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PFC - Philanthropic Foundations Canada

March 2011 E-newsletter

Letter from the President
Grantmakers Roundup
PFC Family News and Events
PFC On the Web
Other News and Events

Letter from the President

Collaboration is a theme that is front and centre this month! We have come across several examples and resources related to collaboration among funders, grantees and sectors, that we highlight for you in this issue of the newsletter. These examples are evidence of the increasing awareness of the need for and the impact of collaboration, particularly in tackling complicated issues and making best use of scarce resources. Collaboration is not easy and not always the best or necessary strategy for foundations to pursue. But as social and environmental problems themselves become more intertwined, and funders become more engaged in making change, collaboration becomes more and more interesting.

In the February issue of the newsletter, we referred to the article by Mark Kramer and John Kania on Collective Impact that appeared in the Winter Issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review. This article has created much interest and discussion of its applicability in foundation/funder circles in Canada. It is also discussed in a special issue of Alliance magazine on the topic of collaboration where you will find a number of very balanced articles and examples of philanthropic collaboration – when it works and when it doesn’t.  We have quoted from the co-editors of this special section who wisely start from the premise that collaboration’s worth needs to be proven – in what circumstances and under what conditions it is a valuable strategy?

It is important to acknowledge that collaboration as a strategy is valuable not just for funders but also for funder networks such as ours.   To create more value for our members, PFC must collaborate with other networks that offer access to events and information that we don’t – and vice-versa. One example of collaboration that we are pursuing this year is mutual encouragement for our members to attend each other’s conferences, which are excellent learning opportunities for all. So we are collaborating with Community Foundations of Canada and Canadian Environmental Grantmakers Network to offer member registration rates at all three of our conferences this year. We will look for more such opportunities to share with other funder networks in Canada for the benefit of all our members.

I am pleased to say that PFC members have overwhelmingly recognized the value of being part of a funder network this year, as we have had virtually 100% membership renewal in 2011, for the first time in our eleven year history. This is a terrific vote of confidence by our members but also compelling evidence of the interest in sharing with each other demonstrated by more and more philanthropic funders in Canada.

It is a great start to 2011 and I want to thank all of our members for their faith in the importance of mutual collaboration through PFC!

Hilary Pearson
hpearson@pfc.ca

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Grantmakers Roundup

Government and the Not-for-Profit Sector in Ontario

Funders in Ontario received welcome news of new collaboration with the public sector in March with the announcement by the Government of Ontario that it intended to implement the recommendations made by the Partnership Project, an eight-month consultation to discover ways on how to strengthen the relationship between the Ontario government and the not-for-profit (NFP) sector. The Partnership Project’s recommendations have been accepted as the vision for the government’s continued partnership with the NFP sector.

To push this vision forward, Ontario will establish the Office of the Partnership Project within the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (the current MCI Minister, Dr Eric Hoskins, co-led the Project). This office will act as the point of contact between the sector and government on issues of common interest and concern. A new annual report will provide updates on the status of Partnership Project recommendations and will explore the state of Ontario’s NFP sector. 

The report of the Partnership Project is well worth reading both for Ontario funders interested in an analysis of the challenges facing the NFP sector in the province and for funders in other parts of Canada who may be interested in the model provided by the project report. Of particular interest to funders are the recommendations related to funding practice. As well as streamlining and improving the process of obtaining and accounting for public funding of the sector, the Ontario government committed itself to working with  the Government of Canada and Canadian financial institutions to address regulatory and legal barriers to social innovation, and make a range of social financing tools available to Ontario’s not-for-profit sector.  This is very good news indeed for private funders who want to grow access by NFP organizations to new sources of finance.

 

On Non-Profit Collaboration

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) has been pursuing the subject of not-for-profit collaboration and has released a report on its research to date, which has some helpful points of reflection for funders. Strengthening Collaboration in Ontario’s Not for Profit Sector suggests that the not-for-profit sector is increasingly seeing collaboration as a key strategy for achieving mission, building community and better serving clients.  The report notes that a significant number of such collaborations are crossing over sectors, geography, cultures and populations, which creates more complexity. In this context, intermediaries become more important as brokers and facilitators. And measurement of impact is more complicated, particularly when the collaboration has a purpose of social change. 

Funders are being called on to collaborate amongst themselves for learning, and for joint work on issues. They may even be called on to be collaborators with non-profits, not simply funders of the work of non-profits. For funders, this means more reflection on how to enable (rather than mandate) collaboration.

