BLACK COMMUNITIES

OVERLOOKED BY
CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED
BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY
A research report prepared by the Network for the Advancement
of Black Communities and Carleton University’s Philanthropy and
Nonprofit Leadership program.

AUTHORS: Rachel Pereira, MPNL

Liban Abokor, Executive Director, Youth LEAPS

Fahad Ahmad, Nonprofit Consultant and PhD Candidate
in Public Policy at Carleton University
Firrisaa Jamal Abdikkarim

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
This report involved the work of countless organizations and people. We sincerely thank all who contributed.
All opinions and interpretations in this report are the opinions, interpretation, or perspectives of the
author and editorial team and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organizations or people
we acknowledge here.

The following people provided their valuable perspectives in the report:

Paul Bailey Chris Fredette Tasha Lackman Susan Phillips

Executive Director Associate Professor, Vice President, Professor and Graduate
Black Health Alliance Management and Strategy Philanthropy and Supervisor, Philanthropy
Odette School of Business, Community and Nonprofit Leadership
Djaka Blais-Amare
University of Windsor Foundation of Greater Carleton University
Grants Associate
Montreal/Fondation
Calgary Foundation Liben Gebremikael Joseph Smith
Du Grand Montréal
Executive Director Director of Emotional
Nation Cheong
TAIBU Community Bruce Lawson Intelligence
Vice President,
Health Centre President Generation Chosen
Community Opportunities
The Counselling
and Mobilization Agapi Gessesse Aïcha Ali Taïga
Foundation
United Way Greater Executive Director Head of Legal Affairs
Toronto CEE Centre for Young Marcel Lauziére and Corporate Secretary
Black Professionals President and CEO Foundation of Greater
Rebecca Darwent
The Lawson Foundation Montreal/Fondation
Lead, Partnerships Teshini Harrison
Du Grand Montréal
Purpose Co. Policy Analyst Kevin McCort
Ontario Non-Profit President Dori Tunstal
Network Vancouver Foundation Dean, Faculty of Design
OCAD University

Thank you to the Counselling Foundation of Canada and the Lawson Foundation for their early support and
for sponsoring this report.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Summary of Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF BLACK PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES

IN CANADA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

PHILANTHROPY AND BLACK COMMUNITIES: INTERVIEWS

WITH SECTOR LEADERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Philanthropy’s support of Black communities in Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

What is needed for philanthropy to better support Black communities in Canada? . . . . . . . . 13

The potential of the Foundation for Black Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

AN ANALYSIS OF FOUNDATION FUNDING FOR BLACK COMMUNITY

ORGANIZATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

THE NEED FOR THE FOUNDATION

FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

GOVERNMENT AND PHILANTHROPY MUST ACT TOGETHER TO

ESTABLISH THE FOUNDATION FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Methodology for interview data analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

METHODOLOGY FOR FOUNDATION

FUNDING REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Analysis of public and private foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Analysis of community foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The COVID-19 pandemic and contemporary anti-Black racism movements have shone further
light on the systemic racism and hardships faced by Black people in Canada. The experience of
Black people in Canada points to the inadequacy of public policy in addressing the concerns
of Black communities. It also suggests that Canadian philanthropy has not sufficiently invested
in the well-being of Black communities and Black community organizations.

This research report provides the first systematic, empirical examination of the extent to which
Canadian philanthropy has responded to the unique and intersectional challenges facing Black
communities. In establishing the social context and lived experience of Black community members,
the report makes apparent that the needs of Black people in Canada are both specific and urgent.
Despite the clear case for investment, Canadian philanthropy has largely been absent in supporting
Black people in Canada. Evidence that illustrates how Canadian philanthropy has failed to meet
the needs of Black people in Canada is drawn from the analysis of two sets of original data:
1) Semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten Black and non-Black philanthropic leaders
from across the Canadian philanthropic sector; and 2) a review of the funding portfolios of
40 Canadian foundations.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Our research and analysis suggest that the Canadian philanthropic sector has failed to
support the urgent and specific needs of Black communities in Canada. As the philanthropic
sector stands, it lacks the tools and knowledge to support Black communities effectively.
Our key findings are:

• Both public and private foundations underfund

Black-serving and Black-led community organizations.
Only six of the 40 public and private foundations we
reviewed funded Black-serving organizations over the Across all community foundations
2017 and 2018 fiscal years, and only two foundations we reviewed, grants to Black-serving
funded Black-led organizations in the same timeframe. organizations represented a meagre

• Compared to private and other public foundations, 0.7 percent of total grants during

community foundations have a better record of funding the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

Black-serving organizations, but both Black-serving Grants to Black-led organizations

were only 0.07 percent of total grants
and Black-led organizations remain under-funded.
made in the same period.
All but one of the community foundations we reviewed
funded Black-serving organizations over the 2017
and 2018 fiscal years, but only six funded Black-led
organizations in the same timeframe.

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 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

• The total amount of grant funding going to Black-serving

and Black-led organizations is miniscule. Moreover,
grant funding is sporadic, unsustained, and does not
invest in the long-term capabilities of Black community For the other public and private
organizations. foundations we reviewed,
0.13 percent of total grants during
• Philanthropic and nonprofit leaders see the need
the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years
for and the potential of a Black-led philanthropic
were given to Black-serving
foundation. Such a foundation would allow for the
organizations, and Black-led orga-
self-determination of Black communities, build the
nizations received only
capacity of Black community organizations, ensure
0.03 percent of total grant funds
collaboration with other foundations to share resources
in the same period.
and networks, and challenge the current philanthropic
paradigm that wields ‘power over’ people with a
top-down flow of resources. They assert that
inadequate data, a lack of representation of Black
communities in philanthropy, and systemic barriers,
including anti-Black racism, have led to a severe underfunding of Black communities in
Canada. This has resulted in the philanthropic sector not understanding the needs of
Black communities, nor the extent to which they are being supported by the sector.

RECOMMENDATION
A dedicated Foundation for Black Communities is urgent and necessary to address the particular and
complex needs of Black communities in Canada. The Foundation for Black Communities will embody a
transformational model of community philanthropy that centres the self-determination of Black people
in Canada, leverages community assets, and utilizes an inclusive and trust-based decision process
to determine resource allocation, and community and capacity building priorities. The Foundation for
Black Communities will be a first-of-its-kind institution to invest in priority areas that will lead towards
a more promising future for Black people in Canada. For the Foundation for Black Communities to be
successful, it needs to be sufficiently resourced so that it can provide sustained financial support to
Black communities and Black community organizations.

There have been prior instances where Canadian philanthropy and the federal government have worked
together to make sizable investments to address systemic issues facing equity seeking groups.
For example, earlier this year, government and philanthropy together invested $400 million towards
the Equality Fund; in 1998, the federal government invested $515 million in the Aboriginal Healing Fund.
To realize the objectives of the Foundation for Black Communities, we believe the federal government
and the philanthropic sector must collaborate to provide a commensurate level of support so that
Black communities can make long-term, sustained investments towards their own well-being. The
Foundation for Black Communities would ensure that Black communities retain autonomy to prioritize
and allocate investments based on their needs.

