Non-profits seek answers after changes at Suncor Energy Foundation

Questions are being raised about the future of Suncor Energy Foundation (SEF) after several long-time staff members left the organization in quick succession.

An update sent to the foundation’s “partners, colleagues, and friends” this September lists seven team members as working with SEF. However, LinkedIn profiles belonging to those employees confirm that at least four of those staff members have since left Suncor.

Two departed in October, followed by two more in November. The circumstances of those departures have not been made clear.

A fifth member of the foundation’s team left the organization last January, around the same time SEF sent past grant recipients an email stating that Suncor was making changes to “ensure organizational resiliency.”

That email also indicated the foundation planned to reduce the number of organizations it supported.

“If we’re honest with ourselves, we know SEF has a habit of trying to do too much,” it read. “When spread too thinly, we lose the ability to connect with and build bridges between Suncor and community.” 

Future of Good has spoken with several organizations whose requests for funding were denied by SEF over the last 11 months. Some of these organizations had years-long relationships with the foundation and relied on its contributions for core funding.

None of the organizations were prepared to speak publicly on the issue for fear that doing so could jeopardize future funding opportunities.

However, all expressed frustration at the potential loss of both funding and long-time community liaisons.

“These were very thoughtful, well-considered people we had partnered with for many, many years,” said one affected executive director, who said the changes represent a loss of institutional and community knowledge.

An email obtained by Future of Good suggests Suncor’s external affairs department—which also handles government and investor relations and external communications—will now oversee SEF.

When asked about restructuring, a Suncor spokesperson replied that the foundation would continue to be “driven by the same number of dedicated staff that the organization has had in place throughout the organization’s history.”

“The Suncor Energy Foundation continues normal operations and plans for an equivalent or higher level of funding support in the communities in which we operate in 2025 and beyond,” they wrote in an emailed response.

Since 1998, the foundation has disbursed $284 million to various charities, including $24 million in its most recent fiscal year. Last month, it made more than 50 grants to organizations across Canada.

The foundation maintains its grantmaking will continue to focus on Indigenous-led solutions, equity, and reconciliation, as well as community-focused initiatives, particularly those geared “toward sustainable social and environmental well-being.”

The foundation’s fall newsletter also references increased support for post-secondary initiatives.

In 2023 and 2024, SEF funded a social finance fellowship at Future of Good.