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Since our last edition...
We are very grateful to have gathered earlier this month for our Team Retreat in London, Ontario, where we also held a friendly mixer with representatives from local PFC Member and sector organizations, and went on an insightful site visit with the Oneida Nation of the Thames at the nearby 13 Moons Land Based Learning Camp.
Supporting Imagine Canada’s Campaign: PFC is proud to support Imagine Canada's ‘Strong Foundation. Stronger Impact.’ campaign - a campaign that shines a light on the Accredited organizations that have invested in strong foundations - not just to do good, but to do good that lasts. The Imagine Canada Accreditation Trustmark is how donors, partners, and communities can give with confidence. See if the charities you support have earned the Trustmark.
Network Convening Initiatives
PFC's 2026 National Conference:
Early Bird Registration for Members and other Foundations & Grantmakers is Now Open until June 8!For a limited time, we are offering Early Bird Ticket rates to foundations and grantmakers, including those considering PFC membership. This discounted ticket rate is available until Monday, June 8, 2026, or until quantities last. Registration for non-grantmaking organizations from across the broader sector will also open on that day. The conference will be held September 23-25, 2026, with pre-conference experiences for funders scheduled for September 22. Funder-only programming continues through September 23, with the conference opening to the broader sector at the evening plenary September 23. The venue for our 2026 conference is the RBC Convention Centre, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty 1 Territory and the Homeland of the Red River Métis. Learn more about our programming, venue, accommodation options, and more here.
Mission-Aligned Investing to Maximize Philanthropic ImpactInvestment Approaches in the Private/Alternatives Market Thursday, June 4 (online) | 2-4 PM AT/1-3 PM
ET/
12-2 PM CT/11 AM-1 PM MT/10 AM-12 PM PTLearn more and register here. Impact Measurement and Reporting Thursday, June 18 (online) | 2-4 PM AT/1-3 PM ET/
12-2 PM CT/11 AM-1 PM MT/10 AM-12 PM PTLearn more and register here.
Philanthropic Foundations Canada's Annual General Meeting Monday, June 8, 2026 (online), at 12:30 PM (AT)|11:30 AM (ET)
|10:30 AM (CT) |9:30 AM (MT) | 8:30 AM (PT)To learn more and to register click here.
Vote by proxy before June 3 here.
PFC’s Annual CEO RetreatRegistration has now ended. The retreat has sold out.
All our events are also viewable at-a-glance in our online events calendar.
PFC is happy to welcome our newest members to our network:
IndspireIndspire is an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. They serve First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students in remote communities,
rural areas and urban centres across Canada. With the support of their funding partners, Indspire disburses financial awards, delivers programs, and shares resources with the goal of increasing graduation rates for Indigenous students.
Quasar Empowerment FundQuasar Empowerment Fund is a Donor Advised Fund supporting causes related to gender equality, rights, and freedoms, spanning education, health, violence, economic empowerment, sexual health and sex trafficking, mentorship and leadership, AI safety and preparedness, and democracy issues.
Announcements, Appointments
and Awards
Have any exciting news you’d like to share with our network? Let us know!
Member & Sector Job Board
Last month, grantmakers across Canada, including panelists from Béati Foundation, Inspirit Foundation and Rideau Hall Foundation, attended a peer exchange hosted by Juniper Glass of Lumiere Consulting, with takeaways from the conversation captured in “Spiking Demand for Grants: a New Reality for Foundations in Canada”, summarizing the current situation, its drivers and the practices and strategies exchanged between foundations.
In PhiLab Podcast – Consensus
Granting Model - Annauma Community Foundation Executive Director Danielle Gibbie, along with Adriana Kusugak (Ilitaqsiniq) and Joey Murdoch-Flowers (Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre), discuss community-led work in Nunavut and what makes Annauma's consensus-based granting so distinct.
Hilary Pearson’s “Democracy and Philanthropy: A View from Europe” argues that what we
need in Canada is more urgency of action, and greater alignment of philanthropic efforts, and that we could learn from the Europeans who are already moving in this direction with a real firmness of purpose.
SVX's report "Canadian Impact Investing Market Report 2026" provides a snapshot of the Canadian impact investing landscape at a pivotal moment, exploring market size, financial performance, sector focus, and approaches to impact measurement.
In Canadian Family Offices’ “Canada not immune to growing unease with the concept of philanthropy”, Hilary Pearson says Canadians have always had a healthy suspicion of extreme wealth and people who wield it. What has changed is the environment around that perception, and that the rapid-fire pace of public discourse on social media has turned up the volume on the conversation.
As Philanthropist Journal article argues, for charities and non-profits, clear communication about the use of artificial intelligence has emerged as a key component of any AI strategy – and is key to building, and maintaining, public trust. As charities race to adopt artificial intelligence, “the single most important step” should be a clear framework on how it is used. But only 10% of Canadian non-profits have formal policies.
Sector3Insights’ 2026 Canadians' Prosocial Behaviours
Study, which builds on two prior studies (2023, 2025) to advance the insights on the important drivers of Canadians' prosocial behaviours, argues that the body of knowledge is becoming quite clear: generosity is socially engineered.
