On March 9th, Inspirit was able to make good on our own commitment to equity in a new way.  We made our first capital transfer ever to help kickstart the endowment for the new Foundation for Black Communities (FFBC).  Given philanthropy’s non-existent funding of Black-led initiatives as documented in the Unfunded report, and the deep conversations about power and agency, Inspirit recognized this moment as the time to act. I am so proud of both the Board and staff who, together, made this effortless. The FFBC will be the first philanthropic foundation in Canada led by Black leadership, and will determine its own parameters for granting.  Along the way, we, along with the Laidlaw Foundation became the first foundations in Canada to make a commitment to the endowment.  It is our hope that many others will follow. You can read the full announcement, and the media coverage here. 

This first quarter was also historic for another reason.  In January, Mitchell Anderson, who joined the Inspirit Board as a youth member, became the very first Indigenous Board Chair in Inspirit’s short history. Congratulations Mitchell!  It has been a joy to work with Mitchell in these first few months, but to also have the support of immediate past Chair, Barbara Hall, who was instrumental in facilitating the capital transfer to the FFBC.  Barbara continues to bring her wisdom and guidance to Inspirit as a board member. Check out other board updates here. 

At the beginning of March we also announced the co-leader of Inspirit’s inaugural Narrative Change Lab.  An external jury worked with Inspirit staff to make the tough choice.  In the end, we are thrilled to welcome the energetic, and funny pop culture enthusiast and writer Sarah Hagi as our very first Lab Fellow.  The theme for the 2021 lab is Reimagining Muslim Narratives.  You can read more about Sarah, and the work of the Lab here. 

Under the direction of Programming Director Chris Lee, our programming and granting programs continue to evolve. We will be introducing a new application process by mid-year, and will be working with current grantees to ensure that we are bringing an equity lens into the foundation’s approach to evaluation and learning. We will be communicating these changes on our website and social media channels. Although the pandemic has decimated the arts and media sectors, we are seeing small glimmers of hope in alternate and emerging ecosystems that center the voices of Indigenous, Black, and people of colour.    

This focus on alternate ecosystems is also the reason Inspirit invested in Innovation Works several years ago.  This is a shared space dedicated to social innovation in London, Ontario.  In mid-March our principal was repaid, on schedule, and more importantly, our investment was replaced by community bond capital. With Jory Cohen directing our investments, 98% of our portfolio is considered impact investments; check out our 2020 performance here. As we continue to invest the last two percent of our assets—cash—we are actively looking for the right vehicle.   

As the snow begins to melt in southern Ontario, and more daylight gives some shape to the work day, I continue to be inspired by those on the front lines fighting hate, and also those fighting the pandemic. Vaccination rates are increasing; my mom was able to get her shot in mid-March.  I am now able to hug my mom for the first time in more than a year.  A small respite. 

Sincerely,
Sadia Zaman, CEO

Inspirit supported the Noor Cultural Centre in producing and promoting Islamophobia is. Watch the videos here. 

The consortium includes prominent Indigenous journalists including reporters from Aboriginal 
Peoples Television Networks’s national team. Students at First Nations University of Canada did the initial reporting and led project design.  Check out how they did it  here.  

Read all the Clean Water, Broken Promises stories here.