette Senior is the CEO and President of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. In this interview, Senior discusses her experiences in the early part of her career and how the leadership and service model did not often reflect her or the communities the organizations were serving. Senior also discusses the widespread issue of Canada’s nonprofit sector being “women-majority but not women-led” and what that has meant for those working in the sector. Lastly, Senior highlights what needs to be done to create healthy pipelines to move women, especially Black, Indigenous, and racialized women, into leadership positions where they can thrive. Watch the interview →
Can We Agree to Stop Exploiting Our Staff?
The Small Nonprofit Podcast
It's time to address the elephant in the room - the exploitation of nonprofit staff. Nicole Gagliardi is an innovator and changemaker in the nonprofit sector with over 10 years of experience leading small nonprofits. Gagliardi highlights the normalized nature of low pay and overwork in the sector. She attributes this mindset to a combination of scarcity mentality, a moralistic view of care work, and a disconnect between board members and frontline staff.
To change this mindset there must be strategic planning around staffing and conversations with funders about the need for decent wages, and investing in retention and hiring. If nonprofit staff continue to be exploited Gagliardi predicts that there will be a drain of talent from the nonprofit sector to for-profit impact-oriented companies. Listen to the podcast →
Meet the Wealthy Next-Gen Donors Practising Social Justice Philanthropy
Angela Long, The Philanthropist Journal
These kids – these millennial and Gen Z kids, dubbed everything from the Me, Me, Me Generation to millennials on steroids – think that being all right isn’t right unless everyone comes along for the ride. Moving Money and Shifting Power for Social Justice: Voices of Wealthy Next-Gen Donors, a new study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), explores how these donors practise social justice philanthropy, from motivations to challenges to giving behaviours. Anonymous interviews with current or past members of Resource Generation – the majority female, LGBTQ2S+, white, highly educated, with a net worth of at least US$1 million – reveal common ground: a desire to “dismantle systems that consolidate, maintain, and grow wealth and power” to create a more equitable world in a time of extreme, even deadly, inequality.
The philanthropic sector would be wise to take heed. The trillions of dollars next-gen donors are set to inherit (well, some of them) will lead to a “golden age of philanthropy,” a Center on Wealth and Philanthropy report predicted a decade ago. In Canada, the “great wealth transfer” – the largest intergenerational transfer ever – is already under way and will total an estimated $1 trillion by 2026, with women benefiting disproportionately. Read More →