February 2024 Newsletter

Since our last edition...

• We have been delighted to receive over 100 nominations for speakers for our Together 25 Conference. Over the coming weeks, we will select the sessions and speakers in accordance with our stated approach, which you can read in our blog, We are all leaders in knowledge-sharing.   

• We held several more in-person and online focus groups and one-on-ones on PFC’s strategic directions for 2025-2028, and we will be holding several more over the coming month. In the meantime, don’t forget to fill out our Strategic Directions Feedback Survey by March 1.

• We warmly welcomed Abra Rissi as our Interim Director of Member Engagement and Communications, who will be replacing Aviv Milgram over her maternity leave. We wish Aviv a healthy and joyful experience, and invite you to reach out to Abra for anything related to member engagement or communications.  

PFC Updates & Insights

• We have published a public policy advisory on the final guidelines for the new granting rules for non-qualified donees, taking the opportunity to consolidate all our policy advisories in this new section of our website dedicated to these issues. 

• Jean-Marc Mangin was interviewed among other sector leaders, including Eva Friesen of the Calgary Foundation, in the Philanthropist Journal article "We asked leaders in the charitable and non-profit sector what's top mind for them in 2024". 

• Jean-Marc Mangin was also interviewed in a Future of Good article about the impact of the higher disbursement quota. He followed up with a comment on LinkedIn clarifying that most foundations are actually meeting the new DQ. However, there are some foundations that were at 3.5% and want to continue to support thoughtful and impactful philanthropy. The relationship and trust building that it requires takes time as it should when the grantmaking portfolio increases by 40%.

• FPC and some of its member foundations are exploring the possibility of creating an affinity group for family foundations. If you would like to be part of a steering committee to define the group and set the agenda for a kick-off meeting, please contact us! 

Upcoming PFC Programming

Communications Affinity Group

Thursday, February 22, 2024
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT| 11 AM MT | 10 AM PT (Online)
Topic: Developing Annual Reports and Other Impact Reporting

Join the next session of our monthly meetings for a roundtable discussion around best practices, processes, impact storytelling, and tips and tricks in creating annual reports and other impact reporting. 

Engaging as Stewards in
the Nonprofit & Philanthropic Data Ecosystem

Tuesday, February 27, 2024
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT| 11 AM MT | 10 AM PT (Online)

Building on our initial conversations to explore our roles in the data ecosystem, we are bringing together funders and collaborators interested in acting as stewards to cultivate the nonprofit and philanthropic data ecosystem. As a collective, we will discuss how to advance a thriving digitally enabled data ecosystem that centers the needs of nonprofits and charities.

CEO Peer Support Group Call

Thursday, March 7, 2024
4 PM AT | 3 PM ET | 2 PM CT| 1 PM MT | 12 PM PT (Online)
Topic: Reputation Management
Speaker: Leslie Wright, Executive Director of the Agora Foundation, publisher of The Philanthropist Journal

This session will focus on organizational reputation management in the era of social media and will offer specific examples and recommended issues management approaches. Please note, this call is for PFC member Executive Directors/CEOs only (or equivalent title). 

Supporting Non-Qualified Donees

Thursday, March 14, 2024
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT | 11 AM MT | 10 AM PT (Online)

This session for PFC and CFC members, led by Miller Thomson LLP, will provide insights and practical administrative guidance for foundations on recent changes to the Income Tax Act on qualifying disbursements and updates to the CRA’s administrative guidelines on making qualifying disbursements to non-qualified donees.

Together 25 Webinar Series –
Lobbying for Change

Thursday, March 21, 2024
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT| 11 AM MT | 10 PM PT (Online)

This third webinar in our Together 25 webinar series, presented in partnership with Trottier Family Foundation, will increase charities’ confidence and clarity about the rules vis-à-vis lobbying and political activities overall and build understanding about legal requirements.

Investment Roundtable Meeting

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 (Hybrid)
12:30 PM ET (In-person at Foundation House)
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT| 11 AM MT | 10 PM PT (Online)
Topic: Exploring how investing fits into your DQ with guests from CRA 

Join us for the next hybrid meeting of our Investment Roundtable, where we will welcome speakers from the Canadian Revenue Agency to help us explore how investing fits into a foundation's disbursement quote. To sign-up to join this Peer Learning Initiative click here. Registration opening soon.

Montreal Regional Member Gathering

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
11 AM - 1 PM ET (In person)
Topic: The Future of Grantmaking Practices

This gathering of members will be a great opportunity to reconnect with peers based in Montreal and across Quebec, to discuss grantmaking practices and how as funders we are exploring new approaches that value trust and participation. Through a lunch and learn, we will hear from local colleagues about how this requires shifts around culture, governance and operations, and how they have experienced these changes. Registration opening in March.

