Spring is my favourite time of year for a whole number of reasons. Most especially because it is when I go through a major purge and reorganizing. It is also when I start the seeds for my vegetable garden. There is such a sense of success and excitement seeing those shoots pop up and knowing that shortly they will end up feeding friends and family.

Spring is also when we start new projects with our clients. Taxes are done, summer vacation is on the horizon and it just seems like there is some time to breathe. We use these months to put plans into place on everything from summer voluntourism trips to holiday giving planning that is eight-ish months away. Planning during this time includes site visits with potential and existing Grantees, review of all the various activities that you and/or your family engaged in philanthropically this year and for the more detailed philanthropist, conducting some market research on issues.

We hope the tools and resources you find in this newsletter and on our website help with your charitable planning this spring.

Doing Well & Doing Good - Feature Companies

We love companies that are in business for good. For this quarter, we are highlighting two Calgary-based initiatives that are making impact investing and social purpose part of their success plan.

In 2017 a group of Calgarians formed Local Investing YYC, an impact investing cooperative. The mission: to allow Albertans to invest in the Calgary economy for a sustainable future.

To date, 108 capital investors have participated in two capital raises totalling $1.3MM to support eight Calgary-based companies.

In just 16 months, Calgary-based Earthware has become a force for garbage and waste reduction in Calgary. This social purpose company has a big vision - to significantly reduce single-use items in Alberta’s food industry by reducing 1 Million containers from waste management systems.

Hilary Pearson

Date: May 9th, 2023 

10am MDT via Zoom

Join Karma & Cents for our next “In Conversation With…”  where we will be discussing Hilary’s new book From Charity To Change: Inside The World of Canadian Foundations, as well as current trends in Canada’s philanthropy and funding landscape.

Hilary Pearson has had an extensive career in the field of foundation philanthropy in Canada. As the founding President of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Hilary worked with many of the largest private charitable foundations in the country.

She has been a strategic advisor and facilitator for many family foundations, in their work to understand the landscape, develop their goals, and structure their governance and grantmaking practices.

In July 2018, she was appointed to the Order of Canada for her contributions to building the field of philanthropy in Canada. 

You can also pre-order Hillary’s new book here.



Featured P2G Donor Advised Funds

Click the links below to read about the P2G Donor Advised Funds and projects we highlighted this quarter. Follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter to learn more about the Donor-advised Funds we support.

• Twin Starfish Fund
• IncluCity
• Huddle Selkirk

Foundation Resource Articles

Karma & Cents helps family foundations solve wicked social problems. From investment strategies to social impact labs, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter to see more. Contact us Here to learn how we can help your foundation maximize impact on the issues you care about.

• Network Philanthropy
• Trust-based Grant Making Versus Restricted Grant Making
• Mission and Program-Related Investing for Foundations 

For International Women’s Day, we profiled two local Calgarians who are making big waves in Philanthropy. Read more here to learn how empathy is guiding their journeys, and contributing to their success.

Meet our People

Get Involved

National Volunteer Week April 16-22, 2023

Volunteering Weaves Us Together

Get involved! Over 24 million volunteers contribute to their communities across Canada. As Spring arrives, consider looking for opportunities to give back to your community. This can be done individually, as a family, or even as a group of colleagues.

For volunteer opportunities in Alberta, visit Volunteer Alberta. For volunteer centers across Canada, visit Volunteer Canada and get started today.

What kind of philanthropist are you?

In February, we posted a fun quiz titled “What Kind of a “Philanthropist Are You?”. If you missed it, take the quiz and determine whether you are a Maverick, Informed, Headline or Steady Donor.