Funding Matters Report
Funding Matters:
The Impact of Canada’s New Funding Regime on Nonprofit and
Voluntary Organizations was released in June
2003. The report describes the emergence of a new funding regime
for nonprofit and voluntary organizations that is changing the
way organizations survive and thrive in what has become a competitive
and volatile funding environment. This study accesses the impact
of these important changes on the capacity and long-term sustainability
of a diverse range of nonprofit and voluntary organizations. Divergent
funding policies, competing regulations and labourious reporting
practices are affecting organizations’ ability to pursue
key goals. Too often an organization’s mission and core
activities are sidelined in the scramble for funding to stay in
business.
The findings in this report are based on a series of focus groups held in different regions
of the country and attended by over 100 nonprofit and voluntary organizations as well as responses
to an in-depth written survey, selected case studies, an extensive literature review, and discussions
with funders and other key informants.
This research was commissioned by the Voluntary Sector-only Working
Group on Financing, under the auspices of the Voluntary Sector Initiative
(VSI). The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) undertook the
project in partnership with the Coalition of National Voluntary Organizations
(NVO). It was funded by Human Resources Development Canada through the
Capacity Joint Table of the Voluntary Sector Initiative.
The Capacity Joint Table Advisory Committee is
working to help voluntary organizations access and manage financial resources to attain their
goals while maintaining accountability to stakeholders. This work complements the Voluntary
Sector Initiative’s A Code of Good Practices on
Funding, which builds on An
Accord Between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector. Sources
and Mechanisms of Funding is one of the three projects on financial capacity that the Advisory
Committee is overseeing; the other two are Inventory of Effective
Practices in Financing and Resourcing and Resources for Accountability
and Financial Management.
For further information on Sources and Mechanisms of Funding, please
go to www.ccsd.ca , call Katherine
Scott at 613-236-8977, ext. 245 or by e-mail at scott@ccsd.ca.