The report suggests ways in which OTF can act as a change partner (or intermediary) for collaborations; mobilize knowledge exchange about collaboration; create space for reflection and dialogue; provide access to multi-year funding to sustain promising collaborations; and strengthen OTF capacity to advance collaboration. While OTF itself has more staff and dollar resources than most private funders, the report still offers some pertinent suggestions for playing a more effective funder role in collaboration. 

 

More on Non-Profit Collaboration

Alliance Magazine has devoted a special section in its March issue to the topic of non-profit collaboration, trying to answer these questions for funders: when does it make sense and what are the hurdles to overcome? The editors of this special issue start from the proposition that collaboration has no intrinsic value. This, they say, “would force us to make the case for collaboration and to identify its proper role in the repertoire of actions available to foundations to get their work done.” The issue counter poses an argument that sole funding is always the best course as it allows a funder to take full responsibility with an argument that collaboration is often the best strategy when problems are complex and when multiple resources must be brought to bear. The editors note that a suitable candidate for collaboration is a chronic problem embedded in systems or structures that requires different interventions from different organizations to deal with it. The editors conclude their introduction with some questions that funders considering collaboration might like to think about before getting involved: 

 

A New Advocacy School

Of interest to funders involved in building sector capacity to advocate for public policy change, this month sees the launch of a new service for nonprofits, training for public policy advocacy. The mission of Advocacy School is to develop and deliver means by which individuals and organizations can learn to effectively engage the public at large and governments in particular on issues of public policy and social change. Led by Sean Moore, an experienced consultant in public policy advocacy, Advocacy School addresses not only “public-policy advocacy,” i.e. organized, legitimate attempts to influence decisions of government and other public authorities at local, national and international levels, but also efforts to influence decisions and behavior of the media, institutions, corporations and other commercial interests, collective and individual behavior and public opinion. Advocacy School will provide learning opportunities for the novice as well as the veteran, for board members and senior management as well as front-line workers and volunteers.

To read more about the sector’s track record in influencing public policy, check the latest issue of The Philanthropist now online. The current issue discusses public policy and how various parts of the charitable and not-for-profit sector participate in public policy making – and how it should be done.

 

 

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PFC Family News and Events

Welcome New Members

PFC welcomed a new corporate member during the month of January: George Weston Ltd. 

 

 Upcoming PFC Events

 For more information on any of these events, contact info@pfc.ca or continue checking our calendar regularly.


PFC Publications

 

News about Members

The Harbinger Foundation of Toronto has launched a new web site. Visit to learn more about Harbinger’s international activities to improve access to clean water and sanitation. More content will be added in the coming weeks and months including a Report and Articles section and blog posts. 

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation’s 2009-2010 Annual report is now available on the foundation’s website. This Report offers rich content on the Foundation’s mission, its achievements over the last year, and its future projects.

The Donner Awards (supported by the Donner Canadian Foundation), Canada’s largest awards program for nonprofit organizations, is now accepting applications for the 2011 awards. A total of $60,000 is available to be won with nine awards granted. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2011. All applicants who submit by this date will be eligible for a $1,000 cash draw. 

 

PFC on the Web

New in the member area! Summary notes from the PFC member forum on investment strategies for 2011, held on February 24. The forum was moderated by Peter Warrian of the Lupina Foundation in conversation with Donald Coxe of Coxe Advisors and a number of PFC members.

Did You Know?

  1. For members only, we have a section dedicated to investment management? In this section you can find:
  • Our series of investment management survey results from our membership
  • Summary notes from member forums on investment challenges & strategies
  • Sample investment policies.

  1. We have a page on our website for job postings within the grantmaking community? Does your organization have a position to fill? This service is free for PFC members.  
  2. We have a page in the member area for member postings. Do you have interesting reports, articles, news or events that you would like to share with members? Let us know!

Have you forgotten your password or would like to send us a posting? Please contact info@pfc.ca.

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 Other News and Events

The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada will host a roundtable discussion in Vancouver on 11 May 2011 on Aboriginal land-based and/or culturally-focused education innovations. This discussion will be held at the Native Education College, 285 East 5th Ave., from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has released draft guidelines on promoting the welfare of animals by registered charities. The CRA is inviting comments about whether these guidelines cover all relevant issues, how easy they are to understand, and any other concerns. In addition, they welcome questions that could be used to build a list of questions and answers to supplement the guidelines. The deadline for comments is March 31, 2011. For more information, visit: www.cra-arc.gc.ca.

Upcoming Conferences

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