Why Canada needs community capital institutions, now more than ever
Why It Matters
The United States puts more than $1 billion per year into a fund for community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and mandates that big banks make investments into low-income neighbourhoods, which they do by lending to CDFIs. Canada doesn’t have similar institutions that could classify as CDFIs, but if we did, hundreds of millions of dollars could be catalyzed to support communities’ recovery and regeneration.
The $350M fund for charities and non-profits has launched. Here’s how it works.
Why It Matters
With charities and non-profits across Canada struggling for volunteers and experiencing surging demand, the rollout of the federal government’s $350 million emergency funding charitable projects comes not a moment too soon. The fund’s support for local initiatives and its inclusion of non-qualified donees could be an effective way of reaching vulnerable Canadians, partner organizations say. But without a much larger stabilization fund in the long-term, much of the social impact sector might not survive the pandemic.
Rates of domestic violence are increasing during the pandemic — here’s what the Canadian Women’s Foundation is doing to help
Why It Matters
While rates of domestic violence are going up as isolation continues, experts say they were epidemic-level even before the pandemic. Victims are in need of stronger support networks, especially easily-accessed virtual networks, to help break the cycle.
Why the federal government’s startup support doesn’t help new non-profit founders
Why It Matters
Established non-profits with significant impact in Canada — like Kids Help Phone, which is a critical counselling resource for young people or Canada Learning Code, which excels in boosting digital skills — were once startups. Today, a generation of non-profit startups are set back by the federal government’s lack of support during COVID-19 — likely setting back Canada’s recovery too.
Post-secondary students are graduating into a recession — here’s what that means for the social impact sector
Why It Matters
Compared to the general population, recent graduates are particularly hard hit by economic downturns, experiencing long-term reductions in wages, employment, and even higher mortality.