Philanthropy for Uncertain Times - MaRS Global Leadership

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The language and practices of social innovation—including “social entrepreneurship,” “social finance,” “social labs” and “social tech”—are coming into wide use. Not only are they influencing the mindsets, work and culture of the philanthropic and community sectors, but government and business are also becoming increasingly involved. Thanks in part to the field-building work of Social Innovation Generation (SiG), social innovation is beginning to reshape how we approach complex problems in Canada, while also linking us to related efforts worldwide. Building on these early efforts, it is becoming clear that with imagination, commitment and collaboration, broader, systemic change is, if not assured, at least possible. What role should philanthropy and other sectors play in the next phases of this work? How do we collaborate to best effect? The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation has been involved in the field of social innovation for more than 10 years, including as a funder, investor and founding partner in SiG. In this talk, Stephen Huddart, the foundation’s president and CEO, will review what the foundation has learned from some of the successes and failures of this work to date, and explore the potential of social innovation to contribute to an evolutionary shift in society’s capacity to adapt in the face of complex challenges.

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