3
INTRODUCTION

The combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and a severely distressed economy
poses a real and significant crisis to an already fragile safety net for the 1.2 million people that
comprise Canada’s diverse Black communities. Simultaneously, contemporary social movements
have highlighted how public policy and philanthropic efforts have failed to meet the needs
of Black communities who continue to be subject to institutional racism and discrimination.
The opportunity to do something both meaningful and lasting and that will address the needs
of the Black community in Canada has never been greater.

The aim of this report is to provide a systematic analysis of the extent to which Canadian
philanthropic institutions have responded to the needs of Black communities and organizations.
The research and analysis in this report examines the hypothesis that the lack of attention,
investment, and long-term commitment towards Black communities from Canadian philan-
thropy contributes to a resource and adaptive-capacity gap that impacts the sustainability of
Black-led and Black-serving organizations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a Black-led
and Black-serving philanthropic foundation specifically mandated to meet the needs of
Black communities.

The analysis in this report consists of three parts. The first part summarizes secondary
research on the social context of Black people in Canada, underscoring how systemic
anti-Black racism manifests in the various social domains, including education, labour market,
health, and criminal justice. This research establishes the context for why it is urgent for philan-
thropy, alongside public policy, to address the specific needs of Black communities.

In the second part of this report, we summarize the findings of interviews with Black and
non-Black philanthropic and nonprofit leaders across key urban centres in Canada. Interview
respondents highlight the philanthropic sector’s lack of data and understanding about the
needs of Black communities, weak networks and representation of Black communities in
philanthropy, and the systemic barriers facing Black community organizations. This section
also captures the recommendations of these leaders about how philanthropy can better
support Black communities.

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The third part of this report provides the first empirical analysis of the extent to which top
Canadian foundations provide funding to Black-serving and Black-led community organizations.
We created a dataset based on reviewing the funding portfolios of 40 public, private, and
community foundations over the fiscal years beginning in 2017 and 2018. This analysis
confirms our starting hypothesis that Canadian philanthropic institutions have severely
underfunded Black community organizations, indicating a lack of commitment to the needs
and priorities of Black communities.

Based on the analysis, we stress the importance of a Black-led, community-governed,

well-resourced philanthropic foundation that complements public policy actions to address
the social, economic, and health challenges facing Black people in Canada. We argue that a
dedicated foundation – the Foundation for Black Communities – that prioritizes the concerns
of Black communities while applying principles of community philanthropy is the best way
for philanthropy to meet the needs of Black communities and organizations.

5
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF BLACK PEOPLE
AND COMMUNITIES IN CANADA

Between 1996 and 2016, the Black population doubled in size,

growing from 573,860 persons to 1,198,540 persons.1 Black
people now account for about 3.5 percent of the Canadian Between 1996 and 2016,
population, and Statistics Canada projects that Black the Black population
population could represent between 5 to 5.6 percent of doubled in size
the population by 2036. Although most of Canada’s Black
population lives in large urban centres like Toronto and
Montreal, it is the Prairies that have the fastest-growing Black
population. The Black population is also relatively young.
According to the 2016 Canadian census, 16.9 percent of
the Canadian population are children under the age of
15 years old, and the Black population made up 26.6 percent
of this age group.2 Although this is a growing and thriving
population in many ways, Black people in Canada continue
1996 2016
to face unique barriers and challenges due to racism and
discrimination.

In a country that prides itself on its diversity, Black people have long resisted and continue to
struggle with racism and discrimination in their daily lives. In 2016, the United Nations’ Working
Group of Experts on People of African Descent emphasized its “[deep] concern about the
human rights situation of African Canadians.” 3 This concern is merited and is largely provoked
by Canada’s long history of anti-Black racism. Black people in Canada are nearly twice as likely
to report experiencing discrimination when compared to white Canadians,4 with downstream
consequences affecting employment, financial security, food security, health, education,
and criminal justice. In 2018, there were 283 incidents motivated by hatred against the Black
population, which accounted for 36 percent of all hate crimes targeting race or ethnicity.5
However, the discussions around inequality and systemic barriers continue to ignore the central
role that race and racism occupies in Canadian society – in particular, anti-Black racism.

1
Statistics Canada, Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An overview, 2016, Statistics Canada, Catalogue
no. 89-657-X2019002
2
Ibid.
3
UN Human Rights Council, Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its mission
to Canada, 2017, https://www.refworld.org/docid/59c3a5ff4.html (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
4
Arjumand Siddiqi, Faraz Vahid Shahidi, Chantel Ramraj and David R. Williams, “Associations between race,
discrimination and risk for chronic disease in a population-based sample from Canada,” Social Science &
Medicine 194 (2017):135-41.
5
Greg Moreau, “Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2018,” Statistics Canada, 2020, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/
n1/pub/85-002-x/2020001/article/00003-eng.htm (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).

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In Canada, the discourse around multiculturalism helps perpetuate the myth of a race-neutral
society. Canadian progressiveness is a long-standing national identity that is partly grounded
in a revisionist understanding of the nation’s relationship with Black people and the constant
comparison to the more virile racism in the US.6 This identity downplays and ignores the role that
anti-Blackness plays in Canadian society, as well as its harmful effects on the Black population.
A contributing factor to Canada’s unwillingness to acknowledge the embeddedness of anti-Black
racism is the lack of disaggregated race data. Unlike the US, Canada does not routinely collect
disaggregated race-based data. Such data is important for holding government and institutions
accountable – it not only allows us to measure the size of the problem, but also to track our
progress in addressing the concerns of all Canadians. Where disaggregated data does exist, it
becomes clear that anti-Black racism is a prominent feature of Canadian society.

Take the case of Canada’s education system, where schooling experiences of Black youth have
long been a major area of concern for Black communities. This concern is due to the persistent
gaps in opportunities and outcomes of Black students in the education system. A study
examining 2006 and 2016 census data found that Black youth are the least likely group to attain
any postsecondary qualifications, even after controlling for socioeconomic status and family
characteristics.7 Black youth are faring worse than their counterparts, despite their ambitions for
higher education. In 2016, 94 percent of Black youth said that they would like to obtain at least
a Bachelor’s degree; however, only 60 percent thought that they could.8 Some studies have
suggested that the low academic ambition of Black students is directly related to interactions
with teachers, counsellors, and administrators at their schools.9, 10

The situation of Black students at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada’s largest
and most diverse school board, serves as a useful reference, because it is the only board in the
country to collect data on racial identity.11 Black students were disproportionately suspended,
more likely to report negative interactions and lower expectations from teachers, and more than
twice as likely as other students to be found in courses that precluded them from entering
university.12 In one study that linked TDSB data to University of Toronto administrative records,
Black students were the least likely group to complete their studies – only 50 percent of the

6
Philip SS Howard, “On the back of blackness: Contemporary Canadian blackface and the consumptive production
of post-racialist, white Canadian subjects,” Social identities 24, no. 1 (2018): 87-103.
7
Martin Turcotte, “Results from the 2016 Census: Education and Labour Market Integration of Black Youth
in Canada. Insights on Canadian Society,” Statistics Canada, 2020, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-
006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.htm (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
8
Statistics Canada. Canada’s Black population: Education, Labour and Resilience, Statistics Canada, 2020, Statistics
Canada Catalogue no. 89-657-X2020002
9
Carl James and Tana Turner, “Towards Race Equity in Education: The Schooling of Black Students in the Greater
Toronto Area,” York University, April 2017. https://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.
pdf (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
10
Caroline Fitzpatrick, Carolyn Côté-Lussier, Linda S. Pagani and Clancy Blair, “I Don’t Think You Like Me Very Much:
Child Minority Status and Disadvantage Predict Relationship Quality With Teachers,” Youth & Society 47, no. 5 (2015):
727-743.
11
James & Turner, “Towards Race Equity in Education”
12
Ibid.

