September 2018 Special Edition: Philanthropy from Coast to Coast

Although the State self-imposes itself as the official spokesperson for the public interest, it does not, however, monopolize the scene. As proof, we can point to their legal openmindedness as well as the fiscal incentives awarded both to individual philanthropic acts as well as charitable organizations to allow them to intervene on a wide range of social causes. Thus, the freedoms that were given to philanthropic action in Canada paved the way for the organization and institutionalization of private and collective generosities across the country, from coast to coast. Let us keep in mind that 82% of Canadians made cash donations to either charitable organizations or nonprofits in 2013 (Statistics Canada) and that there were approximately 10 500 public and private foundations spread out across the country in 2014 (Imagine Canada). The goal of the current newsletter is to highlight, from a national perspective, the morphology of our philanthropic system and of its impact on Canadian society. In order to do so, a portion of the suggested readings aims to offer a holistic view of the sector, while others focus their analysis on philanthropic initiatives and projects that appear here and there to transform the living conditions of communities.