 In
2002 the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation invited 18 leading
Canadian practitioners and funders to come together to consider
two key questions in taking a good idea to scale: What does
success look like? What support is needed to get there?
The group continues to meet face-to-face
and online to deepen their collective understanding of the
process of Applied Dissemination and Sustaining Social Innovation.
At each gathering participants draw inspiration and learning
from each other's work. You can learn more about the organizations
participating in this evolving learning community below!
The Boreal Institute’s mission is to
advance human development in Canada and worldwide by helping
civil society tackle the problem of scale. Their goal is to
catalyze a pattern change in the way development assistance
works worldwide by connecting the local and the global to
achieve large scale development driven at the grass roots.
Boreal defines the problem of scale as the
need for development work that (1) is community driven and
(2) efficiently and accountably engages the best available
institutional resources, with widespread impact. They seek
innovative solutions to this problem by working collaboratively
with local and international civil society in two ways: through
concrete, practical projects and through knowledge sharing.
Visit the Boreal Institute website here.
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 Established
in 1992, the Caledon Institute of Social Policy is an independent
and critical voice that does not depend on government funding
and is not affiliated with any political party.
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy does
rigorous, high-quality research and analysis; seeks to inform
and influence public opinion and to foster public discussion
on poverty and social policy; and develops and promotes concrete,
practicable proposals for the reform of social programs at
all levels of government and of social benefits provided by
employers and the voluntary sector. Visit the Caledon website
here.
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 The
Child Development Institute was officially formed in April,
2004, through the merger of Earlscourt Child
and Family Centre and The Crèche Child and Family Centre
in Toronto. Earlscourt was one of a handful of clinical resources
in Canada with a special focus on helping children under 12
who are aggressive and delinquent, reaching them before
they get tangled up in the juvenile justice system.
The Centre for Children Committing Offences
is a distinct unit within the organization that conducts research
and supports requests for information and program implementation
outside of the Greater Toronto Area. Learn more about the
CCCO here.
Visit the Child Development Institute website here.
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Community
Foundations of Canada
 Community
Foundations of Canada (CFC) represents approximately 150 community
foundations across Canada. Its mission is to build stronger
communities by enhancing the philanthropic leadership of community
foundations.
CFC’s goals are to:
- support established and developing community foundations
in their endowment building and donor services, grantmaking
and community leadership, and as accountable stewards
of community assets
- promote and advance philanthropy and community foundations
- model philanthropic leadership in Canada and internationally
Learn more about Community Foundations Canada
here.
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The
Community Health and Social Services Network
 Incorporated
in September, 2000, the Community
Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) was formed
to support Quebec's English-speaking communities in their
efforts to promote access to English-language health and social
services. The CHSSN orientation favors development of partnerships
between community resources, associations, public institutions,
regional planning authorities and government to ensure policies,
programs and services adapted to the needs of the English-speaking
population. Their aim is to contribute to the vitality of
English-speaking communities by building strategic relationships
and partnerships within the health and social services system
to improve access to services. The Holland
Centre in Québec was one of the founders of this
organization.
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Engineers
Without Borders Canada
F ormed
in 2000, in Toronto, Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB)
has sent over 70 young Canadian engineers to work on 35 projects
in 20 countries. It is Canada's fastest growing development
organization with 6000 members across the country striving
to make it the most development-friendly and sustainable country
in the world. EWB works in partnership with developing communities
around the world, helping them to gain access to the appropriate
technologies they need to improve their lives. They focus
on developing the capacity of the local technical sector to
ensure that innovative, appropriate and sustainable solutions
to people's problems are locally generated and available.
Visit the EWB website here.
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Junior
Undiscovered Math Prodigies (JUMP)
 JUMP,
based in Toronto but with programs in many parts of Canada,
is a numeracy program founded in 1998 by mathematician, author
and award-winning playwright John Mighton.
JUMP believes that all children can be
led to think mathematically, and that with even a modest amount
of attention every child will flourish. By demonstrating that
even children who are failing math or are labeled as slow
learners can excel at math, it hopes to dispel the myths that
are currently prevalent. It offers educators and parents complete
and balanced materials as well as training that help them
reach all students. Learn more! Visit JUMP's website. Back to top.
