In this episode, Lynn talks to Erica Barbosa Vargas, Director of Solutions Finance at the McConnell Foundation, one of Canada’s largest private foundations. Erica provides insights into the growing impact investment sector in Canada. She also shares what the McConnell Foundation is doing to address the bottleneck they see in financial intermediaries, so that more funds can be directed into impact investing, to ultimately impact the global SDGs (UN Sustainable Development Goals) through the work of nonprofits, social enterprises, and other social impact organizations.
Resources:
- Erica Barbosa Vargas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericabarbosa/
- McConnell Foundation: https://mcconnellfoundation.ca/
- Solutions Finance Accelerator: https://mcconnellfoundation.ca/granting/solutions-finance-accelerator/
- Aboriginal Savings Corporation of Canada (ABSCAN): https://lasedac.ca/index_en.html
- MaRS Centre for Impact Investing: https://impactinvesting.marsdd.com/
- Philanthropic Foundations Canada: www.pfc.ca
- Community Foundations Canada: https://www.communityfoundations.ca/
- UN Sustainable Development Goals: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs
- New Market Funds – Eight Tracks: Impact Investing in Canadian Communities: https://newmarketfunds.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Eight-Tracks.pdf
- Rally Assets: https://rallyassets.com/
- La Caisse d’économie solidaire: https://caissesolidaire.coop/
Find out more about our work at Social Impact Advisors: www.socialimpactadvisors.ca
Application Timeline for the McConnell Solutions Finance Accelerator (2019)
July 2019: Call for Stage 1 applications
September 15, 2019: Stage 1 Application deadline. Download the application questions (for reference only) here. *Note: You must create an account on our online application form in order to apply. Please note that it may take up to 2-3 business days for your account to be approved.
September 2019: Shortlisted candidates are invited to submit Stage 2 applications.
November 2019: Deadline to submit Stage 2 application.
December 2019: Cohort of successful applicants announced
