In December 2015, as a result of the leadership of The Counselling Foundation of Canada, The Lawson Foundation, and the Laidlaw Foundation, Foundation House officially opened its doors. Designed as a place where real change could be identified and nurtured by the partners and a select group of philanthropic foundations, networks and not-for-profits, Foundation House is now the Toronto home to many organizations.
As part of the work to bring people and organizations together, facilitators helped staff to develop a set of five key principles to live by. They are:
- We foster a fun, friendly, and welcoming workspace.
- We work with an eye to inviting and igniting trust and relationship.
- We create and nurture an environment of learning and collaboration.
- We have respect for each other.
- We approach conflict resolution with openness.
Today, Foundation House is both a shared work space and convening hub for Canada’s philanthropic and not-for-profit community. The residents of Foundation House are engaged and passionate organizations that want to change the way the Canadian philanthropic and not-for-profit sectors work together.