Reconciliation and Indigenous Philanthropy

McConnell commits $30M in capital transfer to Indigenous-led foundations. What's a capital transfer? And will others follow?

Black and Indigenous-led foundations have called on private foundations to transfer assets to them — to put them in charge of distributing resources to their own communities. But have funders been heeding these calls?

It’s 2023. Are you still using a ‘lip service’ land acknowledgement? There’s a better way — and a new Indigenous-led fundraising school is here to help.

Indigenous people are donors, volunteers, partners and beneficiaries in the charitable sector. Non-Indigenous teams need to be well-equipped to respectfully engage with Indigenous people in all of these roles. It’s both basic respect, and it’s mission-critical for modern charitable organizations’ funding models.

“Maps can be seen as truth”: Why Indigenous communities are using digital mapping to defend their land

GIS mapping superimposes layers of data about a location over a digital map to reveal trends and gaps in an area. For social purpose organizations working at local or regional levels, this information can be critical in driving awareness and funding towards specific communities’ challenges.

First-ever by-Indigenous for-Indigenous platform launches to help boost donations for Indigenous initiatives across the country

Many settler-led philanthropic organizations want to boost their financial support for Indigenous-led projects, but some lack relationships with Indigenous communities and don’t know where to start.

New report shows funding gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous charities remains astronomical in size

A second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has gone by, and Indigenous charities still receive $1 for every $138 received by non-Indigenous charities, while also facing systemic underfunding by governments.

Taught by the land: Canadian Roots Exchange shares how land-based education empowers Indigenous youth across Canada

High transportation costs and urbanization are just a few barriers that keep Indigenous youth from connecting to the land. Land-based education plays a huge role in not only lowering these barriers for youth, but also teaching them how to build a relationship with the environment and protect it.

Why healing is at the centre of Indigenous Climate Action’s work

At the roots of the climate crisis are systems of oppression, which perpetuate harm mentally, physically and emotionally. Rest is just as important a response to the climate crisis as organizing — the two go hand in hand. Healing justice could be a way to sustain the climate movement.

This Indigenous founder moved back home to Northern Ontario to help solve food insecurity — here’s how he’s doing it.

With historically unprecedented inflation rates in Canada, northern communities are facing some of the most drastic increases in food prices. Initiatives seeking to boost food security in these regions need to make meaningful connections with local communities — to go beyond quick fixes and establish sustainable, long term solutions.

The Indigenous tourism industry’s growth was cut in half during the pandemic. Here’s what that means for communities’ economic and cultural resilience.

Indigenous tourism organizations are preserving and sharing hundreds of unique Indigenous cultures that have been historically silenced — and are a source of economic resilience, too.

A flipped power dynamic: Philanthropists must apply to a council of aunties to fund these Indigenous groups

Funders and grantmakers often wield considerable power over their fundees, determining what gets funded, when and how. The Right Relations Collaborative flips this power dynamic by putting Indigenous aunties in the driver’s seat. The model is firmly rooted in a local territory, but offers a new approach to grantmaking that could inspire a shift in funding relationships across the country.

In-depth Q&A: Cindy Blackstock on reparations, reconciliation, and why Canada’s philanthropic community shies away from her cause

The social purpose sector in Canada often says it prioritizes reconciliation and justice for Indigenous communities. Cindy Blackstock says that commitment requires political advocacy for the rights of First Nations families.

In depth conversation: International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan on decolonizing aid and development

The pandemic has devastated the global south, not just through the virus itself, but also its knock-on social and economic effects. Minister Sajjan’s mandate letter makes clear that Canada is to play a major role in their recovery — but colonial approaches to global development work could cause unintended harm.

Settlers, here are the questions leaders in reconciliation and decolonization want you to spend National Day for Truth and Reconciliation asking yourself

A majority of social purpose organizations are settler-led but work with and serve Indigenous people and communities every day. It’s imperative that these organizations meaningfully engage in decolonizing and embedding reconciliation principles into their work, to work with Indigenous communities in more informed and respectful ways.

Indigenous youth should lead Canada’s implementation of UNDRIP, experts say

After its initial refusal in 2007, Canada endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People: a piece of legislation impacting everything from resource extraction to land disputes. With Indigenous youth being the future of their communities, it’s vital that UNDRIP be implemented with Indigenous youth policy leaders at the forefront, shaping what future legislation looks like in Canada.