L'Arche
Canada
 L'Arche
is a unique vision of care giving and community building that
fosters inclusion, understanding and belonging.
In nearly 200 small homes and day settings
across Canada, caregivers and volunteers from diverse cultures
and backgrounds share deeply committed relationships with
people with developmental disabilities.
Every year L'Arche has a transformative impact
on the lives of hundreds of young people who assist in L'Arche
settings. Visit the
L'Arche Canada website to learn more!
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Meal Exchange
 Meal
Exchange is a student-founded, grassroots, registered charity
based in Toronto that is organized to address local hunger
by mobilizing the talent and passion of students. Since 1993,
it has helped students on 50 campuses across Canada facilitate
the student donation of over 400,000 meals to address local
hunger. They address hunger through student solutions. Learn
more about Meal Exchange here.
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 Founded
in Québec City in 1984, Operation Red Nose (Opération
Nez Rouge) is a volunteer driving service provided during
the Christmas Holiday Season to all drivers who have been
drinking or who do not feel fit to drive their own vehicle
back home. Its goal is t o encourage responsible behaviour
with regard to impaired driving by enabling communities to
provide a free and confidential chauffeur service to their
members. The organization raises over a million dollars annually
for amateur sports and other youth programs. Operation Red
Nose’s programs are presently being offered through
90 organizations across Canada. Learn more about this unique
organization here.
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PLAN
(Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network)
 PLAN
is a not-for-profit charity created in 1989 in Vancouver,
B.C., by and for families who have a relative with a disability.
Its goal is twofold: to ensure a safe and secure future for
people with a disability and, in the process, to provide them
and their loved ones with peace of mind.
 Thinking
Like a Movement - Thinking like a movement
necessitates the consideration of the complexities
of systemic change including an exploration of sustaining
social innovation and the role of leadership. Al
Etmanski and Vickie Cammack are prime Canadian examples
of social innovators and movement leaders. Tamarack
spoke with them about what it means to “think
like a movement.” Learn more in this online
seminar here.
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In pursuit of this goal PLAN is inspired
by a simple but powerful vision: the vision of a good life
for all people with disabilities and their families. PLAN
works directly with the families, helping them to feel secure
about the future well being of their relative with a disability
by ensuring that these individuals will be well cared for
financially, physically and emotionally after the death of
their parents. The PLAN
Institute for Caring Citizenship is PLAN’s dissemination
arm, working with families and others across the country to
inspire change and implement PLAN like approaches to supporting
families. Visit the PLAN website.
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 Roots
of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has
shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression and
violence among schoolchildren while raising social/emotional
competence and increasing empathy. The focus of Roots of Empathy
in the long term is to build capacity of the next generation
for caring and compassionate citizenship and parenting. In
the short term, Roots of Empathy focuses on raising levels
of empathy, resulting in more respectful and caring relationships
and reduced levels of bullying and aggression. In 2000, Roots
of Empathy began to spread across the country and was offered
in schools in nine provinces in Canada during the 2005-2006
school year. Visit the
Roots of Empathy website for more!
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Santropol
Roulant
 Founded
in 1995, Santropol Roulant is a volunteer organization based
in Montreal and run by motivated and dynamic young people
in the community. It brings people and groups together across
cultures and generations through an innovative meals-on-wheels
service and intergenerational programs. Santropol Roulant
uses food as a vehicle to break social and economic isolation
between generations and to strengthen and nourish the local
community. Learn more
here.
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 Tamarack
is a charitable organization dedicated to helping Canadian
communities take ownership of local issues by making use of
proven strategies for community engagement.
Tamarack believes that we can find a better
path forward when different sectors work together strategically
in communities. The Institute is a co-sponsor of Vibrant
Communities and also provides learning resources and training,
coaching, strategic consulting and study guides to help people
to collaborate and to learn with and from each other. Learn
more about Tamarack here.
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Victorian
Order of Nurses (VON)
 VON
is a not-for-profit, national health care organization and
registered charity offering a wide range of community health
care solutions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Founded in 1897, VON has 62 branches that
deliver community health care solutions in 1,300 communities
across 10 provinces. VON boasts more than 6,000 staff and
15,000 volunteers; more than 21, 000 members of the VON family.
Learn more about VON
here.
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