Innoweave moves to MakeWay to grow, transform, and support capacity strengthening across the charitable and nonprofit sector

We are pleased to announce that after 12 years in operation at the McConnell Foundation, Innoweave has moved to MakeWay Foundation.

The move signals a new chapter for Innoweave and an opportunity to evolve and provide more capacity strengthening support for the charitable and nonprofit sector.  

Innoweave has contributed over $8 million in capacity strengthening support to social purpose organizations across the country, by providing access to coaching so that they may learn and implement approaches that will help them clarify and achieve their outcomes.  Through 900+ coaching engagements, Innoweave has helped hundreds of Canadian nonprofits and charities refine their strategic impact goals, enhance organizational performance, prepare to receive impact investments, and collaborate towards collective impact. 

Since its beginnings, Innoweave has continuously shifted to meet the changing needs of charities and nonprofits. With demand for capacity strengthening support at an all-time high, Innoweave is transforming again. The transition builds on longstanding collaboration between McConnell and MakeWay over the past decade, and deep mission and values alignment. With its focus on providing operational and strategic support to partners, as well as its commitment to supporting projects through its shared platform, MakeWay is a natural fit for Innoweave’s next stage of growth.   

Over the past two decades, MakeWay has been part of transformative community-led change. Working towards a world where nature and communities thrive together, MakeWay has developed a unique array of tools, expertise, and resources to support community visions for change at the intersection of social justice, economic, cultural, and ecological wellbeing. MakeWay is committed to fostering a more equitable, resilient, and impactful charitable sector by empowering changemakers with the support and solidarity they need to flourish. Joining MakeWay will allow Innoweave to grow and evolve, building on over a decade of experience, to meet the needs of today’s nonprofit and charitable sector.    

Three people smiling and laughing at each other. Overlayed on the text: Innoweave joins MakeWay

“Social purpose organizations play a crucial role in responding to society’s most pressing challenges, and the demands on these organizations have never been greater,” said Joanna Kerr, MakeWay President and CEO. “MakeWay and McConnell recognize the urgent need to support sector capacity strengthening and invest in the well-being of the people driving social change. MakeWay is excited to build on Innoweave’s experience and legacy while it was housed at McConnell. We hope to ignite an even more transformative program that aligns with MakeWay’s commitment to justice, uplifts community leadership, promotes healthy organizational cultures, and provides spaces for healing.”

“The social sector is the cornerstone of a caring society and plays a pivotal role in creating positive social and environmental change in Canada. Innoweave’s transition to MakeWay represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen the capacity of the non-profit and charitable sector,” says Lili-Anna Pereša, President and CEO of the McConnell Foundation. “By combining Innoweave’s rich history of supporting social purpose organizations with MakeWay’s commitment to empowering changemakers, we are confident that this new partnership will help to usher in transformative impact for Canada’s charitable and non-profit sector and will nurture the seeds of lasting change.”

Capacity strengthening remains a strategic priority for the McConnell Foundation, and both organizations are excited to support Innoweave under this new structure. McConnell also funds capacity strengthening for partners funded through its focus areas and supports networks serving organizations in the non-profit and charitable sector.  

Given the unprecedented and challenging context in which changemakers are having to lead, supports are needed across the sector more than ever. MakeWay will be seeking additional funder partnerships for critical capacity-strengthening work, supporting Innoweave as it adapts and grows to foster resilient organizations capable of achieving meaningful and sustainable impact.  

Innoweave coaching engagements currently underway will continue through the transition phase and applications for new funding will be available in 2024. To learn more about funding opportunities, we invite you to visit the Innoweave website or to reach out to a member of the team.   

 

 

Questions and answers

What will happen to those who are currently receiving funding from Innoweave for a coaching engagement?
The transition to MakeWay will not affect current Innoweave grants. Coaching engagements currently underway are continuing as planned through the transition and all project agreements have been carried over to MakeWay.  We invite you to contact your Innoweave Program Officer directly or info@innoweave.ca if you have any questions about your current coaching project.  

 

When will Innoweave start accepting applications for funding again?
Innoweave will begin funding projects again in 2024 and will share details as we move forward in their upcoming communications. Please subscribe to Innoweave’s newsletter to receive updates on the application timeline and process. 

 

How do I communicate with the Innoweave team now that they are at MakeWay?
The Innoweave team will communicate their new email addresses shortly. Emails to the previous @mcconnellfoundation.ca addresses will be redirected to the new email addresses at MakeWay. You may use either of those email addresses during the next few months, although we encourage you to start using the MakeWay addresses as soon as possible. If you are unsure of which address to contact, we always invite you to write to info@innoweave.ca and the team will gladly redirect your email to the right person.  

 

Where will Innoweave be sharing more information about the transition to MakeWay?
Innoweave will continue to share updates on the transition as well as the next application timeline and process via regular newsletters. We invite you to subscribe to Innoweave’s newsletter.