In September, The Philanthropist and the McConnell Foundation co-published a new book called Social Innovation in Canada: Reflections on Past, Present and Future Directions. It explores the possibilities, opportunities and challenges that the social innovation movement has faced and will continue to face in support of transformative systems change in Canada. The book includes insights […]
Learn moreThe COVID-19 crisis brings unique new demands on the charitable sector. Part of the McConnell Foundation’s response is to join with others in calling for an increase in charitable disbursements for 2020 to 5% (up from the 3.5% required by the CRA) and to propose a Sector Stabilization Fund. Today the Foundation is announcing two […]
Learn moreMany charities and non-profits recognize that “business as usual” will not be sufficient in addressing complex social and environmental challenges. The systems we work in are changing quickly and it is important to have space and time to learn, reflect and test new kinds of practice that might lead to better social and environmental outcomes. […]
Learn moreFoundation Director of Solutions Finance, Erica Barbosa Vargas, recently sat down with Lynn Fergusson of the Impact Conversations podcast to discuss Canada’s growing impact investing sector. She also shares what the Foundation is doing to address the bottleneck they see in financial intermediaries, so that more funds can be directed into impact investing, to ultimately […]
Learn moreThe McConnell Foundation is currently recruiting a Program Officer to join its team in Montreal on a full-time, permanent basis. The successful candidate would be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders and a portfolio of grants related to our strategic orientations, including our focus on building a low-carbon economy in Canada. As […]
Learn moreCould a network of regulatory experimentation labs in cities build legitimacy and shape inclusive innovation toward a great transition? This proposal is a response to one of the most urgent crises of our time: the widespread erosion of trust in governments, organizations, and each other. The immediate crises of ecological collapse and social inequality are […]
Learn moreThe Government of Canada launched a call for proposals on an ongoing basis under the Sustainable Development Goals Funding Program for 2019-2020 to support and leverage the work of stakeholders furthering Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Organizations interested in receiving up to $100,000 in grant funding for one-year projects aimed at building awareness, increasing […]
Learn moreThree finalist teams moving forward to finals at Oxford University in June. How does social change happen? It’s a question many of us are trying to figure out, and if we’re honest, we don’t quite know, but we can be reasonably confident about a few key ingredients: 1) as Margaret Mead teaches us, a small […]
Learn moreBy Tim Draimin Senior Advisor at the McConnell Foundation and former Executive Director of Social Innovation Generation (SiG) National. This article was originally published by Re$earch Money. It has been republished here with the publisher’s permission. Humankind has always tended to focus on the upsides of new discoveries and innovations, but the past year […]
Learn moreFor Canadian charities, political activity is now a constitutionally protected form of freedom of expression. The federal government has withdrawn its appeal of the 2018 ruling by Justice Morgan in the Canada Without Poverty (CWP) case. Ruling on this case, Justice Morgan declared the 10% limit on political activities by charities to be unconstitutional. This […]
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