Healthy Aging Affinity Group Meeting

Wednesday, March 27, 2024
2 PM AT | 1 PM ET | 12 PM CT| 11 AM MT | 10 PM PT (Online)

Join the first meeting of the year of our newest affinity group, for funders already prioritizing healthy aging and those planning to invest in that area, along with others who recognize that supporting older adults is a crucial yet under-funded area. At this meeting, participants will share what they are currently or interested in funding and share ways they support the healthy aging sector including projects, regions, and their foundation's approach. 

New PFC Members

The Tree of Life Foundation

A warm welcome to our new member, The Tree of Life Foundation, a private foundation based in Revelstoke, BC, that supports approaches to housing, mental health resources, and pregnancy and postpartum health that contribute to meaningful impact as defined by the communities they work with. They seek innovative and sustainable collaboration focused on those who work with Indigenous communities (women, girls and gender diverse people), while also welcoming those who work with non-Indigenous groups.​​

A warm welcome to our new member, Johansen-Larsen Foundation, a private foundation based in London, ON, that gives grants to registered non-profits and charities that offer programming to enrich the lives of all those (both human and animal) who are marginalized in our communities. They emphasize the importance of initiatives that offer transformative learning opportunities, which are both accessible and inclusive. ​​​

Member & Sector Job Board

• Communications Director, Trottier Family Foundation
• Policy Analyst, Maytree
• Grants Administrator, Maytree

Member & Sector Insights

• PFC and New Power Labs are excited to enter into a new partnership to advance justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in capital flows. A non-profit organization and action-oriented think-tank, New Power Labs is a collaborative platform that informs, co-creates, and mobilizes new approaches and practices to expand access to capital for underfunded and overlooked leaders and communities. Learn more here.

• Throughout February, several members have been and will continue to honour Black History Month in Canada by sharing resources and creating spaces for greater dialogue and action. We are proud to spotlight Canadian Race Relations Foundation, who invites Canadians to explore the many ways their grantees will take stock of progress made on Canada’s commitments toward addressing anti-Black racism, and Laidlaw Foundation, who is sharing a series of educational tools including documentaries, films, books, artists, etc.

• Senator Ratna Omidvar recently moved the second reading of Bill S-279, an Act to amend the Income Tax Act (data on registered charities). This bill, whose goal is to address the governance data gap in the charitable sector, is based on the eighth recommendation outlined in the report of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector, entitled Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector.

• Carters recently issued a "Review and Commentary on the CRA’s Final Guidance on Qualifying Disbursements", which sets out the CRA’s requirements for charities making “grants” to both qualified donees and grantee organizations (i.e. non-qualified donees) under the qualifying disbursements regime in place since June 2022.

• Statistics Canada is doing an invitation-only national survey of 8000 nonprofits and charities to start this month, with the intent to address a present data gap and provide a better understanding our sector. If you receive an email asking you to participate, we strongly encourage you to do so. Results will be used to help inform policymakers, our sector, and Canadians about the size and role of the nonprofit sector.

• Laidlaw Foundation published a report entitled "The State of Black and Indigenous Youth in Ontario An Examination of the Experiences and Impacts of Policing on Black, Indigenous & Racialized Youth", which gathers stories of Black and Indigenous youth, giving them a voice for us to better address their needs through future programming, advocacy, and community partnerships.

• McConnell Foundation’s Chief Program Officer, Jane Rabinowicz, shares her experience of the crisis and the difficult search for hope amidst the heartbreak in Future of Good’s “The crisis in Israel-Palestine and Canada’s philanthropic sector”.

• Hilary Pearson and Laetitia Gill co-signed this blog post entitled Getting to gender parity: Are quotas necessary?, in response to Alliance Magazine's editors' question: should a time-limited quota be introduced in relation to gender diversity on the boards of foundation?

• Makeway's CEO, Joanna Kerr, in an interview with The Social Economy through Social Inclusion (SETSI) Coalition's Victor Beausoleil, explores how to untap and unleash more philanthropic wealth for more impact. 

• Gaspé Beaubien Foundation celebrates over 30 years of involvement and innovation - have a look for an overview of their humanitarian vision and its origin.

• The Law Foundation of Ontario shares its 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, "Growing Possibilities", which articulates their ambitions to leverage resources, knowledge, and relationships to respond to current access to justice challenges and opportunities. 

• Wings published "#PhilanthropyForClimate: The road after COP28", in which former PFC colleague, Erika Miller, and a co-worker present philanthropy as an influencer of the COP process.

• New Power Labs, in one of its latest Equity Shots weekly posts, highlighted that a recent US-based study found that organizations that disclosed diversity data were viewed more positively than those that didn’t, even when the data showed a lack of progress on diversity metrics. 