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students that entered the university completed their studies.13 This is cause for concern
because it might exacerbate income inequality, as students who do not complete their
post-secondary studies are left with higher debt levels, and miss out on the economic and
social benefits of formal credentials.

Even for those that graduate, Black individuals have a harder time integrating into the labour
market and experience higher unemployment rates. Black people in Canada are among those
with the highest unemployment rates in Canada – the unemployment rate for Black people
in Canada is around 12 percent, while the average for non-Black people in Canada is around
seven percent.14 Even Black people in Canada with a postsecondary education have a higher
unemployment rate than the rest of the population, at 9.2 percent.15 When employed, the
positions held by Black people are disproportionately economically unstable, seeing as the
Black community makes up the largest proportion of the non-immigrant, “working poor” in
Toronto.16 As a result, 23.9 percent of Black people in Canada live in poverty, which is almost
twice the national poverty rate of white Canadians. Disaggregating these findings by geography
and age group is starkly illuminating: the 2016 Canadian census data revealed that child poverty
rates in Black communities in each province was higher than the national average of 17 percent.17
In Saskatchewan, the child poverty rate for Black children was 25 percent; whereas in
Newfoundland and Labrador, the child poverty rate for Black children was 41 percent –
24 percentage points higher than the national average. In Toronto, 46.3 percent of Black
children live in poverty.18

Poverty has significant effects on the physical and emotional well-being of communities,
with major implications for food security and physical and mental health.19 In 2014, it was found
that Black people in Canada are 3.56 times more likely to experience food insecurity compared
to white Canadians.20 The lack of access to, and sovereignty over, healthy, affordable food is
detrimental to Black people in Canada across the lifespan. While food insecurity is connected
to the development of life-threatening, chronic diseases such as diabetes, it also prevents

13
University of Toronto – Toronto District School Board, The University of Toronto-Toronto District School Board
Cohort Analysis Report 1: Introductory Findings, May 2019, https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/depelab/wp-content/uploads/
sites/41/2019/05/U-of-T-TDSB-Report-1-Final-May-8.pdf (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
14
Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016286.
15
Statistics Canada. Canada’s Black population: Education, Labour and Resilience, Statistics Canada, 2020,
Catalogue no. 89-657-X2020002
16
Metcalf Foundation, The working poor in the Toronto region: A closer look at the increasing numbers, 2019,
https://metcalffoundation.com/publication/the-working-poor-in-the-toronto-region-a-closer-look-at-the-increasing-numbers/
(accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
17
Newswire, Exceptionally high child poverty rates in Black, Indigenous communities indicator of systemic violence in
Canada, 2020, https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/exceptionally-high-child-poverty-rates-in-black-indigenous-commu-
nities-indicator- of-systemic-violence-in-canada-845089842.html (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
18
Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016211.
19
Jayanta Bhattacharya, Janet Currie and Steven Haider, “Poverty, food insecurity, and nutritional outcomes in
children and adults,” Journal of Health Economics 23, no. 4 (2004): 839-62.
20
Melana Roberts, “Black Food Insecurity in Canada,” Broadbent Institute, February 2020, https://www.broadbentinsti-
tute.ca/black_food_insecurity_in_canada (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).

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young children from consuming nutrients necessary for their development.21 In our health
system, Black people in Canada are less likely than their white counterparts to have access to a
family physician.22 When it comes to accessing the mental healthcare system, Black-Caribbean
populations waited 16 months for care on average – more than twice the wait times experienced
by white patients.23

While being neglected by both our health and educational system, the Black community also
has to contend with a criminal justice system that consistently targets them. Unlike the United
States or the United Kingdom, the Canadian criminal justice system does not systematically
collect or publish race-based statistics.24 However, reports conducted by researchers and
human rights organizations have produced statistics corroborating what Black communities
have been saying about racial discrimination in policing. The Ontario Human Rights
Commission obtained access to Toronto Police Service data and found evidence of over-policing
of the Black community.25 They found that Black people accounted for 37.6 percent of cannabis
possession charges, which translates to Black people being 4.3 times more likely of being
charged than their representation in the general population. All other groups in Toronto were
underrepresented for such charges. Black people in Toronto were also 3.2 times more likely to
be charged with disturbing the peace, and also overrepresented in trespassing charges. Similar
findings of racial bias in policing were found in other jurisdictions. In Halifax, Nova Scotia and
Kingston, Ontario, Black people were three times more likely than white people to be stopped
by the police.26,27 In Edmonton, Black people were overrepresented in police stops, accounting
for 11.1 percent of the street checks.28 In a review of Ottawa Police data on traffic stops, Black
drivers were found to be stopped 2.2 times more than what would be expected based on their
representation in the population.29 Despite the denials of racism in our criminal justice system,
these findings highlight the racialized nature of policing in Canada.

21
Enza Gucciardi, Janet A. Vogt, Margaret DeMelo and Donna E. Stewart, “Exploration of the relationship between
household food insecurity and diabetes in Canada,” Diabetes Care 32, no. 12 (2009): 2218-2224.
22
Kelly K. Anderson, Joyce Cheng, Ezra Susser, Kwame J. McKenzie and Paul Kurdyak, “Incidence of psychotic
disorders among first-generation immigrants and refugees in Ontario.” CMAJ, 187, no. 9 (2015): 279–286.
23
Tiyondah Fante-Coleman and Fatimah Jackson-Best, “Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Mental Healthcare
in Canada for Black Youth: A Scoping Review,” Adolescent Research Review (2020): 1-22.
24
Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Scot Wortley, “Race, crime, and criminal justice in Canada,” The Oxford handbook of
ethnicity, crime, and immigration, ed. Michael Tonry and Sandra Bucerius (Oxford University Press, 2013), 281-320.
25
Ontario Human Rights Commission, Disparate Impact: Second Interim Report on the Inquiry Into Racial Profiling
and Racial Discrimination of Black persons by Toronto Police Service, 2020, http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/disparate-im-
pact-second-interim- report-inquiry-racial-profiling-and-racial-discrimination-black (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
26
Phils McGregor and Angela Maclvor, “Black People 3 Times More Likely to be Street Checked in Halifax, Police
Say,” CBC, January 9, 2017, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/novascotia/halifax-black-street-checks-police-race-profil-
ing-1.3925251 (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
27
Owusu-Bempah and Wortley, “Race, crime, and criminal justice in Canada,” 281.
28
Jonny Wakefield, “Black people, aboriginal women over-represented in ‘carding’ police stops,” Edmonton Journal,
June 27, 2017, https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/black-people-aboriginal-women-over-represented-in-card-
ing-police-stops (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
29
Lorne Foster and Les Jacobs, “Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project II Progressing Towards Bias-Free Policing:
Five Years of Race Data on Traffic Stops in Ottawa,” Ottawa Police Services Board and Ottawa Police Service, https://
www.ottawapolice.ca/en/news-and-community/resources/EDI/OPS-TSRDCP-II-REPORT-Nov2019.pdf (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).

