The impact of federal funding practices on the communities served by non-profits - ON-842

Project type: Research
Desired discipline(s): Economics, Social Sciences & Humanities, Political science, Public administration
Company: Imagine Canada
Project Length: Flexible
Preferred start date: As soon as possible.
Language requirement: English
Location(s): Toronto, ON, Canada
No. of positions: 1
Desired education level: PhDPostdoctoral fellowRecent graduate
Open to applicants registered at an institution outside of Canada: Yes

About the company: 

Imagine Canada is a national, bilingual, charity whose cause is Canada's charities and non-profits. Our mission is to strengthen and support Canadian charities and non-profits so they may better serve individuals and communities. We fulfill our mission by: (1) collecting and mobilizing data, information, research and knowledge that help charities, non-profits and governments make wise decisions; (2) developing and advocating for public policies to help charities and non-profits carry out their missions effectively; (3) developing and delivering products and services that help charities and non-profits operate at the highest level of governance and deliver the highest quality programs; and (4) communicating the diverse perspectives, experiences and expertise of the non-profit sector to the general public, media, and government.

We’re committed to an ongoing process of becoming a more equity-driven, inclusive, transformative, and provocative player within and for the social good sector. We hold ourselves accountable for working towards three major goals: (1) the non-profit sector’s funding is flexible, reliable, and flows more equitably to organizations and communities; (2) the sector offers prosperous careers and is governed by courageous leaders with lived experience; and (3) voices traditionally at the margins are sought out and valued in decisions impacting our collective futures.

Describe the project.: 

Problem: A non-profit organization’s ability to serve its community and pursue its mission effectively is largely determined by its ability to access sufficient and stable financial resources. In addition to affecting overall organizational resilience and sustainability, the types of financial resources available to organizations affect their ability to attract and retain workers, deliver and measure the effectiveness of programs, and acquire and deploy capital to support new initiatives. Across Imagine Canada’s many engagements with non-profit organizations, we consistently hear that being able to access the right mix of financial resources is a top concern. We also hear that the ability of non-profits to carry out their missions is frequently limited by the way funding is allocated and administered.

Research Objectives:

1. Understand how federal funding practices, processes and policies impact the communities that are served by federally-funded organizations.
2. Understand the impact federal funding practices have on the government’s ability to meet the objectives laid out in their funding programs.

Methodology: We would like to develop 15-20 case studies of charities or non-profits of various sizes and types that, collectively, receive funding from four or five different federal programs.

Organizations and funding programs will be chosen based on the populations the programming is intended to serve, with particular emphasis on understanding potential impacts on equity-seeking 

populations. Data for the case studies will be collected via interviews with organization staff, monthly diary entries focused on experiences of federal reporting and audit processes, review of organizational finances, and focus groups with the communities being served by the organization.

Outputs: Expected outputs include a research report as well as additional knowledge mobilization products such as one-pagers or infographics explaining key findings. We will use the research results to support public policy development to address issues with federal funding practices and policies.

Required expertise/skills: 

• Experience with case study approaches, interviewing, focus groups and other qualitative research methods
• Experience with transcription and qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo)
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Experience writing for non-academic audiences
• Experience with equity-based best research practices
• Knowledge of the non-profit sector and/or government funding practices considered an asset
• Bilingualism (French and English) strongly preferred