Upcoming Member & Sector Activities

• Nonprofit Appreciation Week in Ontario #NAW2024 recognizes our diverse sector that leads social, economic, and environmental change and supporting communities across the province (Feb 12-16). Learn more and join the celebrations here.

• Montreal Climate Summit’s early bird registration is available here (until mid-February). The Summit will be held May-7-8, 2024.

• The Circle’s guided Book Club Series celebrates the recent release of Bina M. Patel's book, Say the Quiet Part Out Loud (Thursdays from Feb 22 - Mar 7). Discover the book’s teachings alongside special guests from The Circle’s community. Register here.

• PhiLab colleagues Jean-Marc Fontan and Katherine Mac Donald, will discuss the role played by patrons of the arts in the emergence of the field of cybernetics and artificial intelligence (Thursday Feb 22 @ 1 PM ET). Register here.

• PwC Canada invites PFC members to take part in its Global NextGen Survey, a study dedicated to identifying what’s front-of-mind for the next generation of family, family business and family foundation leaders. Completing it should only take 10-15 minites. To access the online questionnaire, click here. (Open until Feb 23) 

• The Law Foundation of Ontario is reimagining its Community Leadership in Justice Fellowship, which provides paid fellowships to nonprofit sector leaders. To remain practical and valuable, it seeks to know what that would mean to you? Please complete a short and confidential survey, and share it with your networks. (By Mar 1)

• Suncor Energy Foundation-supported Women In Power Project is offering a 9-week, once a week, Women in Power 101 online training program (Apr 5 to May 31) to help women move to inclusive leadership and allyship while addressing their biases, imposter syndrome, and blindspots. Scholarships are available for racialized women. More information can be found here. (Applications due by Mar 5).

• Future of Good is hosting the first-ever Changemaker Wellbeing Summit, presented by the Cooperators, which will explore topics such as mental health, sleep, financial precarity, maternal health, intergenerational trauma, inclusion and belonging, climate anxiety, and more (March 20-21). Tickets available here.

• The Law Foundation of Ontario’s 2024 Guthrie Award, which recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to access to justice for the people of Ontario, is open for nominations. Nominate individuals here. (Until Apr 5)

• The Foundation, Endowment & Not for Profit Investment Summit, Canada’s longest-running event for the investment community, will be taking place in Toronto on May 1-2. Learn more and register here. 

• Future of Good's Social Finance Summit will be taking place June 12-13. To learn more and register click here. .

Members in the News

• Carleton University’s Susan Phillips hopes a School of Philanthropy at the university can be a beacon for philanthropy to solve the complex problems of today, whether it be climate change, homelessness or income inequality, in Carleton U looks to establish first School of Philanthropy

• Vancity Community Foundation-established innovation hub hosted a show gathering 88 emerging and well-known artists, across multiple media, to design envelopes in Vancouver artists put custom spins on Lunar New Year red envelopes for Get Lucky Art Show

• Weston Family Foundation gift allows McGill University team to pursue study of neurodegenerative diseases of aging in Alzheimer’s Disease study receives additional $1.5 in funding

• Azrieli Foundation gift to help with training and mentorship of the next generation of dementia researchers in Canada in 13 research teams receive $8.7M from the Government of Canada and partners to study age-related cognitive impairment

• Inspirit Foundation-supported event called “Journalists to Journalists”, organized in partnership with several other groups, honouring 83 journalists recently killed in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon, covered in Vigil held at TMU for journalists recently killed in the Middle East

• RBC Foundation gift to new Student Enrichment Program to help fulfil the demand for specific ‘green skills’ as Canada’s economy continues to transition towards a net-zero future, covered in Ontario Tech Engineering students in energy to benefit from new RBC Foundation support

• Fondation Sandra et Alain Bouchard’s gift made last September inspired other donors to help reach 10-year campaign’s goal to build Le Diamant Theater in «Un beau cadeau du jour de l’An»: la campagne de financement de 10 M$ du Diamant enfin complétée (in French)

• Otto and Marie Pick Charitable Foundation’s donation to help un-housed and homeless people before they need hospital-based supports via the completion of 11 more affordable apartments in ‘Life-changing’ gift to help complete affordable apartments at The Mount in Peterborough.

• The Rossy Foundation’s landmark donation in support of fellowships for summer caseworkers will have a direct impact and benefit for local community members who are most at risk, while providing meaningful experience for U of T Law students in Donation to U of T’s Downtown Legal Services advances legal aid

• Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation’s volunteer chairman, Bernard Pinsky, says everyone, regardless of financial position, can make a difference, in Making a difference after retirement

Get in touch!

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