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These findings feature some of the challenges experienced by Black communities across
Canada, but are only one piece of the narrative. For decades, Black-led and Black-serving
organizations have been established and mobilized with community-oriented solutions.
The work of these organizations is instrumental in addressing the issues created and
exacerbated by systemic anti-Black racism, and the philanthropic sector’s support of
these organizations is a central factor in their success and sustainability.

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PHILANTHROPY AND BLACK COMMUNITIES:
INTERVIEWS WITH SECTOR LEADERS

An important component of our research was to hear about first-hand experiences of Black
communities and community organizations from leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit
sectors. Through semi-structured qualitative interviews, we sought to understand the urgent
community-level needs of Black people in Canada. We interviewed ten Black and non-Black
leaders from the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors to learn their views on how the philanthropic
sector has supported Black communities in Canada, if they feel a community-led foundation
(The Foundation for Black Communities) dedicated to the needs of Black communities is needed,
and how the philanthropic sector might support the viability of such a foundation. We present
the findings from the analysis of the interviews along with common themes (see Appendix for
coding methodology and interview protocol).

PHILANTHROPY’S SUPPORT OF BLACK COMMUNITIES IN CANADA

Most of the interview participants indicated that philanthropic support
of Black communities required drastic improvement. As we note below,
these participants had intimate knowledge of the gaps in support at the
community level; they referenced short-term, unsustainable funding
that precluded organizations from thinking systemically and addressing If we never talk about it,
problems at scale. Two philanthropic leaders suggested that their not how can we ever claim
knowing the extent to which philanthropy supported Black communities we were doing it?
was itself an indication that Black communities were not well-supported.
It was shared that Canadian philanthropy has rarely had conversations
focused on the needs and priorities of Black people in Canada. According
to the President and CEO of a foundation in Western Canada: “If we never
talk about it, how can we ever claim we were doing it?”

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INADEQUATE DATA
The majority of participants referenced philanthropy’s lack of understanding of Black communities
and their needs, and particularly emphasized the lack of data that speaks to the philanthropic
sector. One leader of a Black community organization mentioned that while Black communities
know what their needs are through the work they are doing on the ground, the sector understands
need through data. A senior member of a philanthropic organization in Ontario noted that without
the data on what works for specific communities:

“We’re going to continue to put money into suboptimal models or models that are
incongruent with the day-to-day reality of communities who are struggling.”

Several philanthropic leaders emphasized that it is not the sole responsibility of Black commu-
nities to produce this data, but a shared responsibility for the philanthropic sector.

LACK OF REPRESENTATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

The importance of relationships was emphasized by nonprofit leaders and philanthropic
leaders. They conveyed that relationships with foundations are important for accessing funds,
and community organizations could be at a disadvantage due to not knowing the ‘right’ people.
Philanthropic leaders, too, lamented the lack of relationships with Black communities as a key
factor in the lack of support. As one foundation leader put it:

“When you look at the philanthropic sector and you realize that we’re not demograph-
ically representative, then you have to conclude that, even with my best intentions,
I can’t presume to be meeting your needs, because you’re not telling me, because
we’re not in conversation. We’re not in a relationship.”

This lack of demographic representation also manifests in tokenism, which was mentioned
by several participants as the hiring of Black people into low-level positions with little power.
One senior leader at a community foundation noted that:

“When we do have Black people...who we hire for their expertise, especially around
granting and so on, their ideas aren’t valued. They’re silenced. They’re exhausted
by the emotional burden that they’re bearing within our organizations.”

SYSTEMIC BARRIERS
Another common theme that emerged from participants’ discussion of philanthropic support
to Black communities was that of systemic barriers. Participants cited anti-Black racism,
power differentials, and inequitable granting processes as major barriers to Black communities
accessing appropriate levels of funding. Several participants referenced how granting processes,
despite being ‘open calls’, are not attuned to the realities of community groups who may not have
the relationships or organizational infrastructure to submit strong applications or – depending
on the eligibility criteria – to apply at all.

12
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

A senior staff member at a community foundation noted that “so much happens based on
who we know and who seems credible to us...so it’s a vicious circle of continuing to support
the same small groups of organizations that have a track record and know how to speak the
language.” They emphasized that maintaining the same granting procedures would ensure
that they would continue to only fund a certain type of organization, “even if we supposedly
have an open-door policy and broad calls for action.”

One participant explained that anti-Black racism contributes to a mental model that there is
no need to understand Black communities’ needs as distinct. Another echoed that:

“Race needs a very distinct lens and approach to it because of the historical systemic
strategies. Not just barriers - strategies to keep people in places of poverty.”

 HAT IS NEEDED FOR PHILANTHROPY TO BETTER SUPPORT

W
BLACK COMMUNITIES IN CANADA?
All participants indicated that they felt a Black-led philanthropic foundation was needed to focus
on the priorities of Black communities in Canada. The most prominent themes that emerged
were the need for a community-led initiative, and the need for collaboration within the sector.
Participants also emphasized the need for capacity building and long-term funding.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BLACK-LED COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

The majority of participants mentioned the need for Black communities to play an active leader-
ship role in philanthropic initiatives. Participants emphasized the need to listen to communities,
and to support the self-determination of Black communities.

One nonprofit leader mentioned that a Black-led philanthropic foundation would allow people
who are already positioned to have conversations with the sector about racism and commu-
nity needs to work more effectively. Another stressed that the community always holds the
expertise, and that “it’s just our role to figure out how to take all that expertise, that knowledge
and those experiences, and create this space for more opportunity and more action and more
change.”

One participant, the Executive Director of a Black-led organization, explained that the philan-
thropic sector has always needed their organization to fit into a box, and emphasized that
“you need to start to ask communities what makes sense for them and allow them to pitch
you on what that is.”

Philanthropic leaders stressed the need for Black communities to build something themselves,
and to draw on leadership from within the Black community. As one participant explained,

“It’s the ‘nothing about us, without us’ philosophy...the most important thing you
need to do is listen.”

13
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

Another shared that Black-led initiatives “know how to structure granting cycles that remove
barriers and that meet needs that are defined by and for the community.” One philanthropic
leader noted, in their role as the President and CEO of a private foundation in Ontario, that:

“Sometimes when you’re very high level, you think you know best, and you forget that
the decision-making should probably be closer to the ground.”

In speaking about a potential initiative serving Black communities at their own organization,
one participant, a senior leader at a community foundation, shared:

“I hope that…it’s not just me and two or three other colleagues who are white…
women and men who don’t live in these communities and who don’t work in these
communities identifying what we think is the best idea to support.”

THE NEED FOR CAPACITY BUILDING AND LONG-TERM FUNDING

Several participants raised the need for both long-term funding and capacity building support.
They held that communities need commitment from philanthropy beyond the monetary.
For example, one participant mentioned that foundations should seek out the reasons that
organizations are not applying for funding, and assist them in addressing any barriers, making
accommodations where possible.

