Over 100 attendees and journalists gathered in solidarity to mourn and honour the journalists who have been killed in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon since the events of October 7. The vigil was co-organized by Canadian journalists Fatima Syed, Ginella Massa, Inori Roy, and Inspirit Board member Pacinthe Mattar and took place outside Toronto Metropolitan University’s Creative School on February 1. The vigil was held in partnership with Inspirit Foundation, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Journalism School, Amnesty International, the Canada Press Freedom Project, Stitched! Lab, and&n ..read more

Read our latest CEO Update, as originally published in our Fall 2023 newsletter. As the war on Gaza began, the Foundation’s board held an emergency meeting to discuss what we should say as a justice-centered organization, and a foundation with a priority to address Islamophobia. The discussion left me with a deep respect for a very intelligent, culturally competent board that refused the binary of a Jewish-Muslim conflict, that referenced Indigenous experiences, that saw connections to how African-American men were routinely dehumanized through slavery. The discussion prioritized pluralism; th ..read more

Meet Inspirit’s latest grantees and their projects:   Research and Sector-building Grants  BIPOC TV & Film   BIPOC TV & Film is a registered non-profit advocating for and amplifying Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour professionals working and creating content in Canada’s film and TV industry.   Inspirit is proud to support BIPOC TV & Film through a $15,000 Sector-Building Grant for their Festival and Market Access Initiative.  Black Screen Office  The Black Screen Office (BSO) is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to sup ..read more

[Read in English here] Le journalisme de qualité est un pilier de la démocratie. Il fournit de l’information fiable et permet aux citoyen·ne·s de demander des comptes à leurs dirigeant·e·s.  Aujourd’hui plus que jamais, nous savons que les médias influencent les récits dominants qui orientent les conversations sur la scène publique et les décisions qui affectent nos vies. Dans le meilleur des cas, le journalisme indépendant peut braquer les projecteurs sur des récits sous-représentés et créer un forum où des individus d’horizons divers s’engagent dans un dialogue informé et construct ..read more

Quality journalism is a pillar of democracy. It provides trustworthy information and holds power to account.   Now more than ever, we know that media influences dominant narratives that drive public conversations and policies that affect our lives. At its best, independent journalism can give voice to underrepresented narratives and create a forum where people from diverse backgrounds can engage in informed and constructive dialogue across lines of difference.  While journalism’s contributions to a healthy society are widely recognized, funding journalism is still unch ..read more

By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment, Inspirit Foundation  For more than three years, Inspirit has been openly sharing how our investments and our impact-centric approach have navigated the pandemic, and now it’s time to provide some conclusionary comments. With the World Health Organization declaring, “COVID-19 over as a global health emergency” back in May, this post will mark the end of this blog series titled ‘Impact Investing and the Pandemic’.  To recap, 2020 was an unprecedented year for the performance of our portfolio from both an absolute perspective an ..read more

Congratulations to our 2023 Content Canada Delegation! Inspirit is proud to support a talented group of Muslim creatives to attend this year’s Content Canada gathering. Meet Inspirit’s 2023 Content Canada Delegation: Panta Mosleh Rabiya Mansoor Shanele Soares Sina Sultani Rua Wani Panta Mosleh is a graduate from Groundlings School of Comedy in Los Angeles and a recipient of the 2021 SNL scholarship, Panta Mosleh is a Queer Muslim Middle Eastern- Canadian Writer-Producer-Director based out of Vancouver BC , which is on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam ..read more

Bien que le secteur de la philanthropie canadienne n’ait jamais vraiment considéré le journalisme comme une priorité de financement, la dernière décennie a vu un nombre modeste, mais croissant, de fondations s’impliquer dans le domaine.  Cette année, Inspirit s’est donné la mission de cocréer des ressources qui plongeront dans le sujet du soutien philanthropique au journalisme au Canada. Nous souhaitons partager des outils et des exemples concrets tirés de notre expérience des cinq dernières années auprès de divers partenaires. Ces ressources et outils font partie d’une quête toujours en ..read more

As Inspirit’s seven-year impact investing journey has formally come to an end, we have been asking ourselves what’s next? How can we push ourselves further? We believe we have one answer. Back in 2016, Inspirit made a commitment to a 100% impact investment portfolio, with the intent of transitioning a relatively traditional portfolio to one solely composed of impact investments. Since that commitment, we have worked diligently to transform our portfolio to increase its impact. By the end of 2022, we met that goal; our entire portfolio consisted of impact investments. A major component of our ..read more

Media Release – Download the PDF version  Inspirit Board Chair Completes Term, Foundation Announces New Co-Chairs TORONTO, July 18, 2023 —The Inspirit Foundation thanks outgoing chair Mitchell Anderson for his 12 years of volunteer service on Inspirit Foundation’s Board of Directors.   Mitchell joined the Board as a youth observer in 2012, and two years later was asked to become a member of the Board. He has since served as Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee, moving up to become the Board Chair in 2021.  Upon completing his term, Mitchell becomes the yo ..read more