Register for: Philanthropy and Nonprofits in the ‘Innovation Economy’
Register for April 16 webinar “Philanthropy and Nonprofits in the ‘Innovation Economy'”
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The Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership (MPNL) program, at Carleton University, and TD Bank Group invite you to join the Annual TD Lecture on Philanthropy online:
Philanthropy and Nonprofits in the ‘Innovation Economy’
April 16, 2026, 3:30 p.m to 4:45 p.m. (EDT) online, via Zoom
Canada is in the process of reinventing our economy to be more productive and innovative. What is the role of the philanthropic and charitable/nonprofit sector in this new economy? How does the sector support innovation? How can the sector be a full partner in this reinvention process? (Note, the event will be recorded and the recording distributed.)
Panellists
Dan Breznitz is a Professor, the Munk Chair of Innovation Studies, and Co-Director of the Innovation Policy Lab at the University of Toronto. He’s also co-director of the program on Innovation, Equity and the Future of Prosperity at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). In 2021, he published the award-winning book Innovation in Real Places: Strategies for Prosperity in an Unforgiving World, which argues that there are models for innovation-based growth that don’t rely on a flourishing high-tech industry and that communities waste time, money and energy pursuing this high-tech road to nowhere. Instead, he proposes that communities focus on where they fit within four stages in the global production process and recognize that all localities have certain advantages relative to at least one stage of the global process and that the trick is in recognizing those advantages.
Andrea Nemtin is the CEO of Social Innovation Canada, a leader in social finance and innovation, dedicated to driving systemic change through mission-based strategies and collaboration across sectors. For decades, she’s led organizations and initiatives focused on creating positive social and environmental progress through strategic philanthropy, media and arts, social innovation and impact investing. In addition to roles as CEO of the Inspirit Foundation, Executive Director at Rally Assets, and President of PTV Productions, she’s served in governance and advisory roles for numerous organizations. Andrea currently serves as a Director for the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority. She’s committed to finding innovative ways to support cohesive and prosperous communities and was recognized in 2017 with a Governor General’s Meritorious Service Award.
Lisa Lalande is the CEO of Century Initiative, which is a national, non-partisan, registered charity shaping a bigger, bolder Canada. She’s a leader and strategist who advances smart, long-term solutions for Canada’s prosperity and who speaks regularly about philanthropy, social innovation and the social sector. Century Initiative is a network of diverse leaders and experts in business, academia and the charitable sector from across the country united by a shared belief that, with the right approach to growth, we can enhance our economic strength and resilience at home and our influence abroad. Through leading research and convening, Century Initiative champions data-driven solutions for responsible population growth, advocates for long-term planning for future generations, and drives bold policies that secure Canada’s future.
The panel will be moderated by Susan Phillips, CM, who’s Professor Emerita in the School of Public Policy and Administration, at Carleton University, and who founded the MPNL program — and who recently received the Order of Canada. In 2021, she published a book, with Bob Wyatt of the Muttart Foundation and Amanda Mayer of the Lawson Foundation, called Intersections and Innovations: Change for Canada’s Voluntary and Nonprofit Sector,” which presents essays and different perspectives on the roles and inner workings of Canada’s charities, including their innovations. She’s currently Faculty Supervisor with the Women in Philanthropy (WiP) project and Interim Director of the Charity Insights Canada Project (CICP).