One nonprofit leader emphasized that the large-scale issues they are addressing will take
decades rather than years to solve, and that in order to accomplish their goals, they need
philanthropic partners who are committed to generational change. Another shared, when
speaking about how philanthropy should be supporting communities:

“You can’t accomplish anything without resourcing. Resourcing it doesn’t necessarily

mean applying money to it, but often it does. It means applying brains to it. It means
applying human power to it. It means fundraising around it. It means putting it on an
agenda and making people think about it and calling attention to the shortcomings
your organization’s having, so if you’re not resourcing it, you’re not going anywhere.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION

All participants mentioned the need for collaboration among foundations as a means of
ensuring that the sector as a whole understands and is engaged in serving the needs of Black
communities. Participants saw a role for collaboration in the development and resourcing of
a Black-led foundation – the notion of pooled resources and networks came up with several
participants, who emphasized the importance of foundations working together to make change.

14
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

One participant asserted that: “the philanthropic community can provide resources, monetary
and otherwise, to establish the necessary infrastructure and leadership to move forward” with
a Black-led foundation.

Several philanthropic leaders highlighted the importance of a Black-led foundation not operating
in isolation, to ensure that the sector as a whole is growing and learning from them. One participant,
a senior leader at a foundation, speaking to the lack of understanding around the needs of
Black communities in the philanthropic sector, shared:

“Even as I’m talking, we need to make sure that we’re better educated around these
issues...the Foundation for Black Communities can take a leadership role in helping
us to ask the kinds of questions that we need to be asking ourselves as a sector.”

T HE POTENTIAL OF THE FOUNDATION FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES

In imagining a Black-led foundation, several participants shared their hopes around the potential
of a Black-led foundation to transform the dominant top-down philanthropic paradigm, and
change the way that the philanthropic sector works with Black communities.

One philanthropic leader stressed that a Black-led foundation is needed because it is a funda-
mental shift in power in a sector that has historically wielded ‘power over’ people with a top-down
flow of resources. A nonprofit leader mentioned that a Black-led foundation could disrupt,
rather than perpetuate, inequitable systems.

The CEO of a community foundation in Western Canada echoed the need for change, stating
that the philanthropic sector has responded to demands for data related to partisan activity
or fundraising costs in the past, and can similarly investigate how philanthropy is supporting
Black communities. They added:

“I think there’s a real opportunity here for us to better understand what our money’s
doing and...look at that as an opportunity to be better, as opposed to a stalling tactic
to keep the status quo”.

Several participants emphasized the opportunity for strategic leadership, and the potential to
address large-scale issues that are too much for organizations to take on alone. One nonprofit
leader elaborated on the potential of a Black-led foundation to work with Black community
organizations to situate themselves within the ecosystem, and coordinate their strategies to
address particular gaps; they stated that reaching that level of planning and insight “would be a
game changer for Black communities and outcomes, and Black organizations trying to work to
address that issue.” Another participant communicated the value of a Black-led foundation as a
“commitment to invest, learn, pilot, raise the proof points, and then hold government accountable
to utilizing public dollars to address the inequities that are putting a strain on our social support
system, our health system, our justice system, etc.”

15
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

One nonprofit leader urged the team to: “Set the standard that you know that we, as a Black
community, want to set for ourselves.”

In summary, the nonprofit and philanthropic leaders we interviewed unanimously supported

the development of a Black-led foundation in Canada. They cited a lack of data, a lack of
representation, and multiple systemic barriers, including anti-Black racism, as the main reasons
that Canadian philanthropy has thus far failed Black communities. Participants saw a need for
a foundation that is led by and for the Black community, that provides long-term support and
builds capacity, and that collaborates with other foundations and community organizations.
Moreover, they saw the potential of a Black-led foundation to transform how philanthropy
engages with and supports Black communities, and embraced the opportunity to support
Black community self-determination in the philanthropic sector.

16
AN ANALYSIS OF FOUNDATION FUNDING
FOR BLACK COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

To analyze the extent to which Canadian foundations are supporting Black-serving and
Black-led community organizations, we reviewed the funding portfolios of 40 public, private,
and community foundations over the fiscal years beginning in 2017 and 2018. Our dataset
includes the 10 largest public and private foundations in Canada by asset size. In addition, to
capture variation in foundation types, we include the five largest foundations within the following
asset size categories: $75 million to $100 million, $50 million to $75 million, and $25 million to
$50 million. Our dataset also includes the 15 largest community foundations by asset size.
Altogether, the public and private foundations in our review represent 12.9 percent of total
assets held by all public and private foundations, 30 and the community foundations represent
87 percent of total assets held by all community foundations.31 We believe that our analysis
provides a reasonable indication of the degree to which grants from Canadian foundations have
specifically benefited Black communities and addressed anti-Black systemic racism in Canada.
Our full methodology is described in the Appendix.

Our review suggests that Canadian foundations are not adequately meeting the resource and
capacity needs of Black-serving and Black-led organizations, and are thus failing to address the
complex and intersectional needs of Black communities. The current top-down philanthropic
model that places funding institutions in a position of power and privilege over community
organizations is ill-suited to tackle the systemic issues affecting Black communities. To address
systemic issues that marginalize Black people in Canada, a Black-led, Black-governed foundation,
situated among Black communities, is needed. This foundation would model inclusivity, provide
sustained and flexible funding, and prioritize long-term community well-being over short-term
impact. Our detailed findings follow.

30
Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Canadian Foundation Facts, https://pfc.ca/resources/canadian-founda-
tion-facts/#:~:text= All%20Private%20and%20Public%20Foundations,%3A%20Imagi%20ne%20Canada%2C%20April%202019
(accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
31
Note that community foundations are a subset of public foundations.

17
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

FINDING 1: O NLY A HANDFUL OF CANADIAN FUNDING INITIATIVES ARE MANDATED

TO SERVE BLACK COMMUNITIES

In an exploratory survey of philanthropic initiatives serving Black communities to date, we found

very few foundations mandated and dedicated to serving Black communities in Canada. We
identified 13 organizational initiatives as providing funding or resources to Black communities;
the majority of these are not registered foundations, but rather charitable organizations or non-
profits that benefit Black communities. We also found a number of funds started by and for
Black community members and administered by existing community foundations, such as the
Black Canadian Scholarship Fund (at the Ottawa Community Foundation), the Black Community
Solidarity Fund (at the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation) and the Black Students in
Canada Fund (at Vancity Foundation). Our survey suggests that the majority of these funds
were founded with, and still rely on, Black community contributions, rather than being part of
the foundations’ larger funding portfolios and priorities.

FINDING 2: P
 RIVATE AND PUBLIC FOUNDATIONS HAVE UNDERFUNDED BLACK-LED
OR BLACK-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS

The top 10 foundations, representing over $10 billion in assets, disbursed 0.03 percent of funds
to Black-led organizations in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, and 0.13 percent of funds to Black-
serving organizations in the same timeframe. The other 15 foundations we reviewed, in various
asset categories, did not fund any Black-led or Black-serving organizations in the 2017 and 2018
fiscal years. Of the 25 private and public foundations we surveyed, only two foundations funded
Black-led organizations over the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, and only six foundations funded
Black-serving organizations in the same timeframe.

