Some of our Supporting Partners, Organizations and Foundations include...
Musagetes is an international philanthropic organization that makes the arts more central and meaningful in people’s lives, in our communities, and in our societies. Musagetes promotes the arts and artistic creativity as tools for social transformation—to promote healthier democracies and creative societies. Musagetes works with artists, cultural mediators and partners across many sectors to develop new approaches to enhance the impact of artistic creativity on culture and communities, policy makers and the general public. Musagetes wants to make a difference in how we think about ourselves; how we lead our lives; how we conduct public affairs; how we relate to one another; and how we shape the world around us.
J. W. McConnell Family Foundation is a private philanthropic organization funding programs that support Canadians in building a more innovative, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient society. The core purpose of the Foundation has remained constant since its founding: to improve the quality of life in Canada by building communities that help people develop their potential and contribute to the common good. The vision is a Canada where all people feel a sense of belonging and contribute as active citizens to improving the well-being of all.
Cities for People - Like any ecosystem, a city’s strength and resilience depends on its ability to nurture the full diversity of its inhabitants and give them what they need not just to survive, but thrive. At Cities For People, we see every city as an invitation. An invitation for interaction, innovation, change, inclusion, learning, love and growth. An invitation to think beyond the way things are and have always been, and come up with new ways to make where we live support how we would like to live. Our goal is to empower change and help foster the sort of multi-level transformation and ideological shift that is required to help cities embrace the needs of their populations and come up with ways to meet them. Cities are complex, so the solutions needed will also be an intricate collaboration between diverse stakeholders-- everyone from residents, community organizations, policy makers and municipal governments to artists, universities, private companies and charitable foundations. Cities for People is an initiative that aims to explore the question: How can we enhance social, ecological and economic well-being and help civic cultures thrive?
One Earth is a nonprofit ‘think and do’ tank based in Vancouver, Canada, whose mission is to transform production and consumption patterns locally, nationally and internationally to be sustainable, healthy and just within the limits of living systems. One Earth is working towards Canadian and US leadership in this area through systemic change and collective impact, with partners including The Story of Stuff Project and The Sustainability Funders, and, on the policy front, with the Canadian and US Government, the United Nations, private sector, media, academia, and civil society. One Earth advances urban resilience and sustainability, advises the City and Metro Vancouver on achieving Lighter Footprints, and promotes and implements industrial symbiosis and green, just and closed-loop economies. One Earth adopts a systems approach to identify high-impact solutions, and engages the arts and citizens in creating compelling visions of life in sustainable futures.
Breuninger Foundation
We see ourselves faced with powerful challenges: the problems arising from climate change, the financial crisis and growing poverty can no longer be solved within the “classical” structures of politics and administration alone. What is needed is a process of rethinking, new approaches and more commitment from all involved. We are convinced that we can effect this necessary change only as a civil society. For this we must create new forms of participation and strengthen the individual sense of responsibility. We work on a local, national and international basis and cooperate with people who have set out to foster integrated, sustainable and interlinked ways of thinking and acting. We invest in the ability of people to learn, to cooperate and to lead. We initiate and set up networks and establish platforms with those who have ideas and visions for the 21st century. Through our work we wish to contribute to making this century a just and peaceful one.
We see ourselves faced with powerful challenges: the problems arising from climate change, the financial crisis and growing poverty can no longer be solved within the “classical” structures of politics and administration alone. What is needed is a process of rethinking, new approaches and more commitment from all involved. We are convinced that we can effect this necessary change only as a civil society. For this we must create new forms of participation and strengthen the individual sense of responsibility. We work on a local, national and international basis and cooperate with people who have set out to foster integrated, sustainable and interlinked ways of thinking and acting. We invest in the ability of people to learn, to cooperate and to lead. We initiate and set up networks and establish platforms with those who have ideas and visions for the 21st century. Through our work we wish to contribute to making this century a just and peaceful one.
New City Institute A distinguished group of planners, academics and concerned citizens founded the New City Institute in 1996. Since then, the Institute has been involved in academic and action research aimed at advancing the theory and practice of sustainability. The New City Institute undertakes research and public education on: structuring the built environment to minimize impacts on the natural environment, creating healthy, sustainable communities; improving planning theory and practice; fostering public participation and a culture of civic engagement. The Institute also offers a variety of consulting services to both the private and public sectors.
University of British Columbia – Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability is a regenerative building that houses an ambitious program to contribute directly to accelerating sustainability on the ground and is the home of the UBC Sustainability Initiative. CIRS is a hub for sustainability research and action in the region, providing a common environment where academic researchers and non-academic partners can collaborate to develop innovative solutions to sustainability challenges. CIRS is also a demonstration and education centre where members of the public can see sustainability technologies and practices in use, take part in sustainability education programs, and participate in community engagement and planning activities.
OCAD University OCAD University has more depth and breadth in visual arts and design programs than any school of its kind in Canada. OCAD U offers its students a unique environment that combines studio-based learning with critical inquiry. Programs lead to a BFA or BDes and, as of 2008/2009, an MA, MFA or MDes. At OCAD U, we educate imaginations. We consider the future. We also honour our history, recognizing the more than a century of achievement that distinguishes our alumni. Joining the remarkable artists and designers we’ve graduated are established cultural leaders, educators, innovators, creative thinkers and strategists.
Collective Invention is an innovation practice dedicated to promoting innovation for the common good. The team’s goals are to apply known art about innovation in the private sector to seemingly intractable problems crucial to us all - in education, local economies and communities, and sustainability. The mission of Collective Invention is to equip leaders to innovate for the common good. They develop experiential future scenarios to guide strategy today; explore values and behavior to understand changing needs; and use the problem-solving practice of design to build a new world of learning, living and regional resilience. Partners in Collective Invention have spent many years developing systems-level strategies, on-the-ground solutions and new business models in areas such as sustainable mobility, trans-disciplinary teaching and learning, and family-centric healthcare delivery. With a small team of partners based in San Francisco, Collective Invention enjoys a network of affiliates across Europe, Australia and Asia, with a sister firm, The Idea Factory, based in Singapore. Partners’ backgrounds include, among other things, scenario planning, ethnographic research, innovation strategy, industrial design, architecture, and strategic multi-stakeholder facilitation.
Simon Fraser University's Vancity Office of Community Engagement supports public programming on themes such as social justice, sustainability and urbanism, arts and culture, democratic resilience and active citizenship through public talks, dialogues, workshops, events, performances and community partnerships. SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement provides community educational opportunities for local residents, access to artist talks and cultural events. The Office opened in December 2010 and is involved in over 200 public events per year with over 8,000 attendees and has over 15 long term partnerships. Working with students, faculty and community, the Office is committed to long term relationship building and reciprocal collaborations between the university and the community, in all its diverse formations.
N Square Collaborative was created to catalyze innovation that moves the world toward disarmament while improving global safety and security in the meantime. It is a new initiative sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ploughshares Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Skoll Global Threats Fund.