March 2026 Newsletter

Since our last edition...

• PFC is proud to have recently joined the Ontario Nonprofit Network and Alberta's Nonprofit Chamber, among other networks we are already a part of, and with whose fellow members we will further collaborate to help strengthen our vibrant nation-wide non-profit sector, address sector-related public policy issues, and ensure the voices of our communities reach governments, funders, and other stakeholders.

• Jean-Marc Mangin was quoted in Canadian Family Offices' "Special report: The top 10 concerns facing Canada’s big givers this year" stating that "Times of change offer unique opportunities, and this is a moment when the charitable sector can demonstrate its value by addressing the pain points in Canadian society".

PFC Updates

• Working with the PFC's Housing Funders Affinity Group, we have launched a Request for Proposals: Consultant Services for a Pan-Canadian Housing Funding Landscape Scan. Upload your proposal here by the Friday, April 10 deadline. 

• Michele Fugiel Gartner reflects on insights from this year’s Beacon Forum in London in “What Canada Can Learn from the UK’s New Office for the Impact Economy”. 

• Andre Pawan Vashist will be a Guest Speaker later this month at Future of Good's 3rd Annual Changemaker Wellbeing Summit. See details below in the Member & Sector Activities section. 

PFC Programming

Research and Policy 

Webinar: Federal Lobbying Rules Changes

Wednesday, March 11 (online)
3-4 PM AT | 2-3 PM ET | 1-2 PM CT | 12-1 PM MT | 11 AM – 12 PM PT

A brief update on PFC’s 2026 policy priorities, followed by a tailored presentation from Temple Scott Associates on the interpretation and application of the revised lobbying regulations. This interactive training for PFC members will provide practical guidance to support compliance and informed engagement. 

Network Convening Initiatives 

Indigenous Gathering
for PFC Member Organizations

Tuesday, March 31 (online)
1:30-3:00 PM AT/12:30-2:00 PM ET/11:30 AM-1:00 PM CT/ 
10:30 AM-12:00 PM MT/9:30-11:00 AM PT/

This event is for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis staff and board members from PFC members across the country, in any role or level of experience, providing an opportunity to connect in a supportive environment grounded in relationality, care, and cultural safety. Together, participants will explore what it means to navigate philanthropic institutions as Indigenous people, share stories and strategies, and strengthen a community of practice that honours our identities, responsibilities, and collective leadership. 

Professional Development 

New - Mission-Aligned Investing to Maximize Philanthropic Impact

Six sessions will be held every two weeks  
between April 9 and June 18, on Thursdays,  
from 2-4 PM (AT) | 1-3 PM (ET) | 12-2 PM (CT) |  
11 AM-1 PM (MT) | 10 AM-12 PM (PT)

Calling on all grantmakers who are interested in leveraging their investments to maximize their philanthropic impact.

This program is designed for organizations stewarding  endowed assets and those responsible for developing, implementing, and governing their mission-aligned investing strategy, at early and maturing stages of the journey.

In collaboration with Impact United Academy and with support from Addenda Capital, we will be offering sessions that combine expert primers, practitioner case studies, and facilitated discussion to produce practical next steps for your foundation. 

New - Climate Philanthropy Learning Series

The full five-part professional development course will be delivered every Wednesday between May 20 and June 17, 2026. Each online session runs 120 minutes and includes Q&A and practical tools.

A focused, cohort-based learning journey for Canadian grantmaking organizations designed to turn climate curiosity and commitments into concrete strategy, partnerships, and funded action.

Through peer exchange, coaching, and thematic exploration, participants will build clarity, confidence, and community around climate action.

By strengthening climate literacy, strategy, and collaboration, foundations can help accelerate climate solutions, advance equity, protect natural systems, and contribute to a resilient future for communities across Canada.

Information Session

Curious to learn more? Join our information session on Tuesday, April 14, 1:00-1:30 PM ET to answer all your questions – Register here. 

Upcoming Affinity Group Meetings 

Don’t miss these up-coming sessions over the next month:

Communications Affinity Group Meeting

Thursday, March 12 (online)
3-4 PM AT/2-3 PM ET/1-2 PM CT/12-1 PM MT/11 AM-12 PM PT.