Top 10 Foundations

0.03
of total grants disbursed
% went to Black-led
organizations.

0.13
of total grants disbursed
% went to Black-serving
organizations.

18
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

Of the six foundations that funded either Black-led or Black-serving organizations, that funding
did not exceed 0.45 percent of any foundation’s total grant disbursements during the 2017 and
2018 fiscal years, except in the case of one foundation, which gave 2.4 percent of its total grant
disbursements to one organization. Together, these 25 foundations disbursed $979 million dollars
in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years, with 0.16 percent of these funds going to either Black-led or
Black-serving organizations.

Table 1 indicates the percentage of grant funds disbursed by the 25 public and private
foundations in our review to Black-led and Black-serving community organizations in the
2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

TABLE 1 – P RIVATE AND PUBLIC FOUNDATIONS: FUNDS DISBURSED TO BLACK-LED

AND BLACK-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS

% of grant funds
% of grant funds to to Black-serving orgs Total grant funds
Assets in $s Black-led orgs in 2017 in 2017 & 2018 disbursed in 2017 &
Foundations (2017) & 2018 fiscal years fiscal years 2018 fiscal years in $s
Top Ten Foundations
10,079,288,258 0.03% 0.15% 877,919,157
($100m+)
Top Five Foundations
489,270,488 0 0 48,587,838
($50m - $99.9m)
Top Five Foundations
245,052,088 0 0 42,292,961
($25m - $49.9m)
Top Five Foundations
122,100,911 0 0 10,587,449
(under $25m)

19
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

FINDING 3: C
 OMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS FARED BETTER THAN PRIVATE AND OTHER
PUBLIC FOUNDATIONS, BUT ARE STILL UNDER-FUNDING BLACK-LED
AND BLACK-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS

The top 15 community foundations disbursed 0.07 percent

of funds in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years to Black-led
organizations, and 0.7 percent of funds to Black-serving
For every $100 the
organizations in the same timeframe. All but one of the
community foundations we surveyed funded Black-serving
top 15 community
organizations over the two-year period examined, while foundations disbursed
only six funded Black-led organizations in this same time-
frame. Funding to Black-serving organizations did not
Only 0.07 cents
exceed 1.6 percent of any single foundation’s total grant
went to Black-led
disbursements, and funding to Black-led organizations did
not exceed 0.5 percent of any single foundation’s total grant organizations
disbursements. While these community foundations –
representing 87 percent of community foundation assets –
Only 0.70 cents
performed better than public and private foundations in
went to Black-serving
this review, they still disbursed less than one percent of
total gifts to Black-serving organizations, and nine out
organizations
of 15 community foundations did not fund any Black-led
organizations in the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years.

Table 2 indicates the percentage of grant funds disbursed by the 15 community foundations
in our review to Black led and Black serving community organizations in the 2017 and 2018
fiscal years.

TABLE 2 – C OMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS: FUNDS DISBURSED TO BLACK-LED AND BLACK-SERVING

ORGANIZATIONS

% of grant funds to
% of grant funds to Black-serving orgs Total grant funds
Assets in $s Black-led orgs in 2017 in 2017 & 2018 disbursed in 2017 &
Foundations (2017) & 2018 fiscal years fiscal years 2018 fiscal years in $s
Top 15 Community
5,052,279,548 0.07% 0.70% 525,094,889
Foundations

20
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

FINDING 4: F UNDING TO BLACK-LED AND BLACK-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS IS

SPORADIC, UNSUSTAINED, AND DOES NOT INVEST IN THE LONG-TERM
CAPABILITIES OF THESE ORGANIZATION

The recent incidents of police brutality against Black communities have underscored the
systemic discrimination and marginalization facing Black communities in Canada. As anti-Black
racism movements have issued a call to action, several foundations have launched statements
and initiatives in response (e.g. Taking Action on Racial Justice at the Vancouver Foundation
or Using your philanthropy to advance racial justice at the Toronto Foundation). In all cases,
these initiatives appear to be reactive, do not commit to specific amounts and priorities for
funding, and do not have specific mandates for improving the long-term well-being of Black
communities. While our review did not include the specifics of funded programs and initiatives,
only seven percent of all funded organizations in our review received the same funding amount
in both the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years. This suggests that the majority of funding is short-term
and project-focused, rather than operational or ongoing.

Taken together, our findings suggest that existing philanthropic institutions – public and private
foundations – are both unable and unwilling to adequately understand and prioritize the needs
of Black communities.

21
THE NEED FOR THE FOUNDATION
FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES

Philanthropic institutions often view themselves as important actors engaged in systemic

social change. However, our evidence demonstrates that the current ecosystem of Canadian
foundations is not adequately meeting the resource and capacity needs of Black-led and
Black-serving organizations, and is therefore failing to address the complex and intersectional
marginalization of Black communities. The current top-down philanthropic model that places
funding institutions in a position of power and privilege over grantee organizations is ill-suited to
tackle systemic issues and root causes that result in the discrimination and marginalization of
Black communities. With calls for racial justice and equity in the philanthropic sector increasing,
it is time for a the Foundation for Black Communities. The Foundation for Black Communities
should be a model of “community philanthropy” that hinges on mutual accountability, privileges
the assets and experiences of the community, and offers autonomy for Black communities to
choose how, when, and where money is spent.32

As a Black community-led and Black-governed foundation, the Foundation for Black Communities
will be able to prioritize and fulfill the specific needs of Black communities. Rather than funds
being tightly controlled and restricted by a few, a community philanthropy-based model would
democratize funding arrangements. The Foundation for Black Communities would adopt a
philanthropic approach rooted in relationships, and built on trust and cooperation, upending
the transactional nature of grantmaking that foundations conventionally deploy. It would utilize
longer-term, flexible funding that builds capacity and puts power and control in the hands of
communities to determine their own priorities.

Community philanthropy is an emerging concept in the philanthropic sector, representing a

paradigm shift away from the entrenched, top-down model of charity.33 At its simplest, community
philanthropy is community-led, involves the contribution of community time, talent, resources and
assets, and centres long-term wellbeing.34 While Canada has experienced positive developments
with place-based community foundations,35 we contend that the notion of community philanthropy
can be expanded and modelled with the establishment of a Black-led community foundation.

32
Jenny Hodgson and Anna Pond, “How Community Philanthropy Shifts Power What Donors Can Do to Help Make
That Happen,” Grantcraft, 2018, https://grantcraft.org/content/guides/how-community-philanthropy-shifts-power/
(accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
33
Ibid.
34
Global Fund for Community Foundations and the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University, A Different Kind
of Funder? Why and How Funders Support Community Philanthropy, 2017, https://globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/
resources/a-different-kind-of-funder-why-and-how-funders-support-commu/ (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
35
Jenny Harrow and Tobias Jung, “Philanthropy and community development: the vital signs of community founda-
tion?,” Community Development Journal 51, no. 1 (2016): 132-152.

