As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate inequality, several non-profit and grassroots leaders are calling on Canadian donors to spend down — distributing all of their foundation assets within a defined term — in order to free up capital for community impact. Some are responding, but analysis shows that systemic orientation toward perpetuity in the philanthropic sector in Canada may be preventing other philanthropists from following suit.
Canada’s social impact professionals routinely rely on U.S. data to demonstrate systemic racism within the sector, especially as it relates to inequitable grants, funding, and capital transfers. Changing that will require Canadian social impact professionals to gather their own data.
A majority of Canada’s charities don’t have the digital skills and tools they need to adapt to an increasingly online world. And they don’t have the funding to get up to speed, either. The $400 million Community Services Recovery Fund could be an answer — if it’s deployed strategically.
Paying reparations is a concrete way to address the systemic lack of funding for Black-led organizations, especially at a time when Black communities across the U.S. (and Canada) are reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing effects.
Impact startups and small businesses want to build a more equitable post-pandemic recovery in Canada, but they need support to thrive and innovate. There is now a fast-growing movement of early-stage impact investors supporting solutions to systemic issues.
Around 80 percent of Canada’s non-profit and charity workers are women. Those who have children bear a disproportionate brunt of child care duties. Under a publicly-funded child care plan, the sector’s female workforce may be better able to balance work and family life.