AI Meets Philanthropy: Comms Leaders on Building AI Policies

Speaker: Laura Arlabosse-Stewart, Senior Director of Communications - Weston Family Foundation 

Join the Communications Affinity Group for a candid conversation about the realities of developing an AI policy in a philanthropic organization. This session invites participants to share their lived experiences — the messy parts, the tensions, and the breakthroughs that never make it into polished documents. We’ll explore how communications teams navigate risk, values, and evolving workflows while the technology moves faster than internal consensus. The goal is to compare journeys, not arrive at one “right” answer.  Inquire about joining here.

Program and Grantmaking Staff Affinity Group Meeting 

Friday, March 13 (online)
2-3:30 PM AT/1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT/
11 AM-12:30 PM MT/10- 11:30 AM PT.  

Moment to Breathe: Check‑in on Program and Grantmaking Staff Wellbeing 

Program and grantmaking staff often carry the weight of multiple expectations—supporting grantees, navigating internal demands, and holding complex community realities. This session offers space to pause, reflect, and reconnect. Together, we will explore the current state of staff wellbeing across our organizations, share common pressures and emerging challenges, and consider what it means to sustain ourselves in this work. Inquire about joining here. 

Arts Funders Affinity Group Meeting 

Tuesday, March 17 (online)
2-3:30 PM AT/1-2:30 PM ET/12-1:30 PM CT/
11 AM-12:30 PM MT/10-11:30 AM PT.

More information on meeting program coming soon. Inquire about joining here. 

Groupe philanthropique québécois Meeting 

Wednesday, March 18 (online) | 10-11 AM ET.  

Philanthropy in motion: Exchanges and perspectives

A time to get together, chat freely, and hear what other foundations are going through right now. No formal presentations: just a frank conversation about our challenges, what we've learned, and what would help us better support our partners. NOTE: This group meets and discusses exclusively in French. Inquire about joining here. 

CEO Peer Support Group

Thursdays (online)
-5 PM AT/3-4 PM ET/2-3 PM CT/1-2 PM MT/12-1 PM PT.  

Cohort 5 Call - Thursday, March 19
Cohort 1 Call - Thursday, April 2
Cohort 2 Call - Thursday, April 9
Cohort 3 Call - Thursday, April 16

This group is open to Executive leaders from PFC Member organizations whose role is to make major decisions, drive resources toward strategic goals, and act as the bridge between the organizational governance (Boards of Directors) and operations (staff, if applicable). You may be on staff or function in a volunteer capacity. Inquire about joining here. 

All our events are also viewable at-a-glance in our online events calendar. 

New Members

PFC is happy to welcome our newest member to our network: 

Wubs Family Foundation

The Wubs Family Foundation is dedicated to addressing the most pressing challenges facing its communities. Inspired by its commitment to creating meaningful change, it focuses its efforts on five key areas: food insecurity, homelessness, health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and mental health. 

Announcements, Appointments
and Awards

The Graham Boeckh Foundation congratulates Dr. Lena Palaniyappan for winning the 2025 Royal‑Mach‑Gaensslen Prize for Mental Health Research, a national award recognizing his ‘visionary research to transform the early identification and treatment of psychosis’. The foundation is proud to support Dr. Palaniyappans’ work by helping to establish the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health in 2022. 

Have any exciting news you’d like to share with our network? Let us know! 

Member & Sector Job Board

• Program Coordinator (one-year contract), Inspirit Foundation (March 16) 

• Program Partner, Canada Programs, Mastercard Foundation (March 17) 

• Coordinator, Finance & Administration, The Circle (April 2) 

Member & Sector Insights

• Dr. Susan Phillips, CM, Professor Emerita at Carleton University, founder of the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program, and a leading scholar in our sector for 40 years, makes the case for a new Centre for Philanthropy. 

• Inspirit Foundation announced the awardees of its Journalism Futures Fund representing a historic $1.875 million philanthropic investment in independent media in Canada — with additional funding planned in the years ahead.  

• MakeWay's recent report "The Economic and Social Benefits of Indigenous Hunter and Guardian Programs" demonstrates how full-time Hunter and Guardian programs are creating meaningful economic opportunities that support and renew these land-based lifeways; and its partnership with Carleton University researchers, designed to better understand the opportunities and challenges related to investment transparency across Canadian foundations, has led to the publication of “Through the Looking-Glass: Investment Transparency of Canadian Foundations” in the Canadian Journal of Nonprofit and Social Economy Research.  

• Inspirit Foundation's recent webinar recording on "Muslims Artists Live Here" shares a report combining quantitative data with case studies and interviews to highlight the experiences of Muslims creatives in Canada, in which participants heard from author Radiyah Chowdhury and Inspirit’s Chris Lee, as well as special guest Raz Hyder sharing his experiences as a Muslim singer-songwriter. 

