LAST PAGE UPDATE: Friday, December 1, 2023, 8am
The Pillar Nonprofit Network team is committed to engaging, supporting, and informing our membership and community through the multiple challenges we face. Use our curated collection to find the information you need when you need it. You'll also find news related to our operations and service delivery on our News page and relevant events on the Pillar Events page.
Upcoming free virtual learning
Resources and advocacy for the impact sector
Addressing racism and xenophobia
Current relief and funding opportunities
Systems Change and Future-Weaving
Upcoming free virtual learning and occasional in-person events
- 24 Free Nonprofit Webinars for December 2023 (Curated by Wild Apricot)
- Formation Connexion subvention, destinée aux utilisateurs actuels de Connexion subvention (Imagine Canada), Mardi, le 28 Novembre, 1200h. NB: Il existe une réduction sur les abonnements de Connexion subvention pour les membres de Pillar Nonprofit Network
- Fundraising with Grant Connect for potential subscribers (Imagine Canada), Tuesday, November 29, 12:30-1:15pm EDT. Reminder that Grant Connect offers a Pillar member discount.
- Experiences of Discrimination in London & Middlesex County (Urban League of London), Thursday, November 30, 7-9pm EST in person at Goodwill Industries.
- Grant Connect Training for Current Subscribers (Imagine Canada), Thursday, December 13, 1-1:45pm EDT. Reminder that Grant Connect offers a Pillar member discount.
- MLHU Healthcare Provider Monthly Webinar Tuesday, December 5, 12-12:30pm EST
- Mohawk Institute Residential School Virtual Tour (CRRF), Thursday, December 7, 1-2pm EST
- Beyond Ground Penetrating Radar (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation),Tuesday, December 12, 1-2pm EST
- #PolicyTalk 4: Yes, Nonprofits Can do Advocacy, Actually; Let's Get Started (Pillar), Thursday, December 14, 5:30-7:30pm EST
- MLHU Healthcare Provider Monthly Webinar Tuesday, January 16, 12-12:30pm EST
- Cybersecurity – Building a Proactive Approach (Tamarack), January 17, 2024, 1-2pm EST
- MLHU Healthcare Provider Monthly Webinar Tuesday, February 21, 12-12:30pm EST
Resources and advocacy for the impact sector, including nonprofits, charities, social enterprises, and impact investors
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Advocacy for the impact sector, local, provincial, and national
- Update on the new Ontario Not-For-Profit Corporations (ONCA) and regulations (Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law, June 22, 2020) with proposed regulations.
- Advocacy Crash Course: Your voice matters...and yes, it does create change (Kallee Lins, Imagine Canada, June 23, 2020)
- The Canadian Fund for Charities’ Overhead Costs Is Here. Here’s How it Works — And a Major Trend it Signals (Kylie Adair, Future Of Good, Aug 5, 2020)
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Advocacy for impact investors, social enterprises & social innovators
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Resources for social innovators, social enterprises (nonprofit and/or for-profit), businesses
- Access to RHA Online startup community (RH Accelerator founder community)
- Innovation Canada’s Resources page for Social Innovators
- Google will now let any business list products on Google Shopping for free (Nick Statt, The Verge, Apr 21, 2020)
- Ontario Made: Celebrating Ontario manufacturers and Ontario made products (Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters)
- Are Charities Ready for Social Finance?: Investment Readiness in Canada’s Charitable Sector (Charity Village, June 25, 2020)
- Profit from technology: Digital tools to drive efficiency and revenue (BDC, July 15, 2020)
Volunteerism and Volunteer Management
Addressing racism, xenophobia, and sociodemographic determinants of health
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Canadian resources and local initiatives addressing racism and xenophobia
- Government of Canada Anti-Racism Resources
- allyship101 (PeerNetBC, November, 2016)
- Legal Services for Black Ontarians, Black Legal Action Centre
- Resources for Ending Anti-Black Racism (Canadian Women's Foundation, June 1, 2020)
- For White Leaders: How to Open a Conversation About Race (Lesli Mones, Power2Leaderlab, June 4th, 2020)
- Exploring My Power and Privilege Toolkit (Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion) 2017
- Beyond Solidarity Statements - Questions to ask yourself about your organization (Rania El Mugammar, Twitter thread)
- Free Indigenous Awareness Course offered by Bear Standing Tall
- Anti-Racist Resources (SURJ Toronto, 2020)
- Educate Yourself: Unlearning Resources curated by the Centre for Social Innovation
- Upholding and Advancing Our Commitment to Anti-Racism (Chiara C, TechSoup Canada, June 4, 2020) with Resources
- Beyond the Board Statement: How Can Boards Join the Movement for Racial Justice? (Part Two)," (Nonprofit Quarterly), Recorded June 29 + slide deck.
- Eductate: Anti-racism resources Canada (Black Lives Matter Canada, credit IG @deadcelery, @danii_jo, @asasyssas)
- True Freedom (Nneka Allen, Charity Village, July 17, 2020)
- The Micropedia, a collection of everyday microaggressions and their harmful impacts through source-based definitions and real-world examples.
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Relevant global resources addressing racism and xenophobia
- Becoming Interculturally Competent (Milton J. Bennett, 2004)
- Adapt Your D&I Efforts to the Reality of the Crisis, A Three-Step Approach, (Lily Zheng, HBR, May 07, 2020)
- Beautiful, FREE illustrations of black people for your next digital project (5Four Digital)
- Anti-Racism Resources (Document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020, US)
- 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship (Mireille Cassandra Harper, Twitter thread, May 29, 2020)
- Becoming Trustworthy White Allies (Melanie S. Morrison, Yale University "Reflections," 2013)
- Creating Content - Here's an equity screen to use from Nonprofit AF (Generocity, August 19, 2019)
- Watch "Systemic Racism Explained" (act.tv, YouTube, Apr 16, 2019)
- Overcoming the Racial Bias in Philanthropic Funding (Cheryl Dorsey, Peter Kim, Cora Daniels, Lyell Sahue, and Britt Savage, Stanford Social Innovation Review, May 4, 2020)
- MakeRoom BLM Resources
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for your Nonprofit, Nonprofit Learning Lab
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Human Resources
- Watch "Retain and Gain: How Career Ownership is Transforming Nonprofits and Charities" (Charity Village), Recorded April 30, 2020
- Watch “Hello? Am I the Only One? – Recruiting Diverse Professionals to your Nonprofit” (Nonprofit Learning Lab), Recorded Aug 11
- Equity from the Inside out: Aligning Workplace Practices with Gender Realities, AnnaLise Trudell and Louise Pitre, Pillar Nonprofit Network, Sept 11, 2020
- Reimagining your Workplace in Rainbow: A Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion for HR, People, & DEI Leaders
- HRdownloads' Top 5 HR Policies Free Download
- Glossary of finance, HR, and payroll terms for nonprofits (Young Associates)
Philanthropy, Giving, and Special Grants
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Resources for fundraisers
- Follow The Money Gift Acceptance Research Report + Top 10 Recommendations for Charities (MPNL)
- More Fundraising Resources from Imagine Canada
- New: How to Set Up an Effective Peer-to-Peer Communications Plan (Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Hybrid Event Planning Template (Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Grant Application Management Template (Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Guide to Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits (Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Grant Writing Do's and Don'ts, According to an Expert(Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Grant Stewardship Checklist: So you've won (or lost) your grant. Now what? (Imagine Canada and Keela)
- Toolkit: Stop Driving in the Dark! Nonprofit Fundraising KPIs 101 (Imagine Canada)
- Prospect Like a Boss: Partnership Strategy Tips for Nonprofits (Imagine Canada)
- Funding Diversity: How to Protect Your Organization's Financial Health (Imagine Canada)
- Fundraiser's field guide to spotting foundations (Imagine Canada)
- Grants 101: A how-to guide for nonprofits (Imagine Canada)
- Six Reasons Why Tiered Event Sponsorship Needs To Go!, Phuong Pham, Community-Centric Fundraising, Sept 3, 2020
- A "Giving Tuesday Cheat Sheet" from DonorPerfect
- The Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering
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Grants and other funding opportunities
- LOCAL London Community Foundation Funding Needs Registry (NB: not a grant, but a space to record funding needs for consideration by LCF donors
- JUST ADDED LOCAL London Community Foundation's Community Vitality Grant - Apply by January 23, 2024 Applications that align with the Vital Signs issue areas: housing, racial equality, well-being (including mental health and addictions), gender equality, food security, education, and the environment.
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Call for Proposals for the Substance Use and Addictions Program - Apply by November 30. Health Canada has launched a national Call for Proposals for the Substance Use and Addictions Program that will fund will fund projects that address substance use issues across the continuum of care.
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Community Emergency Preparedness Grant- Apply by November 30. The Government of Ontario is investing $5 million dedicated to strengthening the emergency preparedness of communities in Ontario. The grants will allow communities to invest in resources, critical supplies, and equipment, as well as, deliver training and services to be prepared in the event of natural disasters and emergencies.
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Digital Museums Canada - Apply by December 1, 2023.
Museums and heritage, cultural, and Indigenous organizations can apply for up to $250,000 in funding to create a range of bilingual digital products, including virtual exhibits and tours, web-based games, and educational resources. There are two funding streams available for organizations: Investments of $25,000 for Community Stories projects and investment of up to $250,000 to develop an online project from the ground up in collaboration with a web development agency. -
Enabling Accessibility Fund Call for Proposals - Apply by 5pm EST, Wednesday, December 13 Canada's Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities has launched a new call for proposals under the EAF's mid-sized projects component. Up to $3 million per project is available under this CFP to support larger new construction, renovation, and/or retrofit projects.
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Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative - Apply by Wednesday, December 15, 11:59pm EST The Government of Canada has launched a Call for Proposals to strengthen the capacity of Black-led and Black-serving community-based organizations throughout Canada. Black-led registered nonprofits serving the Black community are eligible to apply for up to $105,000 in funding in a Capital Assistance stream and Capacity Building stream to help Black-led organizations increase their organizational capacity and improve their workplaces and community spaces.
- Canada Service Corps Service Placements National Stream - Apply by December 19, 3pm EST.
CSC is a contributions program which provides funding to National and Regional organizations to recruit youth volunteers and help improve the social, economic, and environmental well-being of communities through local action. - Canada Service Corps – Service Placements Regional Stream - Apply by December 19, 3pm EST.
Up to $3,000,000 per fiscal year to fund youth-serving organizations with a local or regional reach to develop and deliver flexible volunteer service placements for youth participants, including youth from Indigenous populations, under-served populations, or both. -
Canada Service Corps – Micro-grants Stream - Apply by December 19, 3pm EST
Up to $3,000,000 per fiscal year for projects that support and disburse funding (‘micro-grants’) to youth to design and carry out youth-led volunteer projects. -
Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component - Stream 1 Organizational Capacity Development - Apply by December 21, 5pm, ESTUp to $500,000 for projects up to 24 months in duration that are disability community-led, composed of project-based activities that enhance organizational capacity and impact the extent to which organizations can participate in advancing the disability policy agenda across jurisdictions.
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Social Development Partnerships Program – Disability Component - Stream 2 Intersectional Capacity Development - Apply by December 21, 5pm, EST Up to $700,000 for projects up to 24 months in duration that support the increase of capacity of national disability organizations and their partners to address intersectional barriers that impact inclusion of persons with disabilities.
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The SilverChef Community Grants Program - Apply by December 31 Open to eligible Canadian community groups that use hospitality or food services to help disadvantaged or under-served members of their local community.
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Canada Summer Jobs wage subsidy - Apply by January 10, 2024 at 11:59pm PST Applications have opened for the 2024 wage subsidy program. Find the priorities for your federal constituency here. For example, priorities in London West include "Support for a specific type of project: Projects supporting not for profit organizations."
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Funding for documentary heritage organizations - Apply by 11:59pm PST, January 11, 2024. Documentary heritage organizations across the country can now apply for funding for the 2024–2025 cycle of Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) Documentary Heritage Communities Program (DHCP).
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CRRF Event and Youth Initiative Grants - Apply by 11:59pm EST, January 15. The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is now accepting applications for the second round of National Anti-Racism Fund (NARF)’s Event and Youth Initiative Grants. Applications seeking funding for events or youth initiatives that will take place between April and July 2024 must be submitted by January 15, 2024
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Call for proposals - Apply by January 23, 2024, 11:59 local time. The call for proposals for community-based commemoration activities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2024
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Applications that align with the Vital Signs issue areas: housing, racial equality, well-being (including mental health and addictions), gender equality, food security, education, and the environment.
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Up to 100 per cent of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $200,000 for festivals that present the work of local artists, local artisans, local heritage performers, and local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultural carriers; actively involve members of the local community; and are intended for and accessible to the general public.
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HydroOne: Energizing Life Community Fund 2024 - Apply by January 31, 2024. HydroOne is funding projects by Indigenous communities, charitable organizations, nonprofits, and municipalitiest hat focus on the physical, psychological, and emotional safety of Ontarians.
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Tourism funding from FedDev - Apply by February 29, 2024, 8:59 pm EST. Organizations in southern Ontario can now apply for tourism funding through the Federal Economic Development Agency's Tourism Growth Program.
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Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP). Boost Your Business Technology grant gives you: up to $15,000 to develop a Digital Adoption Plan; up to $100,000 in 0% interest loan from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) to implement your plan; and/or up to $7,300 to hire a skilled youth to implement the technologies that can propel your business forward.
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Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program - Applications ongoing. The Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program aims to support Canadian communities in combating racism and discrimination while promoting diversity and inclusion. The program includes three funding components: Events, Projects, and Community Capacity Building, as well as the Paul Yuzyk Youth Initiative for Multiculturalism. The program will provide grants of $250, $500, and $1,000 to support youth-led projects that address issues of racism and discrimination in local communities.
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Programming: Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters – Canada Arts Presentation Fund - Apply by April 1 for projects starting between April 1st and June 30th of the following year. The Professional Arts Festivals and Performing Arts Series Presenters sub-component of the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) supports existing professional arts festivals and performing arts series presenters to offer activities that connect artists with Canadians in their communities.
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Local Festivals – Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage - Apply by April 30 for festivals starting between January 1 and June 30 of the next calendar year. Up to 100 per cent of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $200,000 for festivals that present the work of local artists, local artisans, local heritage performers, and local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultural carriers; actively involve members of the local community; and are intended for and accessible to the general public.
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Local Festivals – Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage - Apply by October 15 for festivals starting between July 1 and August 31 of the next calendar year.
Up to 100 per cent of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $200,000 for festivals that present the work of local artists, local artisans, local heritage performers, and local First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultural carriers; actively involve members of the local community; and are intended for and accessible to the general public. -
Nonprofit Resiliency Project - Accepting applications through London Environmental Network Are you a nonprofit organization with multi-unit residential buildings? The Nonprofit Resiliency Project (NRP)! was launched to support nonprofit organizations in London and Middlesex that provide housing accommodations on a temporary or permanent basis. Participating organizations receive tailored reports (based on facility walkthroughs and utility data) about how its buildings are currently operating and the steps needed to achieve net-zero emissions.
- Green Cities Foundation - Applications ongoing.
The #GreenMyCity program seeks to help communities across Canada create or improve public green spaces in cities for recreation, education and enjoyment.
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Janssen Canada makes charitable contributions and community support donations to support nonprofit organizations that benefit patients and/or have a meaningful impact in local communities and the Canadian healthcare ecosystem.
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CN Stronger Communities Fund
Canadian National Railway is now accepting applications for investment in the focus areas of Health and Safety; Environmental Sustainability; Diversity and Inclusion; Innovation; and Civic Engagement. CN provides funding for event sponsorships, donations toward community projects and initiatives, and annual memberships. - National Emergency Survivor Support Fund - Applications ongoing. YMCA Canada has launched Canada's first National Emergency Survivor Support Fund (NESS Fund) to provide women, gender-diverse people, and their families with financial support to leave unsafe homes or emergency shelters/precarious housing situations and begin their healing journeys. YMCA's NESS Fund provides one-time financial support of up to $2,000 to survivors of gender-based violence.
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GreenShield Canada - Ongoing, for projects focused on mental health and oral health
- Business Scale-up and Productivity (supporting businesses to scale-up, expand and adopt innovative goods, services or technologies);
- Community Economic Development and Diversification (nonprofits and businesses generating inclusive growth and helping small and rural communities in SWO);
- Regional Innovation Ecosystem (nonprofits to fuel an entrepreneurial environment conducive to business innovation and growth); and
- Black Entrepreneurship Program (helping Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses).