This year, TD's Private Giving Foundation surpassed $1 billion in charitable giving. The foundation's Executive Director and Vice President of Philanthropic Advisory Services at TD Wealth, Jo-Anne Ryan, speaks about the ways philanthropic trends have evolved and how Canadians can start their giving journey using donor-advised funds.
Azrieli Foundation-funded Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) has published its newest report “Caring in Canada 2026” in which it describes how the affordability crisis across Canada is putting additional pressure on its more than eight million caregivers, many of whom are already at their limit.
Upcoming Member & Sector Activities
Monday, June 1 - Deadline to apply for HEC Montréal’s Graduate Microprogram in Contemporary Philanthropy - a 9
credit-short university education program which aims to strengthen the capacity of organizations to act, impact and steer. Learn more and register here.
Tuesday, June 2, 1:00 - 2:00 PM ET | Maytree's Five Good Ideas on how to become a collaborative organization welcomes Liz Weaver, former Co-CEO of the Tamarack Institute, and Linda Mollenhauer, founder of Ignite NPS, who will share practical stories and
ideas to help you choose the right collaborations, show up as a strong partner, and avoid common pitfalls. Register here.
Thursday, June 4, 9:00 ET | WINGS' Webinar to launch the Philanthropy For Climate: State of the Movement Report, which offers a global snapshot of a movement that now spans 30 countries and represents over $31.8 billion USD in endowments. It explores how foundations are embedding climate
action across their grantmaking, investments, operations, and advocacy — regardless of whether they work in climate, health, education, social justice, or other fields. Register for the event here. June-4-5 | BC Non-Profit Leadership Conference, which brings together non-profit leaders from across BC to strengthen our sector, connects executive directors, board members, managers, funders, consultants, and emerging leaders to share ideas, tackle challenges, and collaborate on solutions. Register here. Tuesday, June 9, 1 - 2 PM EDT | Volunteer Management Professionals of Canada webinar on navigating Statistics Canada’s website and locating Indigenous-related data and resources related to volunteering, giving, and community participation. Learn more and register here. Tuesday, June 16, 2 - 3 PM EDT | Let's Talk: Getting Funders and Nonprofits on the Same Page | According to research from the Chronicle of Philanthropy and Mission Partners, more than half of nonprofit leaders and more than three-quarters of foundation leaders say they’re concerned about a growing disconnect between funders and grantees. Register here.
Wednesday, June 17, 1 PM - 2 PM EDT | Sector Signals - Trends Every Nonprofit Leader Should Know: Mid-Year Pulse - Join Bruce MacDonald, President & CEO of Imagine Canada, for a mid-year pulse check on the forces shaping the charitable and nonprofit sector. Together with Janice Stein, Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, who will help understand the broader social and economic landscape influencing the sector at home and abroad, they’ll assess how the landscape is changing, and surface what sector leaders should have on their radar for the months ahead. Register here.
Thursday, June 18 - 2:00 PM ET | Trust-Based Philanthropy Meetup for Canadian Grantmakers, hosted by Graham C. Lount Family Foundation. This is a space to get to know one another and explore how to advance trust-based practices in the Canadian philanthropic sector. Register here.
The Lawson Foundation, Real Estate Foundation of BC, Trico Foundation, Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, Inspirit Foundation, McConnell Foundation, among other private and public foundations, are mentioned in this opinion piece that believes the philanthropic sector could play a greater role in addressing domestic crises in Canada, providing examples of these foundations contributing through impact investing: "Philanthropic capital could do much more to address Canada’s overlapping crises".
Canadian Women's Foundation sponsorship, which supports the Landsberg Award, celebrating a journalist, or journalists, enhancing awareness of women's
equality issues, is highlighted in "CJF names Landsberg Award finalists".
Black Opportunity Fund is
mentioned in the context of Philanthropist Journal article "The equity problem inside strategic planning", which highlights how Black communities receive less than 0.1% of philanthropic funding from Canadian foundations, despite accounting for 3.5% of Canada’s population.
Trottier Family Foundation’s financial support, which made possible the launch of Ibidem, a brand-new French-language scientific journal, is mentioned in “L’indispensable francophonie scientifique” (The Indispensable French-Speaking Scientific Community).
Trottier Family Foundation support, which will provide McGill University’s research community with state-of-the-art facilities that foster collaboration, innovation, and the advancement of knowledge—to the benefit of Quebec society and the province’s scientific reputation—is mentioned in “Québec appuie deux projets de construction de l’Université McGill” (Quebec Supports Two McGill University Construction Projects).
Lucie and André
Chagnon Foundation’s support for the event—which brought together representatives from the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, and Côte-Nord regions to discuss the challenges and prospects for the development of the social economy in Eastern Quebec—is highlighted in “L’économie sociale de l’Est-du-Québec au cœur d’un forum interrégional à Matane” (The Social Economy of Eastern Quebec at the Heart of an Interregional Forum in Matane).
Get in touch!Are you a PFC member and have news to share with our broader network?
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