The Philanthropist Journal

As Canadian donors age, crowdfunding may help fill the giving gap

Tim Harper — Mon, 25 May 2026 17:05:01 +0000

Whether it is the aging of donors, financial hardship, or the fraying of social connections that inspire giving, there are challenges lurking everywhere, but digital platforms can create new pathways into generosity.

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The equity problem inside strategic planning

Michelle Gazze — Mon, 11 May 2026 21:01:18 +0000

Access to high-quality strategic planning in Canada’s non-profit sector is not evenly distributed, and that gap compounds everything else.

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Fighting the good fight: Philanthropy and policy advocacy

Toula Drimonis — Mon, 04 May 2026 16:47:02 +0000

The Atkinson Foundation’s Good Fight Prize celebrates the creativity and commitment within the movement for decent work. Toula Drimonis profiles the 2025 winning campaign and the two finalists.

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How philanthropy supported the biggest GHG reduction in North American history

Eric Campbell, Chris Turner — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:09:49 +0000

Philanthropy’s role in closing the last coal-fired power plant in Ontario 12 years ago, one of Canada’s great clean-economy achievements, offers some urgent lessons for how the sector can be most effective today.

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New CAGP research challenges stereotypes, suggests opportunities around planned giving

Sharon Riley — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:54:24 +0000

With shifting mindsets and a huge intergenerational wealth transfer underway, fundraising experts say charities need to be speaking to a more diverse cross-section of Canadians about legacy giving.

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Cultural centre in Nunatsiavut is helping Inuit reconnect with culture and language

Frey Blake-Pijogge — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:25:27 +0000

Inotsiavik is offering youth-led cultural programming, Inuttitut lessons, and more in northern Labrador. Founders say that winning the million-dollar Arctic Inspiration Prize in 2024 allowed them “to have the freedom to just do what the community wants to see.”

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Why trust matters: A reflection

Aline Nizigama, Megan Vella, Maïa Faddoul — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:07:14 +0000

Funding for gender justice rarely fits neatly into a single funding category. It requires both front-line service and system-level advocacy and it’s hard to capture in an elevator pitch. This is where gender justice and trust-based philanthropy must come together.

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Funding legal support for survivors is an upstream intervention

Maïa Faddoul, Kate Webster — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:04:15 +0000

Legal representation can have a significant impact on women and children’s socio-economic outcomes. And yet, access to a family lawyer is still considered a luxury for many women.

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Why supporting Black founders strengthens Canada’s economy

Stella Igweamaka, Stacy Bellanger Bien-Aimé — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:45:19 +0000

When capital finds Black founders, it grows enterprises, creates jobs, and diversifies the innovation ecosystem. Initiatives led by non-profits and philanthropy are demonstrating what more responsive capital can look like.

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Funding for women’s shelters: Government and philanthropy as powerful partners

Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich, Maïa Faddoul — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:55:28 +0000

Ending gender-based violence requires a whole-of-society approach. Collaboration between these two large societal institutions creates stronger, more adaptive supports for women, children, and gender-diverse people fleeing violence.

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How a new funding relationship is transforming children’s mental health in Canada

Marnie Power, Linsey Sherman-Zekulin — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:35:07 +0000

A partnership between a family foundation and a grassroots charity demonstrates what happens when two organizations trust each other enough to shift power, follow community wisdom, and explore an idea without prescribing what it must become.

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On the front lines of eviction prevention

Toula Drimonis — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:02:14 +0000

‘A little goes a long way’ in keeping people housed, advocates say, and the social costs of not addressing the housing crisis are immeasurable.

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The most important infrastructure isn’t in the budget

Mira Oreck, Frederique Chabot, Vani Jain — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:42:16 +0000

Philanthropy has a crucial role to play in supporting the chronically underfunded work of gender justice organizations – which are holding communities together in an age of precarity – and the moment is now.

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10 years after the TRC, Indigenous philanthropy is gaining momentum

Will Pearson — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:13:29 +0000

In 2015, the Canadian philanthropic community made a “pledge to do better” on reconciliation. At an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Declaration of Action, Indigenous-led charitable foundations took centre stage.

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La course aux fonds philanthropiques

Teresa Marques — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:24:11 +0000

Les fondations ont constaté une augmentation spectaculaire des demandes de financement pour les mêmes montants accordés. Existe-t-il une possibilité pour les organismes philanthropiques de collaborer davantage face à ces pressions?

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The growing demand for philanthropic dollars

Teresa Marques — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:17:41 +0000

Foundations have seen a dramatic increase in funding requests for the same granting dollars. Is there an opportunity for philanthropy to work more collaboratively in the face of these pressures?

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What does a ‘trilemma’ mean for the sector in 2026? We turned the tables and asked journalists to weigh in

Sharon Riley, Julien Posture — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:06:33 +0000

We asked journalists who cover the sector to share what they’ve been hearing and thinking about the challenges facing the charitable and philanthropic sector in 2026.

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‘Both Sides Now’ : Conjuguer espoir et dures réalités dans la philanthropie canadienne

Jean-Marc Mangin — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 01:05:58 +0000

Que signifie pour la philanthropie canadienne de relever ce défi? En 2025, le
reseau du Fondations Philanthropiques Canada s’est réuni à travers le pays pour poser cette question urgente. Le président-directeur général des FPC partage ce qu'il a entendu, ainsi que trois engagements pour la nouvelle année.

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‘Both Sides Now’: Embracing hope and harsh realities in Canadian philanthropy

Jean-Marc Mangin — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:09:17 +0000

What does it mean for Canadian philanthropy to meet this moment? In 2025, the Philanthropic Foundations Canada network gathered across the country to ask this urgent question. PFC’s president and CEO shares what they heard, as well as three commitments for the new year.

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The need for investment to counter economic abuse is a philanthropic blind spot

Meseret Haileyesus — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:38:14 +0000

Economic abuse is an urgent issue that remains invisible in both philanthropy and corporate responsibility, the CEO of the Canadian Centre for Women’s Empowerment argues. Addressing this injustice will strengthen families, communities, and the entire economy, she writes.

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