The Concept of Subsidiarity in a Grantmaking Philanthropic Context: Tools to Support Decision-Making

Justification of research project

“The Concept of Subsidiarity in a Grantmaking Philanthropic Context: Tools to Support Decision-Making” is a knowledge mobilization project stemming from research conducted at PhiLab on “Philanthropy and the Cause of Elderly People.”
This research initiative, carried out in partnership with the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation and led by Diane Alalouf-Hall, resulted in the publication of two reports in 2023:

Case Study on the Cause of the Elderly in Quebec: Perspectives on Grantmaking Foundations’ Donations and the State’s Subsidiarity Relating to the Elderly Cause — Phase I and II.

The production of this study highlighted the issue of subsidiarity — that is, the division of roles and responsibilities between the State and grantmaking foundations regarding support for elderly populations.

Following this study, a need was identified for the creation of a tool that would assist in decision-making regarding whether to allocate financial resources for initiatives supporting elderly people, given that other stakeholders — the State, caregivers, the community sector, and the business sector — also bear a share of responsibility.

Research purpose

To design one or more tools to assist foundation professionals in decision-making related to granting or denying funding requests addressed to them.

Research approach

• Information synthesis on subsidiarity

• Design of an initial tool in the form of a mind map (Subsidiarity and the Cause of Elderly People)

• Development of a support tool to accompany the use of the mind map

• Validation seminars (in French and English) for both tools

• Feedback and improvement of the tools

• Adapted publication of the tools for different target audiences