On February 24, 2021, PFC held its second webinar on the work of foundations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The session was a moderated discussion featuring Susan Phillips and Jean-Marc Fontan, and moderated by Kristen Pue. Jean-Marc Fontan is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is also the Co-director of PhiLab, the Canadian Philanthropy Partnership Research Network. Susan Phillips is a Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration (SPPA) at Carleton University. She is also the Director of the Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program. Kristen Pue is a postdoctoral fellow at Carleton University’s SPPA.
The webinar opened with an overview of interim findings for three research projects on COVID-19: PhiLab’s case study research on collaborative and individual philanthropic responses to the pandemic; SPPA’s Delphi panel tracking how foundations have adapted and continue to adapt to the pandemic; and PFC’s own survey mapping the philanthropic response to COVID-19.
In the context of how foundations have reacted to the pandemic, the panellists discussed:
- How the work of foundations has changed and continues to change during the COVID-19 pandemic;
- COVID-19 emergency funding and how to assess its impact;
- Systems change and what it might mean for foundations as Canada recovers from the pandemic;
- How the pandemic is shaping discussions about the role of foundations, including the mandatory disbursement quota; and
- How foundations’ relationships have changed during the pandemic and new modes of collaboration.
