Black philanthropy: Unseen and unheard no more

A word from FGM – November 2025

The Foundation of Greater Montréal has recently unveiled the latest edition of its Vital Signs series of reports. This one explores philanthropy in Quebec’s Black communities. The new study is now freely available, along with a summary of its main findings, on FGM’s website.

Our starting point was the fact that Black community members’ philanthropic contributions often go unseen. The goal then became to challenge certain prejudices, such as the misconception that Black communities are always on the receiving end of philanthropic initiatives. The report also highlights the many ways in which philanthropy is defined and practiced. And, finally, it identifies areas where data is lacking and interprets new sources of data to open up new research opportunities in our field.

To truly play its role in a diverse society, the philanthropic sector is duty-bound to go beyond conventional narratives. These narratives too often still revolve around the idea of charity: someone gives away money, and someone else receives it. Philanthropy, real philanthropy, means so much more than that.

An essential partnership

This report provides a comprehensive look at the current state of philanthropy in Quebec’s Black communities. But in doing so, it also increases the visibility of the philanthropic realities specific to these groups. To achieve this, FGM partnered with the Quebec Black Communities Observatory, a specialized research group affiliated with the Afro Youth Summit. Given the Observatory’s focus on producing and disseminating information about the experience of Black communities in Quebec, it was the ideal partner. With a high level of expertise and rigour, its researchers captured the diversity and vitality of these communities with regard to their philanthropic contributions. FGM thanks the Observatory’s team and the members of the working group for their invaluable insights.

We hope that this latest edition of Vital Signs will help raise awareness and spark an open and informed conversation. Within Black communities, philanthropic circles and beyond, we have to acknowledge the many contributions made by marginalized communities. As an example, a better institutional recognition of these communities’ philanthropic practices, by the government and other social and community actors, would be a great place to start.

May this new study provide you with some interesting food for thought. Thank you!

Marie-Andrée Farmer
Acting President and CEO