• McCarthy Tétrault Law Firm published a useful roundup of charity and nonprofit policy issues and updates; including sector guidance on donor-advised fund best practices, as described in the Canadian Association of Gift Planners Foundation’s guide entitled “Empowering Philanthropy: An Overview of Donor-Advised Funds”. 

• Mark Blumberg, Uma Karthigeyan and Caitlin Lee with Canadian Family Offices have uncovered "21 fallacies about private foundations in Canada", including the myth that ‘private foundations cannot engage in political activities’. 

• WINGS' "Decolonising Impact Measurement: Rethinking How We Measure Change in Philanthropy" argues that, for funders, decolonising impact measurement starts with questioning the idea that standardised metrics are always neutral or objective. 

• Special report: Notable Canadian charitable foundations and their DAFs is a snapshot by Canadian Family Offices of giving through donor-advised funds, featuring Calgary Foundation, Private Giving Foundation, Vancity Community Foundation, MakeWay Foundation (among others). 

• The Rozsa Foundation has been invited to participate in the National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, presented in partnership with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, on March 15-17. It will be among leaders from the cultural, government, technology, academic, and civil society sectors to shape a shared vision for the future of culture in the age of artificial intelligence. 

Upcoming Member & Sector Activities

• Monday, March 16, 7:00-8:30 AM ET (online) | ESSEC Business School’s "Navigating the Complexity of Cross-Sector Collaborations". The webinar will explore the fundamental keys to building a truly integrated partnership and how to move from transactional cooperation to a transformative, long-term alliance that empowers local communities. Register here. 

• Wednesday March 18 at 12 noon ET | Fund for the City of New York's " Beyond the Hype: Getting Started with AI in Philanthropy". Learn more and register here. 

• Thursday, March 19 - 12:00 to 1:30 PM ET | Foundation of Greater Montreal - FGM Rendez-vous: la philanthropie des communautés noires (Philanthropy in Black Communities). Register here. 

• Tuesday, March 24 | Rotman’s “The Future of Giving: Leading CEOs on Crowdfunding and Community Impact” will explore the opportunities to be harnessed and challenges to be navigated in this fast-changing landscape and ask what the future of Canadian philanthropy should look like. Learn more and register here. 

• Wednesday March 25, 3-5 PM ET | Imagine Canada and The Philanthropist Journal's "Conversation with GoFundMe Executives” to better understand the nature of their crowdfunding platform. Register here. 

• Wednesday March 25- Thursday March 26 | Future of Good's Changemaker Wellbeing Summit presented by GreenShield - a gathering, featuring PFC’s André Pawan Vashist and WES Mariam Assefa Fund Canada’s Ani Gurtsishvili, that will foster knowledge and collaboration among staff, leaders, funders, and partners, to make wellbeing a practical, everyday part of social sector work and culture. Register here. 

• Wednesday, April 15 | The Global Migration Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University - Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s Co-Chair Teresa Woo-Pauw, will be a speaker at The State (and Future) of Migration in Canada Roundtable. Learn more and register here. 

• April 16 - Montreal Climate Summit 2026 at the Grand Quay of the Port of Montreal. Discover the program and register here. 

Members in the News

• Joyce Family Foundation gift, an endowed fund to provide up to four bursaries for registered full-time students entering any program that will open new pathways for rural youth, is mentioned in "Gift from The Joyce Family Foundation Creates Bursaries for Rural Students". 

• Viewpoint Foundation gift, which helps fund the Calgary Jewish Federation’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD) program, is mentioned in "Evocative film ‘Le Chemin des Juifs’ screened at CPL on Holocaust Remembrance Day".

• Calgary Arts Development support for “NEXTDOOR,” a cross-border collaboration underscoring the Exposure Photography Festival's commitment to partnership and dialogue beyond provincial and federal boundaries, is highlighted in "Annual photography festival puts Western Canadian talent in focus". 

• Inspirit Foundation’s philanthropic leadership in support of independent small- and medium-sized publications that produce impactful journalism and are led by members of communities underserved in Canadian media, is highlighted in "Winners announced for new multi-million-dollar Canadian journalism fund" media release. 

• Canadian Women’s Foundation-funded shirt to celebrate International Women’s Day, which was designed to spark meaningful conversations and support women, girls and gender-diverse people, is highlighted in "Giant Tiger And The Canadian Women’s Foundation Support Women And Gender-Diverse Communities Across Canada With International Women’s Day Shirt". 

