Archive for 2011
Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies (ALLIES)—a Maytree and Foundation program to support local efforts in Canadian cities to successfully adapt and implement programs that further the suitable employment of skilled immigrants—was recently profiled in the Globe and Mail.
The report is a result of the first stages of research ALLIES has undertaken to better understand the programs and policies that can engage and influence the human resource practices of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises with less than 200 employees).
Drawing on an examination of programs, policies and organizational efforts aimed at SMEs in 10 provinces and 20 cities, and more than 50 interviews with key informants, this research proposes eight practical ideas for cities, service providers and employers.
Click here to learn more about the findings, and to download the report.
Tags:ALLIES, Global Talent for SMEs: Practical Ideas to Connect Small and Medium Businesses with the Skilled Immigrant Workforce, The Globe and Mail, The Maytree Foundation
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Monday, October 24th, 2011
The 8-week series, featuring leaders of the SiG initiative, will explore social innovation—sharing lessons learned, best practices and emerging concepts and ideas.
- November 2: Frances Westley on Social Innovation and Resilience
- November 9: Stephen Huddart on Managing Social Innovation
- November 16: Allyson Hewitt on Shared Value & what it means for the non-profit sector
- November 23: Cheryl Rose on Community-University Partnerships
- November 30: Tim Draimin on Supporting global learning: Australia/Canada social innovation synergies
- December 7: Al Etmanski on Natural Care
- December 13: Tim Brodhead on Key trends in philanthropy for grant seekers from a SI perspective (Note: this event takes place on a Tuesday)
- December 20: Dr. Ilse Treurnicht on Upcoming Trends in Innovation
Tags:Al Etmanski, Allyson Hewitt, Cheryl Rose, Frances Westley, Ilse Treurnicht, Inspiring Action for Social Impact Series, MaRS Discovery District, Social innovation, Social Innovation Generation, Stephen Huddart, Tim Brodhead, Tim Draimin
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Friday, October 14th, 2011
October 6th marked the official launch of Montreal’s Centre for Sustainable Development (Maison du Développement Durable), the first commercial building in the downtown core of a major Canadian city to seek LEED Platinum certification in the new construction category. The comprehensive project—lead by long-time Foundation grantee Équiterre—integrates environmental, social, and economic elements.
Eight socially and environmentally minded organizations united to create the Centre for Sustainable Development, a demonstration green building (comprising 5 floors and over 60,000 square feet) whose mission is to inspire everyone from property developers to the general public to embrace sustainability.
Tags:Centre for Sustainable Development, Équiterre, LEED Platinum certification, Maison du développement durable
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Friday, September 30th, 2011
MaRS Discovery District announced this week that substantial funding support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the McConnell Foundation will be made available for the Centre for Impact Investing, to be housed at MaRS.
The Centre for Impact Investing will build upon the foundational work of MaRS and Social Innovation Generation (SiG), including the landmark report, Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good, by the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance. The Centre will be a national hub that will increase awareness for and effectiveness of social finance to catalyze new capital, talent, and initiatives dedicated to tackling social and environmental problems in Canada. The Centre will act as a point of global connection for Canadian efforts into the emerging field of impact investing, delivering programs and initiatives focused on research and policy, market and product development, and education and engagement initiatives to build the collective ability to mobilize private capital towards public good.
See the Globe and Mail’s coverage of this announcement
Tags:MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, MaRS Discovery District, Social Finance, Social Innovation Generation, Task Force on Social Finance
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Friday, September 23rd, 2011
The Foundation is pleased to announce its latest publication: Resilience. With the purpose of sharing the Foundation’s evolving strategies and granting focus, Resilience provides an understanding of why we fund what we do and highlights lessons learned from work with our grantees and partners.
Resilience is available to download from our website.
During Tim Brodhead’s tenure as President of the Foundation, one of the most popular sections of the Foundation’s website was the “President’s Corner”, which contained the speeches that he delivered to various national audiences.
These speeches, on topics ranging from the environment to the economy and from social inclusion to social innovation have been compiled in the publication Reflections on Philanthropy and Society: The Speeches of Tim Brodhead
To download Reflections on Philanthropy and Society: The Speeches of Tim Brodhead or for more publications, visit the Resources section of the Foundation’s website.
Tags:Foundation resources, Reflections on Philanthropy and Society: The Speeches of Tim Brodhead, Resilience, Tim Brodhead
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Saturday, August 20th, 2011
Foundation grantee, TakingITGlobal, in collaboration with the Global Youth Action Network, and the Knight Foundation, are launching YouthMovements.org, a project that will aggregate and showcase youth-led and youth-serving projects globally.
“After a decade of serving young people making a difference in their communities through our network, we’re excited to facilitate the creation of an online hub of youth-led initiatives across the globe,” said Jennifer Corriero, Executive Director of TakingITGlobal. “YouthMovements.org will connect key organizations working to support young people in their efforts to improve the world, helping to amplify the support they provide and the lessons being learned through their engagement with youth.”
YouthMovements.org will launch later this year.
Learn more about YouthMovements.org
Tags:Engaging Youth, TakingITGlobal
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Monday, August 15th, 2011
On July 21, Santropol Roulant, a longtime Foundation grantee, unveiled their new rooftop garden and urban agriculture demonstration site to the public and media.
The unveiling received abundant media coverage, which included a full page article in Metro and a feature on CTV’s Sunday Bite.
“We want this to be a community building. We wanted to move from being a neighbourhood meals-on-wheels to a community food centre,” says Tim Murphy, Santropol’s director of sustainability. “We have compost in the basement, we have gardening on the roof, we have our kitchen on the ground floor. All of this is meant to showcase what it means to have a sustainable urban food cycle.”
Learn more about Santropol Roulant
Tags:CTV's Sunday Bite, Metro, rooftop garden, Santropol Roulant
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Friday, July 29th, 2011
The Caledon Institute’s Anne Makhoul recently documented the lessons learned from the Canadian Caregiver Coalition’s (CCC) successful effort to bring the issues of family caregivers to the attention of Canadian politicians and policy makers.
As Makhoul explains, “Neither mysterious nor manipulative, SI is about putting the asker into a government mindset. By understanding politicians’ and bureaucrats’ top-of-mind issues, pressures; likely policy developments and the players involved, the inquirer is able to shape the needs of their audience into messages that government can ‘hear’.”
Download Effecting Policy Change: Lessons from the Canadian Caregiver Coalition
Tags:Caledon Institute, Canadian Caregiver Coalition, Supporting Family Caregivers
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Monday, July 25th, 2011
The B.C. Government recently announced $3 million in funding for Connect for Care, a program to help seniors and people with disabilities remain independent and socially connected while still living at home. Building on the experience of lead partner Tyze Personal Networks, the program will deliver a targeted suite of online tools and personal support networks to help individuals, families and other caregivers.
“No one should have to face illness, caregiving or disability on their own,” says Vickie Cammack, Tyze CEO. “This funding will assist friends, family and neighbours across the province to connect, collaborate and care for one another.”
Tyze Personal Networks, a social enterprise that has been delivering online personal networks since 2008, launched The Belonging Fund in partnership with the Foundation in 2010.
Tags:Supporting Family Caregivers, Tyze, Vickie Cammack
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The Foundation is now accepting submissions for the newly launched 
We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint