IMPACS - No Longer

The Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS) was committed to strengthening the voice and profile of civil society organizations in Canada and internationally.

The March 21 Statement from the board declares the ten year old organisation insolvent. A highly regrettable outcome.

IMPACS has been a friend to the VSEF since our inception. As a civil society organisation believing ...

that when not-for-profits, or civil society organizations, do a better job of communicating the issues that are important in their communities - such as environmental protection and social justice - those issues are more fully and better represented in public policy debates.

... we had areas of mutual interest.

We note the following portion of the board's statement:

The Board and management of IMPACS have worked hard over the last several months to keep the enterprise viable and solvent. However, a number of factors have combined to make that goal elusive.

While IMPACS had recently received word of some greatly appreciated new funding for some of its programs by a number of Canadian foundations and new federal funding for one of its international projects, the IMPACS Board has determined that the only responsible course of action available at this time is to plan for an orderly wind-up of IMPACS, assisting in the securing of new work opportunities for the organization's employees and to limit the adverse financial exposure of the organization and its valued creditors.

The experience of IMPACS is, regrettably, not an isolated instance. There are numerous non-governmental organizations and charities in Canada's community non-profit sector that are facing many of the same financial stresses. Chief among them is the lack of what is often called "core-funding,"i.e. revenue sources from operations or grants from governments or foundations that can sustain what is even the modest central management function at the heart of any organization.

There are lessons here.

Heads Up Credit | Rob Cottingham
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Tags for information about: for:vsef, Social Economy, Nonprofit

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