FGM is looking to push the boundaries of philanthropy

At the Foundation of Greater Montréal (FGM), we’ve kicked off our 25^th anniversary celebrations. This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on all we’ve achieved, but also to look ahead and anticipate how we’ll rise to the challenges of the next 25 years.

FGM aspires to build a community free from poverty and discrimination, where everyone can fulfill their potential in a healthy environment—today and into the future. This vision is our lifeblood. It drives us every day and encapsulates our commitment to all communities in Greater Montreal. Whatever the political and economic headwinds, we stay the course and reaffirm our values—justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, collaboration, listening, creation, innovation, and integrity.

The Foundation’s philanthropic practices strive to be transformative. They are designed to equip communities to take action on the systemic factors behind issues including inequities, exclusion, and environmental degradation, and not just their consequences.

Concrete action

For this reason, the Foundation is seeking to increase our support for causes and populations that are too often neglected. FGM’s Collective Fund for Climate and Ecological Transition is one good example. The latest iteration of this fund aims to support the resilience, empowerment, and transformational capacity of communities in the face of climate change, through an environmental justice approach focused on communities rather than technical solutions.

This year, FGM also hastened our shift towards trust-based philanthropy. Simply put, trust-based philanthropy means recognizing the expertise of organizations working on the ground. We have adjusted our calls for projects and reporting processes, and now offer more multi-year, unconditional funding in addition to other support measures. We believe that philanthropy should encourage innovation in recipient organizations and that by working together, we can come up with solutions that truly address our society’s current and future challenges.

In 2024, the Foundation also added impact investing to our toolbox. Needs are rapidly growing, and simply granting funds is no longer enough. By pursuing both financial returns and significant social and environmental benefits for Greater Montreal, we aim to put all the financial resources entrusted to us to work.

Today’s philanthropic capital needs to be more than just a means of generating returns: it must become a tool for change. What if you could invest in the well-being of your community the same way you would in shares or stocks? Impact investing makes that possible. FGM is pursuing new opportunities in this market, and we are now encouraging our partners and our entire sector to join us.

The world around us is changing, but our determination remains the same. In 2025 and beyond, we will continue to push the boundaries of philanthropy to build a just society for today and tomorrow. Thank you for your support!

Karen Macdonald
Chair of the Board of Directors

Karel Mayrand
President and CEO