From a Canadian perspective, this article provides a comparative historical and contemporary overview of foundations in Canada, in relation to the United States and Germany. For the purposes of this analysis, the study was limited to public or private foundations in Canada, as defined by the Income Tax Act. As the Canadian foundation milieu straddles the welfare partnership model that characterizes German civil society and the Anglo-Saxon model of the United States, Canadian foundations as a whole have much in common with the foundation sector in both countries. Similarities include the number of foundations per capita, a similar range in size and influence, a comparable diversity of foundation types, and an explosion in the number of foundations in recent decades (although the United States has a much longer history of large foundations making high-impact interventions). This analysis also highlights some key differences among larger foundations in the three jurisdictions: German foundations are generally more apt to have a change-orientation and are more vigorous in their disbursement of income and assets. U.S. foundations are more likely to play a welfare-replacement role in lieu of inaction by the state. Canadian foundations play a complementary role, particularly in the areas of education and research, health, and social services. At the same time, there is a segment of Canadian foundations that are fostering innovation, social and policy change, and are embarking on meaningful partnerships and acts of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

This study profiles the engagement of policy-focused Canadian grantmaking foundations in public policy. Policy-focused foundations now realize that downstream community issues are not isolated from upstream policy and regulatory practices. Foundation policy engagement has been measured across five policy streams: research and issue identification; policy entrepreneurship and convening; advocacy; implementation; and evaluation and impact. Themes emerging from this research include: 1) a migration from program into policy engagement; 2) the utilization of multiple soft and hard policy tools; 3) simultaneous engagement across multiple policy streams; 4) engagement with both systems and agents; 5) engagement in policy implementation; and 6) a long-term commitment to a focused policy issue. This research opens the door to a rich analysis of public policy engagement by grantmaking foundations. RÉSUMÉCette étude décrit la participation aux politiques publiques de la part de fondations subventionnaires canadiennes axées sur les politiques. On reconnaît de plus en plus que les questions communautaires en aval ne sont pas isolées des pratiques reliées aux politiques et aux réglementations en amont. Dans ce contexte, la participation a été mesurée par rapport à cinq domaines : la recherche sur les politiques et le repérage de problèmes; l'entreprenariat et la convocation en matière de politiques; la défense des politiques; l'application des politiques; l'évaluation et l'impact des politiques. Les thèmes soulevés dans cette recherche comprennent : 1) le passage d'une participation aux programmes vers une participation aux politiques; 2) l'utilisation de multiples instruments politiques durs et doux; 3) une participation simultanée dans divers champs politiques; 4) une participation à la fois avec des systèmes et des agents; 5) une participation dans l'application de politiques; 6) une participation à long terme vis-à-vis de problèmes politiques spécifiques. Cette recherche ouvre la voie à une riche analyse de la participation aux politiques publiques de la part de fondations subventionnaires. Elson & Hall (2016) KEYWORDS / MOTS CLÉS: 58To be notified about new ANSERJ articles, subscribe here. / Afin d'être avisé des nouveaux articles dans ANSERJ, s'inscrire ici .

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Purpose -The purpose of this research is to measure the economic and social/environmental/cultural activity of the social enterprise sector at a provincial level in Canada. Design/methodology/approach -The research was implemented in three phases. In phase one, the structure and content of the mapping instrument was developed and tested. In phase two, the survey was circulated to all verified social enterprises in the sample frame to achieve a large and fully representative probability sample of social enterprises in both provinces. Data were subsequently collected for cleaning, entry, and analysis. Phase three involved the circulation of the survey results to social enterprise-related networks in both provinces through both participant feedback and de-briefing workshops. Findings -Social enterprises surveyed had a number of non-exclusive purposes. Eight (22 percent) Alberta (AB) social enterprises focused on employment and related activities while 51 (51 percent) of social enterprises in British Columbia (BC) had a similar focus. A total of 39 percent in AB and 47 percent of social enterprises in BC generated income for their parent organization. The highest percentage of social enterprises in both provinces (92 percent in AB/71 percent in BC) described themselves as having a social mission while 25 percent of social enterprises in AB and 35 percent in BC had a cultural mission. Environmental activities were pursued by 22 percent social enterprises in AB and 38 percent in BC.Research limitations/implications -Notwithstanding the inclusion of the non-profit corporate form in the paper's definition, social enterprise organizational form and legal structure tell us little about the activities or the impact of the organization. This is a tentative finding; it is indicative perhaps of the current, "pre-institutionalized", phase of social enterprise development, but more research needs to be conducted to fully examine and to elaborate on this proposition. Practical implications -Measuring the size, strength and scope of social enterprises contributes to the important constellation of evidence, policy options, and political will that is necessary to put a policy on the political agenda. In BC, the survey results provided policy advocates with the first empirical evidence of the scope, size, and capacity of social enterprises in the province. This, together with existing anecdotal information, case stories, and stakeholder events, helped to convince policy makers that social enterprises are a viable and legitimate entity, worthy of serious policy support. Social implications -The aim of this research was to provide relevant and timely information, not to define social enterprises as an end in itself. The operational definition of social enterprise was thus developed with the explicit purpose of conducting this investigation and as such, the authors are confident that it served its purpose. To this end, the authors trust that this survey, and its embedded structural-functional definition, will contribute to the ongoing e...

Building on prior research at the federal level, this paper examines the emergent institutional relationships between government and the voluntary sector in seven Canadian provinces. Prior to the release of a national survey in 2005, little collective attention was paid to the size and impact of the voluntary sector at the provincial level by either the sector or governments. This subnational historical institutional analysis reveals that there is a new and growing appetite for policy dialogue, representing a notable shift in attention to voluntary sector–government relations at the provincial level. Trends and informative exceptions in this emerging relationship are profiled.