• Black Opportunity Fund, Foundation for Black Communities and Canadian Women's Foundation are highlighted in The Philanthropist Journal’s "Why supporting Black founders strengthens Canada’s economy", which describes how initiatives led by non-profits and philanthropy are demonstrating what more responsive capital can look like. 

• Foundation for Black Communities’ Fatma Hassan; Black Opportunity Fund’s Craig Wellington; Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s Mohammed Hashim, who each  participated in the ‘Finding Common Ground’ panel discussion, are mentioned in "Canada’s Black Justice Strategy".  

• Mastercard Foundation, Rideau Hall Foundation and McConnell Foundation  grants, toward the creation of the first Inuit-led university in Canada, are mentioned in "Federal government confirms $50M for Inuit Nunangat University".  

• Zero Emissions Innovation Centre is quoted supporting BC's Social Housing Energy Savings Program in "Supporting emissions reduction in social, non-profit housing"; and ZEIC’s own Victoria Lim, who leads its events planning and management activities helping bring industry leaders and policymakers together to make our climate safer, is highlighted in "Vancouver event planner revels in the challenge of her role".  

• Peter Gilgan Foundation gift, that will bring the da Vinci Surgical Robot to Milton District Hospital, is highlighted in "Lifechanging donation cements Mattamy Homes’ dedication to Milton and district". 

• Northpine Foundation donation, intended to help expand access to life-changing skilled trades training, is highlighted in "Skilled Trades College and Northpine Foundation Joint Effort to Create Career Pathways for Individuals Impacted by the Justice System" media release. 

• Weston Family Foundation grant, via its Homegrown Innovation Challenge Scaling Phase, which invests in solutions to enable reliable, year-round berry production, is mentioned in "Montel Partners with TMU Researchers to Advance Pollinator-Independent Indoor Berry Production in Canada" and further financial support, that will help strengthen national capacity for the safe, effective use of prescribed fire in support of biodiversity, ecological and community resilience, is mentioned in "First-of-its-kind $8M training program reignites the use of prescribed fire on the land". 

• Azrieli Foundation funding, which allows Michelle Sadowski, co-producer & creative director of the foundation’s ‘The Legacy Project’, to work in Holocaust education, is mentioned in "This Week on Finding Your Bliss"; and, further philanthropic support, intended to ensure a future where caregiver mental health support is accessible, sustainable, and embedded wherever families need it, is mentioned in "No Caregiver Left Behind: Scaling Sustainable Care for Caregivers". 

• Law Foundation of Ontario grant, intended to help the Somali Centre for Family Services launch a new program to help Black youth and their families navigate the court system, is mentioned in "New program aims to bridge gap between Black youth and justice system". 

• Canadian Women’s Foundation's ‘Signal for Help campaign’, which was first launched during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for individuals to discreetly communicate via video call that they were in a dangerous situation without having to say a word, is highlighted in "Do you know the international hand signal for help? It’s discreet but distinct". 

• Rideau Hall Foundation funding to The Philanthropist Journal, that will help support five Black and Indigenous early-career writing fellows in collaboration with five independent, local journalism outlets across the country, is highlighted in "Inuit face food insecurity, cultural loss 13 years into Labrador caribou hunting ban". 

• Azrieli Foundation's philanthropic support of the University of Calgary's One Child Every Child research initiative, which works to dramatically improve the lives of children, their families, and maternal health across Canada, is mentioned in "Working with Indigenous Communities to celebrate stories through narrative writing and community-led gatherings". 

• Foundation for Black Communities’ support, which is helping young Nunavummiut, ages 6 to 18, to be trained to learn anti-bullying strategies, is mentioned in "Iqaluit self-defence class teaches techniques to counter bullies".

• Choquette-Legault Foundation and other donors' philanthropic support to the Memphrémagog Community Land Trust, which is paving the way for the creation of affordable off-market housing and inclusive living environments, is mentioned in “Coup d’envoi de la Fiducie foncière communautaire Memphrémagog" (Kickoff for the Memphrémagog Community Land Trust). 

In Memoriam

Yanar Mohammed (1960 – 2 March 2026)

The Equality Fund is mourning the untimely death of this Iraqi Canadian feminist leader. Its team was deeply shocked and saddened to hear that she was killed in a targeted attack in front of her home in Baghdad, Iraq. 

Get in touch!

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