22
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

Community philanthropy goes beyond giving different communities a seat at the table –
it balances power between resource holders and resource users. With the Foundation for
Black Communities using a community philanthropy approach, Black communities would no
longer be beholden to the priorities of funding institutions, but rather chart their own course for
long-term social well-being and economic development. While a few funds started by and for
Black people in Canada are housed at existing community foundations, there is a need to take
a comprehensive, consistent approach to address the needs and priorities of Black communi-
ties in Canada. The Foundation for Black Communities must also be well-resourced in order to
make necessary and long-term investments toward Black community organizations and Black
communities. The Foundation for Black Communities would ensure that Black communities
across the country have access to a comparable amount of resources, are engaging and being
served in the way that best suits them, and are sharing knowledge, resources, and capacity
across geographical communities.

In summary, to facilitate true systemic change, a Black-led model of community philanthropy is

needed. The Foundation for Black Communities offers a tangible way to meet this need. In a
study conducted for the Association of Black Foundation Executives in the U.S., recommenda-
tions from leaders of Black-led organizations suggest that in order to fund social change,
the philanthropic community must learn about and be involved with Black communities,
recognize Black community leadership and structures, collectively design funding opportunities,
invest in Black-led social change infrastructure, and actively advocate for investment in Black
communities.36 The Foundation for Black Communities offers the opportunity for philanthropy
to rise to the occasion and build mechanisms that prioritize investments into, and autonomy
of, Black communities, while also advancing an innovative model of philanthropy for Canadian
foundations.

36
ABFE: A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities, The Case for Funding Black-Led Social Change, 2019,
http://www.blacksocialchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/BSCFN_BLSCO_Report.pdf (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).

23
GOVERNMENT AND PHILANTHROPY
MUST ACT TOGETHER TO ESTABLISH THE
FOUNDATION FOR BLACK COMMUNITIES

Support from the federal government and the philanthropic sector, together, is essential to
support and resource the Foundation for Black Communities at levels that would have a
meaningful impact for Black communities across Canada. The pandemic and the economic
downturn has exposed and worsened an already fragile safety net for Black communities, who
are among the hardest hit by the convergence of these two tragedies. The federal government,
along with philanthropic stakeholders, must ensure that specific measures are in place to support
the recovery of the Black Canadian community, and this must include a robust and coordinated
package of investments to aid the recovery process.

We have seen some initial elements of these necessary investments with the roll-out of the
Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, which was announced in 2018 as part of the
federal governments’ recognizing of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent.37
Program features include:

• Capital Grant Program to assist non-profits retrofit their spaces and purchase equipment
• Selection of intermediaries to grant out approximately 12 million dollars over the next
3 years.

• Creating the Canadian Institute for People of African Descent

Additionally, the government recently announced the $221 million Black Business and
Entrepreneurship program.38 In the recent throne speech, 39 the government has signaled a
commitment to addressing areas of inequities facing Black communitiess stemming from
anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination by:

• Taking action on online hate;

• Going further on economic empowerment for specific communities, and increasing
diversity on procurement;

37
Government of Canada, About the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, https://www.canada.ca/en/
employment-social-development/programs/social-development-partnerships/supporting-black-communities.html (accessed
Nov. 1, 2020).
38
Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister announces support for Black entrepreneurs and business owners,
https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/09/09/prime-minister-announces-support-black-entrepreneurs-and-business
(accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
39
Government of Canada, Speech from the Throne to open the Second Session of the Forty-Third Parliament of
Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/privy-council/campaigns/speech-throne/2020/stronger-resilient-canada.html#cana-
da-fighting-for (accessed Nov. 1, 2020).

24
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

• Building a whole-of-federal-government approach around better collection of disaggre-

gated data;

• Implementing an action plan to increase representation in hiring and appointments, and

leadership development within the Public Service;

• And taking new steps to support the artistic and economic contributions of Black
Canadian culture and heritage;

• Justice reform

While we view these announcements and commitments as positive first steps, we also see
the need for more government investments in areas such as housing, childcare, and healthcare
aimed at Black communities as part of a robust Black Canadian Recovery Plan. It is within this
context, as a feature of a Black Canadian Recovery Plan, that we see the greatest potential for
the Foundation for Black Communities.

There have been previous examples where Canadian philanthropy and the federal government
have worked together to support equity seeking groups. For instance, in the recently launched
Equality Fund, the federal government invested $300 million dollars with philanthropic institu-
tions contributing another $100 million.40 In a prior instance, in 1998, the federal government
provided community investments in the sum of $515 million when they helped establish the
Aboriginal Healing Fund.41 To realize the objectives of the Foundation for Black Communities,
we believe the federal government and the philanthropic sector must collaborate to provide a
commensurate level of support. At the same time, it remains crucial that Black communities
retain autonomy to prioritize and allocate investments based on their needs.

The Foundation for Black Communities must be seen as part of an ecosystem of responses
that address the challenges facing Black people in Canada, with the aim to improve their out-
comes. The Foundation for Black Communities would complement public policy actions and
improvement within public institutions that enhance public support and safety for Black people
in Canada. It would serve as an advisor, convenor, and collaborator for investments made by
government and philanthropic stakeholders towards the Black community in Canada. Being led
by Black community members, the Foundation for Black Communities would be best placed to
identify the priorities and needs of Black communities. Leveraging its position within the Black
community, the Foundation for Black Communities would use its advocacy within the philanthropic
sector to activate additional investments from its philanthropic peers within the sector.

40
Government of Canada, The Equality Fund: Transforming the way we support women’s organizations and movements
working to advance women’s rights and gender equality, 2018, https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2019/06/
global-affairs-canada---the-equality-fund-transforming-the-way-we-support-womens-organizations-and-movements-work-
ing-to-advance-womens-rights-and-g.html (accessed Nov. 9, 2020)
41
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Evaluation of Community-Based Healing Initiatives
Supported Through the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, 2009, https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100011405/154757
2026320?wbdisable=true#exsum (accessed Nov. 9, 2020)

25
CONCLUSION

In this report, we have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the extent to which Canadian
philanthropy has supported the needs of Black communities and Black community organiza-
tions. Based on interviews with leaders from the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and
a review of the funding portfolios of 40 Canadian foundations, we find that philanthropic
institutions have severely underfunded Black-led and Black-serving community organizations.
In addition, there is little understanding about the needs and priorities of Black communities
in philanthropic institutions. These shortcomings stem from a lack of data about the needs
of Black communities, poor representation of and relationships with Black community
organizations in dominant philanthropic institutions, and systemic barriers, including
anti-Black racism, faced by Black communities.

Our analysis highlights the need for the Foundation for Black Communities to support commu-
nity organizations working to overcome the systemic barriers faced by Black communities.
The Foundation for Black Communities will be based on a transformational, Black-led model
of community philanthropy that emphasizes mutual accountability with Black communities,
privileges the assets and experiences of the communities, and offers autonomy for Black
communities to choose how, when, and where resources are allocated. The Foundation for
Black Communities will utilize its resources and expertise to research and identify issues,
invest in community organizations and programs, advance public policy, and bring awareness
to the priorities of Black people in Canada.

26
APPENDIX

METHODOLOGY FOR INTERVIEW DATA ANALYSIS

Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with ten leaders from the nonprofit
and philanthropic sector. A purposive sampling strategy was used to ensure participation from
Black and non-Black leaders serving Black communities in urban centres across Ontario, Quebec,
and British Columbia. All interviews were conducted virtually through Zoom. The interviews were
recorded, transcribed, and the interview transcriptions were analyzed using NVivo. Each interview
was coded, and the codes were then organized into themes. The prominent themes that emerged
from the data related to philanthropy’s lack of understanding of Black communities, and the
reasons for it (lack of data, lack of representation, and systemic barriers), as well as the ways
in which philanthropy can better support Black communities (Black community-led initiatives,
capacity building, and collaboration).

