Resource Topics Social Finance

April 16, 2019

Colleges and Institutes Canada Submission to the Special Senate Standing Committee on the Charitable Sector

CICan would like to thank the Senate Standing Committee on the Charitable Sector for this opportunity to provide perspectives on the impact of federal laws and policies governing the charitable and non-profit sectors in Canada. We are encouraged that the Government of Canada is examining ways to strengthen the charitable sector and look forward to engaging with the Senate Standing Committee for this study.

March 14, 2018

First social impact bond pilot has positive impact on unemployed Canadians

Ottawa, March 14, 2018 – The first national social finance project of its kind in Canada has completed its final round of essential skills training with important results for Canadians. All in all, 88% of the unemployed Canadians who received training as part of the Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) Essential Skills Social Finance (ESSF) pilot, achieved measurable skills improvements. The ESSF pilot marked the Government of Canada’s first time testing elements of a social impact bond (SIB). Upfront capital for the training program was raised from private investors – Conexus Credit Union, the Catherine Donnelly Foundation, and Dave and... Read more

November 22, 2016

Ground-breaking Social Finance Pilot Assists Unemployed Canadians

November 22, 2016 - Canada has achieved an important milestone in its commitment to social financing for public good. The Government of Canada, private investors, and colleges and institutes are pushing the boundaries of social innovation and impact investing by implementing the first social finance project of its kind in Canada. As the key project intermediary Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) is leveraging the principles of social finance through social impact bonds (SIB) to raise upfront capital from private investors who are looking to support societal good while receiving a financial return. With capital raised from three investors – Conexus... Read more

May 23, 2015

Social Entrepreneurship – Considerations for Policy Makers and Practitioners

Over the last 10 years, the social entrepreneurship sector in Ireland has seen remarkable growth. In 2004, social entrepreneurship, as a concept and a practice, did not exist in any formalised way in Ireland. Today, in 2014, there are a growing number of individuals self-identifying as social entrepreneurs and many actors active in both working directly with these social entrepreneurs and in helping build an ecosystem of support for this emerging sector. However, the social entrepreneurship sector is still young and many questions on how best to support its continued growth and maximize its positive impact, remain. It is within... Read more

Tags: Social Finance

May 23, 2015

Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good: Priorities for Canada

The practice of impact investment (or social finance) is gaining domestic and international attention. Focused on directing private capital into projects and ventures whose aims are to deliver measurable social outcomes, impact investment has the potential to foster innovation in the social sector. It can be used to develop and test new ideas that may effectively tackle social challenges, and to scale up those that work.

Tags: Social Finance