2026 PFC National Conference Call for Sessions Philanthropic Foundations Canada (PFC) is inviting session proposals for its 2026 National Conference, a transformative gathering of foundation leaders, charitable organizations, community stakeholders, and the broader non-profit sector. This year’s theme—Reciprocity—calls us to engage philanthropy as a space of mutual exchange, shared responsibility, and collective action. The conference is being held September 23-25, 2026, in Winnipeg, Manitoba/Treaty 1 Territory Updated Conference Format Building on 2024’s success, the 2026 Conference expands in scope and ambition. The goal of our updated programming approach is to offer tailored, diverse and relevant experience for all participants. Wednesday, September 23 Thursday, September 24 Friday, September 25 Tailored programming Foundations and Grantmakers A day reserved for programming exclusively designed for foundations and grantmakers. That evening, there will also be an Opening Plenary and Keynote to welcome non-grantmaking partners from the nonprofit, government, academic, and broader philanthropic sector. Collaboration Sector Solutions This day is open to all, including non-grantmaking partners from the nonprofit, government, academic, and broader philanthropic collaborators; and is focused on Sector Solutions through a Call for Sessions (details below). Capacity-Building Professional Development This day is open to all, including non-grantmaking partners from the nonprofit, government, academic, and broader philanthropic collaborators; and we will be offering professional development and capacity-building sessions. Sector Solutions | September 24 Call for Sessions We invite proposals for engaging, participatory sessions that center around sector and community solutions and embody a spirit of meaningful collaboration. Sessions should be designed to be active, co-creative, and outcome-oriented, demonstrating how reciprocal relationships between funders, community organizations, Indigenous partners, policy makers, and other stakeholders can deepen trust, accelerate innovation, and produce durable impact across Canada. This is your opportunity to shape a national dialogue on the future of philanthropy in Canada. Let’s build a conference that reflects the values of care, trust, and shared agency—and inspires action toward a more just and sustainable future. Submission Deadline: Monday December 15th Purpose of a day focused on sector solutions Surface intersectional challenges Bring together leaders working across reconciliation, housing, health, climate, policy, and so many other areas to reveal where problems overlap and where joint action will produce greater returns than siloed efforts. Model reciprocity and trust Showcase practices that shift power toward those most affected, strengthen long-term relationships, and move philanthropy from transactional grants to sustained partnership. Seed practical collaboration Translate ideas into near-term plans, shared commitments, or pilot projects that participants can carry back to their organizations and communities. Influence systems and policy Create space for evidence, lived experience, and collective voice to inform policy priorities and philanthropic strategies that remove barriers and scale equitable solutions. Amplify community leadership Center community- and Indigenous-led expertise so solutions are culturally grounded, context-specific, and built on local agency. What We’re Looking For Diverse Session Formats 60 or 90 minutes; styles may vary (workshops, roundtables, world cafe, fishbowls, etc.) Collaborative Design We encourage proposals co-developed by grantmaking foundations and partners from community organizations, government, or academia. Reciprocity in Action Sessions should reflect mutual benefit, shared learning, and trust-based approaches. Cross-Pollination Based on submissions, we may suggest merging proposals or invite collaboration between presenters. Support for Presenters Stipends are available based on financial need. We also encourage foundations with capacity to support their grantee partners’ participation. Who Should Submit We are encouraging proposals that are collaborations between foundations/philanthropic leaders, and Charitable organizations Community-based groups Policy and research institutions Government Academia Philanthropic advisors Other engaged people, organizations and communities Frequently Asked Questions Our goal is to be as transparent and accountable to how we source, select, and invite presenters into this conference, and want to take a justice-based approach, ensuring we give space to the full representation of our membership and community across the country. While much of the work at the intersection of justice and philanthropy relates to flow of capital, decision-making and where we focus our impact, we believe justice can be applied to spaces where we share knowledge, perspectives and hold space for dialogue. If you have any ideas, suggestions, or examples of how we can improve our approach, please email André Pawan Vashist, Director of Learning & Collaboration. Are you prioritizing certain groups of people in your selection process? Yes. We do want to make sure that equity-deserving groups and perspectives that have been heard less within philanthropy have a chance to be heard at our conference. In our session proposal form, we offer an opportunity for people to self-identify if they choose to do so. This will help us better understand the diversity of representation in our conference program and report back to our network. Will all sessions submitted be part of the conference? No. Our first step is to be clear in our call that we do not have capacity for all proposed sessions to be included at the event. However, with the process, we look for opportunities to connect and sessions and presenters that we believe could collaborate, depending on the interest of presenters. Who reviews and selects the sessions? All submitted session proposals will undergo a thorough evaluation by our Program Committee, which is composed of representatives from a diverse coalition of philanthropic and charitable organizations. This committee brings a wealth of experience, values-driven perspectives, and a deep commitment to community impact. Their collective insight ensures that selected sessions align with our mission, reflect a broad range of voices, and offer meaningful contributions to our conference theme of Reciprocity. How are presenters compensated for their participation? Within our limited conference budget, we are able to waive conference registration fees and/or provide stipends to support the costs of travel and accommodation, based on self-identified financial need. We do not expect to pay full conference registration fees and costs for all presenters, as many will be attending and benefiting from the participation in the Conference.