Series - Editorial Fellowship: Transforming Funding Models

Are Canadian foundations afraid of death?

Author Gabe Oatley
In Canada, philanthropic perpetuity is the norm, but some are bucking the trend

Why It Matters

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate inequality, several non-profit and grassroots leaders are calling on Canadian donors to spend down โ€” distributing all of their foundation assets within a defined term โ€” 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.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"Are Canadian foundations afraid of death?. This is the first story in the Future of Good editorial fellowship covering the social impact world's rapidly changing funding models, supported by Community Foundations of Canada and United Way Centraide Canada.\u00a0 In 2016, the pitfalls of the \u2018perpetual\u2019 family foundation hit Kerny Korchinski like a wind storm ripping across the prairies.\u00a0 In November of that year, Korchinski and his daughter Corinne Korchinski-Fisher were at a Philanthropic Foundations of Canada conference in Vancouver. It was time for break-out sessions, and Korchinski, a polo-shirt-wearing, white haired gentleman in his seventies, opted for a session about \u201cspending down\u201d \u2014 the practice of distributing all of

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