Blog Articles

What I Learned from the Lunch and Learn: Exploring Philanthropy in Atlantic Canada

By: Edmund Yirenkyi, PhD student

Philanthropy has always been an essential part of society. It involves the use of private resources such as time, talent, and treasure for the public good. But how is philanthropy in Atlantic Canada doing? Are there any trends or insights that we should know about? These were some of the questions discussed during the “Atlantic Hub PhiLab – Lunch and Learn #1: Initial insight from a review of literature/statistics on philanthropy in Atlantic Canada.”

The webinar featured Dr. Emily Doyle, Atlantic Philab coordinator, Tuyet-Anh T. (Jocasta) Le and Abdul-Latif Alhassan, both PhD Candidates in the Transdisciplinary Sustainability PhD program at Memorial University, Grenfell Campus, and Nicole Dawe from Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (CFNL). Their presentations shed light on the current state of philanthropy in Atlantic Canada and opened up discussions on areas for future research.

Dr. Emily Doyle kicked off the webinar with a general introduction of PhiLab and a definition of philanthropy. She emphasized that the Atlantic Hub is part of a five-year grant project working on research projects on philanthropy in Canada. The lunch and learn webinar series is a chance for knowledge mobilization and network building to discuss philanthropy in Atlantic Canada and consider areas for future research.

Tuyet-Anh T. (Jocasta) Le presented data on charity trends in Atlantic and Newfoundland from 2006 to 2020. She discovered that the number of charities in Atlantic Canada provinces has been decreasing slightly since 2017, with Newfoundland having the lowest number of charities per person compared to other provinces in Atlantic Canada. The percentage of the number of charitable organizations in Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada is higher than in all of Canada, with rural areas accounting for the largest number of charities in Atlantic Canada.

Abdul-Latif Alhassan focused on four main areas: the role of religion in philanthropy, online giving, the impact of global crises on philanthropy in Atlantic Canada, and advocacy issues for charities. He noted that Atlantic Canadians are some of the most charitable residents in Canada, but they donate less on average than the Canadian average. He also noted that religion plays a significant role in giving, especially in rural areas, where religious organizations receive the bulk of donations. Global crises, such as the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 pandemic, have however impacted the assets, policies, and practices of charities in Atlantic Canada. Charities in Canada have limited capacity to do advocacy work due to federal regulations, but recent changes have led to more charities engaging in advocacy.

Nicole Dawe from Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (CFNL) shared insights from her first six months as the executive director of CFNL. CFNL facilitates community-based philanthropy in Newfoundland and Labrador, supporting the wellbeing, culture, education, and environment of the area. She highlighted the high connection to the province and high rates of giving in the province. According to her, collaborative initiatives have been launched in the last 12-24 months.

The webinar concluded with suggestions for future research and webinar ideas. The attendees highlighted the need for increased communication about philanthropy and the role of community foundations, as well as the challenges facing philanthropy in the Atlantic region. It was suggested that future research ideas should emphasize the role of government and faith-based organizations in philanthropy.

The Atlantic Hub PhiLab – Lunch and Learn #1: Initial insight from a review of literature/statistics on philanthropy was a valuable opportunity to discuss various themes related to philanthropy. The insights and data presented by the speakers provided a glimpse into the current state of philanthropy in the region, while the discussions on areas for future research could help shape the future of philanthropy in Atlantic Canada.