The following interview protocol was used:

1. How well do you feel the philanthropic sector (private, public and community foundations)
supports Black Canadians and their priorities?
• Probe: What effect do you think the current level of support from philanthropy has on
Black communities, considering the barriers they face?

2. Do you think that the philanthropic sector understands the needs of the Black communities
and the barriers they face in accessing resources? How so, or how not so?
• Probe: What effect do you think this could have?
3. Do you think a dedicated Foundation for Black Communities is needed? If yes, why?
If no, why not
• Probe: What could be the advantages or disadvantages?
4. What lessons could the Foundation for Black Communities learn from existing ones
and what pitfalls could it avoid?

5. In what ways can the philanthropic sector work with the Foundation for Black Communities
the community to better support Black Canadian?

6. Do you have any other thoughts you would like to add before we end our conversation?

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METHODOLOGY FOR FOUNDATION
FUNDING REVIEW

Using publicly-available T3010 data, we examined the funding portfolios for 40 foundations
during the 2017 and 2018 fiscal years to determine the number of Black-led and Black-serving
organizations funded. This data was then compared to the total gift expenditures in these
years to determine the percentage of Black-led and Black-serving organizations funded in
each fiscal year.

For the purposes of this review, we have defined Black-led organizations as organizations that
were created by and for Black communities and have Black leadership. This includes social or
cultural organizations and other organizations explicitly mandated to meet the needs of Black
communities (e.g. a Black youth mentorship organization). We define Black-serving organiza-
tions as those mandated to serve either Black communities or communities of colour, under
which Black communities could reasonably fall, such as organizations serving newcomers,
immigrants and refugees. Our review is unable to include organizations that do not specify in
their mandate that they serve either Black communities or communities of colour, even though
they might serve Black communities in their neighbourhood service area. We suspect this might
exclude a handful of neighbourhood organizations across the country, as well as social service
agencies that serve a range of communities, and acknowledge this to be a limitation of the
study. Within the scope of the research undertaken, it was not possible to determine a count of
these organizations across Canada in a systematic way. There is an opportunity to extend our
analysis in future to include such organizations by assessing neighbourhood demographics
across the country.

In an effort to reflect a wide range of foundations, our dataset included the 10 largest public
and private foundations by asset size, as well as the five largest foundations within the following
asset size categories: $75 million to $100 million, $50 million to $75 million, and $25 million to
$50 million. Additionally, our dataset included the 15 largest community foundations by asset
size. In order to ensure consistent and reliable data, we utilized T3010 data to determine foun-
dation asset size; this is consistent with the methodology of both Philanthropic Foundations
Canada42 and Blumberg’s Charity Data Portal.43 The most recent comprehensive T3010 dataset
we had access to was from 2017; asset size for all private and public (including community)
foundations was based on this dataset. Funding portfolios for all foundations for the 2017 and
2018 fiscal years were accessed online via the Canada Revenue Agency’s T3010 Registered
Charity Information Return records. The 2017 and 2018 fiscal years were chosen for being the

42
Imagine Canada and Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Assets & Giving Trends of Canada’s Grantmaking
Foundations, https://pfc.ca/publication/assets-giving-trends-of-canadas-grantmaking-foundations-september-2014/
(accessed Nov. 1, 2020).
43
Blumberg’s Charity Data portal is populated with information from T3010 CRA filings and is available at charitydata.ca.

28
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

most recent years with complete online T3010 data for all foundations; the 2019 fiscal year was
excluded due to it not being consistently available for all foundations in the Canada Revenue
Agency’s online records.

The full analysis of public, private and community foundations is included below. In conducting
the review, we excluded several foundations in order to better represent the philanthropic
sector’s contributions to Black communities in Canada. The following types of foundations
were excluded from the review: foundations exclusively funding communities outside of Canada
(Mastercard Foundation); foundations established to fund one organization (The Hospital for
Sick Children Foundation, The Gibbons-Daley Foundation); foundations that primarily deliver
programming (Addictions Foundation of Manitoba); and foundations that did not dispense
any funds in the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 fiscal years (The Paul Myers Family Foundation).

29
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS

Assets in $s % of grants to Black-led orgs % of grants to Black-serving

Foundations ($100m+) (2017) in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years orgs in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years
Foundation 1 2,196,300,254 0 0.01%
Foundation 2 2,013,966,000 0 0.45%
Foundation 3 1,285,482,525 0.03% 0.03%
Foundation 4 992,599,987 0 0
Foundation 5 834,902,674 0 2.4%
Foundation 6 657,933,877 0.60% 0.34%
Foundation 7 613,357,680 0 0
Foundation 8 583,182,186 0 0
Foundation 9 498,476,616 0 0.07%
Foundation 10 403,086,459 0 0

Foundations Assets in $s % of grants to Black-led orgs % of grants to Black-serving

($50m – $99.9m) (2017) in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years orgs in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years
Foundation 11 99,498,496 0 0
Foundation 12 98,473,553 0 0
Foundation 13 98,031,008 0 0
Foundation 14 97,495,675 0 0
Foundation 15 95,771,756 0 0

Foundations Assets in $s % of grants to Black-led orgs % of grants to Black-serving

($25m – $49.9m) (2017) in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years orgs in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years
Foundation 16 49,988,450 0 0
Foundation 17 49,684,347 0 0
Foundation 18 48,502,040 0 0
Foundation 19 48,492,691 0 0
Foundation 20 48,384,560 0 0

Foundations Assets in $s % of grants to Black-led orgs % of grants to Black-serving

(under $25m) (2017) in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years orgs in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years
Foundation 21 24,997,661 0 0
Foundation 22 24,716,807 0 0
Foundation 23 24,623,827 0 0
Foundation 24 23,882,735 0 0
Foundation 25 23,879,881 0 0

30
 UNFUNDED: BLACK COMMUNITIES OVERLOOKED BY CANADIAN PHILANTHROPY

ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS

Assets in $s % to grants to Black-led orgs % to grants to Black-serving

Foundation (2017) in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years orgs in 2017 & 2018 fiscal years
Community Foundation 1 1,229,400,939 0.02% 0.14%
Community Foundation 2 845,792,078 0 0.97%
Community Foundation 3 821,408,095 0.04% 0.98%
Community Foundation 4 553,197,443 0.22% 1.55%
Community Foundation 5 348,600,890 0.44% 1.14%
Community Foundation 6 290,624,422 0 0.06%
Community Foundation 7 192,795,102 0 1.49%
Community Foundation 8 170,182,673 0.11% 0.46%
Community Foundation 9 149,675,138 0.17% 1.26%
Community Foundation 10 103,296,068 0 0.16%
Community Foundation 11 81,967,617 0 0.14%
Community Foundation 12 78,910,507 0 0
Community Foundation 13 71,931,137 0 0.20%
Community Foundation 14 60,711,197 0 0.89%
Community Foundation 15 53,786,242 0 0.29%

31