Breakfast Briefing Insight Talks & Panel Discussion
“THE STATE OF THE GRANT SECTOR”
October 22nd, 2026
OBA Conference Centre
20 Toronto Street, Toronto, ON
AGENDA
7:45 am | Registration Opens & Continental Breakfast Served | Networking
8:45 am | Welcoming Remarks & Speaker Introductions
Jim Hilborn, Publisher, Charity eNews
9:00 am | Speaker Presentations
10:00 am | Panel Discussion, Q&A, Comments, Additional Insights
11:00 am | Closing Remarks| Briefing Ends
JUST $95.00 Per Person
YOUR SPEAKERS-PANELISTS
Unique Speaker Presentations & An Engaging Panel Discussion
Insights, Forecasts, Trends, Data, Strategy & All Your Questions Answered.
Jim Hilborn, Publisher, Hilborn Charity eNews, Civil Sector Press & Foundation Magazine. Jim launched Canadian FundRaiser in 1991, co-founded Charity Village in 1993, published Canadian FundRaiser eNEWS in 2001 and Gift Planning in Canada in 2004 and offered a Key-To-The-Sector training program for non-profit managers in 2005, attended by more than 4,000 professionals. In 2007, he founded Civil Sector Press. He’s been president of the Canadian Society for Engineering Management and the Business Press Editors Association, Chair of the Board of Foster Parents Plan of Canada, and a Director of Foster Parents Plan International Inc, Camp Big Canoe, the Canadian Association of Gift Planners, the Kanawa Canoe Museum, Metropolitan United Church (Toronto), and Youth Employment Services. Jim has won a variety of editorial awards, including the Kenneth R. Wilson Award for Business Journalism. In 2017, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
PRESENTATION: Shifting Ground: The Forces Reshaping the Grants Landscape in Canada. Grantmaking in Canada is being reshaped by several forces at once, and they’re pulling on each other. AI is changing how applications are written and reviewed, policy shifts are opening new pathways, funders are pursuing trust-based giving alongside a heightened interest in impact measurement, and conversations about fair funding and deeper collaboration are gaining momentum. Drawing on what Imagine Canada is hearing from charities and funders across the country, this session looks at where these forces connect, where they collide, and where we’re headed.
YOUR SPEAKER: Devon Ayer, Vice President, Programs, Strategy & Business Development, Imagine Canada. Devon Ayer is the Vice President of Programs, Strategy, and Business Development at Imagine Canada, a national organization empowering charities, nonprofits, and social enterprises to achieve their missions. Her work focuses on building sector capacity, supporting nonprofit leaders, and fostering collaboration to address community challenges. Imagine Canada’s work is guided by Building Our Collective Power (2026–2030), our new Strategic Action Plan – created with input from hundreds of social impact leaders, volunteers, donors, and stakeholders across the country. You told us what matters most: strategic focus, meaningful convening, and championing the sector’s fundamental needs around trust, resources, and leadership capacity. Grounded in this collective wisdom, the plan positions Imagine Canada as a national catalyst for a trusted, well-resourced, and future-ready sector that drives lasting change in communities across Canada and around the globe.
PRESENTATION: Beyond the Grant: Building Financial Resilience. As a funder, Toronto Foundation is seeing what many across the sector are seeing: growing community need, increasing pressure on charities and granting dollars that can only stretch so far. That has us thinking not only about how we grant, but how we can bundle granting dollars with other forms of financial support to help organizations build greater resilience over time. Over the past year, we’ve spoken with more than 100 sector leaders about how charities are managing the financial capital they already hold, and what emerged were important questions about governance, liquidity, risk, investment access and long-term stewardship. For us, this represents an opportunity to think more expansively about the role of a foundation: granting remains an essential tool, but what other financial levers can we put alongside our grants to help strengthen the organizations and communities we fund?
YOUR SPEAKER: Nicola Hives, Vice-President, Strategy & Impact, Toronto Foundation. Nicola is a strategist and fundraiser with more than 15 years experience helping Canadians make an impact through charitable giving. She leads donor and community engagement including granting, and advance strategies that build community wealth. For more than two decades Toronto’s Vital Signs Reports have tracked the city’s wellbeing. Our findings help inform community funding and programming, as well as connect donations to the smaller community organizations addressing the city’s greatest needs.
PRESENTATION: Partnering for Change to Create Lasting Impact. The Weston Family Foundation’s mission is to deliver measurable impact that improves the well-being of Canadians. By combining funding with a range of complementary supports and tools, the Foundation partners with grantees as agents of change—recognizing that funding is only one part of creating lasting impact.
YOUR SPEAKER: Selga Apse, Director of Granting, Weston Family Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Selga worked with the Canadian Olympic Foundation where she spent almost a decade building its fundraising programs, managing operations, launching it’s endowment fund and supporting 52 National Sport Organizations with grants and programs. She also supported Team Canada athletes and coaches directly serving at four Olympic Games in Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and China. Selga began her career at The National Ballet of Canada working in all areas of fundraising, and following that at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
KEY DETAILS & REGISTRATION
Attend this Special Breakfast Briefing and be part of the discussion about the current trends and future projections for the grant sector, including insights about both sides of the funding process. Learn the ways that you can improve your grant successes, discover new options, power your applications, find new funding opportunities and exchange ideas with your fellow delegates. Each Panelist will be providing an individual address and then the panel will discuss as a group, taking questions and expanding the conversation. It’s only $95.00 per person to attend and includes continental breakfast, refreshments, handouts and networking. Please don’t miss this unique insights forum.
To Register Click On the Button & Sign Up. You may bring as many delegates you wish. We suggest you sign up early because the room will sell out quickly. Questions? Email Steve Lloyd, Event Chair. This Breakfast Briefing is conducted by a collaboration between Hilborn Charity eNews, Civil Sector Press, and Lloydmedia Inc. Media partners include DM Magazine, Charity eNews & Foundation Magazine. P: 905-201-6600. You may also register and pay by etransfer if you prefer. Go to the registration page by clicking on the icon and then choose the option for etransfer and complete and submit the form. You will get confirmation of your registration and you must send the transfer within 24 hours. Thank you.
ABOUT THE OBA CONFERENCE CENTRE
Part of the Ontario Bar Association, the OBA Conference Centre is the ultimate destination for unforgettable meetings, events, and special occasions. Spanning nearly 15,000 sq. ft. of versatile and stylish space, the venue is designed to bring visions to life. Whether you’re planning a small, intimate gathering or a grand gala for 200 guests, our spaces can be transformed to create the perfect atmosphere for your event. Location: 20 Toronto St, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON. M5C 2B8