CharityVillage Connects: Reconciliation and the Nonprofit Sector: Where Are We Now?

Janine is the Executive Team Lead of Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund. She is driven by a personal social impact mission of promoting wise practices in philanthropy, grant-making, and fundraising with Indigenous people and communities. Teaching of humility, abundance, and reciprocity, guide her work.

For over 13 years, Janine has been in the not-for-profit and charitable sector in a range of leadership roles supporting Indigenous-led not-for-profits/charities, Indigenous-serving organizations and programs advancing Indigenous relations, and community prosperity. Organizations including Anishnawbe Health Foundation, United Way Greater Toronto, Ontario Arts Council, and Teach for Canada. As a consultant, Janine supported a myriad of organizations to build healthy programs, policies, and practices to achieve their equity and reconciliation commitments.

As the Chair of the Laidlaw Foundation, now Past Chair, Janine was the first Indigenous person to chair a private family foundation in Canada. As such, she is outspoken about diverse governance leadership in the philanthropic sector and the inclusion of Indigenous people in building community abundance through decolonizing and redistributing wealth. Janine is a community-passionate fundraiser, who prioritizes building reciprocal relationships with funders and donors.

Janine has a Hons. BA in Environmental Studies (Politics) from York University, and a Certificate in Social Sector Management from Schulich School of Business.

Connect with Janine on LinkedIn.

Progressing to leadership roles, including Director of the Youth Challenge Fund and United Way’s Youth Success Strategy, Nation championed the positive development of Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth across the Greater Toronto Area, driving initiatives aimed at their empowerment and success.

In his role as Vice President of Community Opportunities and Mobilization, Nation led United Way’s Research and Public Policy, Public Affairs, and Strategic Initiatives. He was instrumental in developing United Way’s Reconciliation and Equity Action Plan and the Indigenous Partnership Council, demonstrating his commitment to reconciliation and equitable community impact.

Currently, as the Vice President of Community Impact and Mobilization, Nation leads a dynamic team that drives United Way’s community service investments and systems solutions. Together, they collaborate with partners across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to deliver equitable neighbourhood-level outcomes.

It is this time in his life, that has provided a level of knowledge you won’t find, or has ever existed, in any formal classroom. And a time that has prepared him the most, for the work he is invited to support, across the country, internationally, and locally with Calgary Foundation, as Vice President of Indigenous Relations and Equity Strategy.

In his role, Tim supports the work of philanthropy while also facilitating an internal systems change approach. His efforts help to strengthen and enhance the culture and practice of the foundation while designing ways of mobilizing reconciliation internally and in the broader community.

He’s in his last term as co-chair for, The Circle on Philanthropy, a role he’s been honored to hold for the last six years. In 2019 he was named a top 40 under 40 for his efforts of incorporating reconciliation and decolonization. Recently, Tim authored a children’s book, called Napi Kii Imitaa (Napi and the Dogs), and is proud to have this story shared in Blackfoot and English. He has also co-facilitated Indigenous Men’s domestic violence programming, at the Calgary Correctional Centre with, Strengthening The Spirit.