- First Nations Infrastructure Fund
- Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative
- Green Economy EV Charger Incentive Program - apply by March 31, 2024
- Small Business Lighting Incentive from Save ON Energy
- Tourism Economic Development and Recovery Fund (Ontario) - Applications Open
- Alterna Savings Collaborative Not-For-Profit Loan Fund
- Environmental Employability Pathways - New Job Funding from ECO-Canada
- Desjardins GoodSpark Fund Supporting Community Priorites
- Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program - Open
- Home Depot Canada Foundation Community Impact Grant Program - Open
- OTHER RESOURCES & SUPPORTS FOR NONPROFITS, SOCIAL IMPACT ORGANIZATIONS, AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
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Management Advisory Service offers pro bono consulting for nonprofit organizations. They also offer online workshops, publications, and articles that can help nonprofits run effectively. Their short but thorough Self-Assessment Survey is an especially useful tool to help organizations focus on their trouble spots.
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Neighbourhood Decision Making (City of London) allows Londoners of any age can share ideas that will make their neighbourhoods even better.
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Microsoft 365 Business Premium grants for small and medium-sized nonprofits that need email services, Office desktop applications, cloud-based file storage and sharing, and web conferencing.
Emerging Futures: Recovery and (Re)building
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Transformational movements
- Localizing the UN SDGs to your organization (Green Economy London & rTraction), Recorded April 28, 2020
- Convening the Capacity Builders: Reflections on the Field of Systems Change (Illuminate)
- Cities for a Resilient Recovery (Global Resilient Cities Network)
- The New Economy Roundtable (Canadian Poverty Institute)
- The Economy we Want - Common Future
- A Feminist Recovery Plan for Canada (YWCA Canada and the Institute for Gender and the Economy)
- Transformational leadership, research, and public policy work
- Resetting Normal Report 1: Funding A Thriving Women’s Sector (Canadian Women's Foundation, ONN), May 2020
- The Curb-Cut Effect, and Why Race, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) Are Even More Critical Now (Nonprofit AF) May 18, 2020
- Indigenous Innovation resources from Future of Good, including
- What will it take to support Indigenous innovation?
- Rebirthing an Indigenous Economy
- Here’s why the future of work needs to include Indigenous perspectives post-pandemic
- "We Cannot Accept Excuses": Cindy Blackstock on Justice for First Nations Children
- The Friendship Centre Movement, where women have always been at the forefront
- How Can We Decolonize Impact Investing?
- Edgar Villanueva: Decolonizing Wealth
- Beyond the Board Statement: How Can Boards Join the Movement for Racial Justice? Part Two (NPQ, Monday, June 29, 2020)
- Creating a Better World Means Asking Better Questions (Hildy Gottlieb, Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 24, 2020)
- How Philanthropy Fails To Support its Greatest Assets, BIPOC Leaders, And What it Should Do About it (Vu Le, Nonprofit AF, Aug 10, 2020)
- The Dawn of System Leadership: The deep changes necessary to accelerate progress against society's most intractable problems require someone who catalyzes collective leadership (Peter Senge, Hal Hamilton, & John Kania, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2015)
- Seven Years of Growth: BLM’s Co-Founder and incoming Executive Director reflects on the movement, Patrisse Cullors, Medium, Sept 11, 2020
- Building Movements, Not Organizations, Hildy Gottlieb, Stanford Social Innovation Review, July 28, 2015
- Reclaiming Context, Connection and Collectivity for Regenerative Cultures, Curtis Ogden, International Institute for Social Change, August 28, 2020
- Systems Change & Deep Equity: Pathways Toward Sustainable Impact, Beyond “Eureka!,” Unawareness & Unwitting Harm, An Interview with Sheryl Petty and Mark Leach, Change Elemental, July, 2020.
- The Future Is Now: Creating Decent Work Post-Pandemic, Sunil Johal, Public Policy Forum, June, 2020
- Welfare 5.0: Why we need a social revolution and how to make it happen, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, September 7, 2020