The MPNL program's "Community Philanthropy" event, Carleton University, Ottawa, June 27, 2024

"Community Philanthropy: Canadian and International Innovations" was the 2024 Celebrating Philanthropy event run by the MPNL program and that took place on June 27, 2024, at Carleton University, in Ottawa. It was sponsored by TD Bank Group.

The moderator was Dr. Susan Phillips, the Interim Chief Advancement Officer at Carleton University and former Graduate Supervisor of the MPNL program and Professor in Carleton's School of Public Policy & Administration.

The four panellists were:

Jennifer Brennan joined Mastercard Foundation in 2018 and serves as Director of Canada Programs. She leads a dedicated team engaged in collaborative programming across Canada involving multiple sectors with Indigenous youth and their communities. As part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Senior Leadership team, she engages with peers and teams throughout Africa in service of the Young Africa Works strategy and youth-led transformation.

Rebecca Darwent is a philanthropic advisor and an internationally recognized expert in philanthropy and community-led initiatives. She has led multimillion-dollar investments in equity, health and education -- and is currently a Senior Advisor to Philanthropy Together, focussing on raising awareness of and funding for collaboratives, specifically those that are community-led. As a co-founder of the Foundation for Black Communities, she led fundraising, community engagement and advocacy that resulted in a historic $200 million commitment to Black philanthropy by the Canadian government.

Michael D. Layton joined the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, at Grand Valley State University, in the US, in 2020, as the W.K. Kellogg Community Philanthropy Chair, the nation’s first endowed chair focused on community philanthropy. He brings a wealth of experience to this role, including his work as a researcher, teacher, director, advocate and consultant.

Kevin McCort is President and CEO of the Vancouver Foundation. With more than 30 years of service to the nonprofit sector in Canada and around the world, he puts community at the heart of his work. Since 2013, McCort has led Vancouver Foundation through a period of significant transformation, with a sharpened focus on donor service, community-inspired grant-making and world-class endowment management.