As a follow up to his Charities, Sustainable Funding and Smart Growth discussion paper, Chief Economist Brian Emmett presents a strategic architecture for government and the charitable and nonprofit sector to address the looming social deficit in Canada. The missions of charities align with building the future Canadians want – one that is equitable, inclusive, and environmentally responsible – but without attention to the economic contributions of charities and regulatory reform of out-dated rules and regulations, the innovation necessary to fulfill this promise will be greatly impeded.

Released in February 2018

As Canadian charities face a long-term crisis of financial sustainability, they are looking at ways to increase earned income. At the same time, for-profit businesses have become more active in areas once thought to be the unique domain of charities. 

This discussion paper, by Chief Economist Brian Emmett, argues that for-profit businesses and charities co-exist in many markets, both benefiting from government support, and that tax policy has little, if any, effect on market shares and earnings of for-profit businesses.

Released in January 2019.

This national report provides the first comprehensive look at how Canadian charities are measuring and evaluating their work, how they are talking with their funders about evaluation, and what enablers and barriers they are facing.

In 2018, we surveyed charities across Canada about their measurement and evaluation practices. Through this research, we discovered how the sector is talking about the impact of their work.

March 2019