The Atkinson Story

From 1939 to 1945, Canada was at war. Mr. Atkinson laid the groundwork for a significant philanthropic gift during this time. He planned to turn the ownership of the Toronto Star over to his charitable foundation — “returning the paper to the people”, and dedicating future profits to social causes.

The years immediately following his death in 1948, Mr. Atkinson’s final wishes were challenged by the provincial government. Finally incorporated as a charity in 1950, the Atkinson Foundation’s relationship to the Star remained hotly contested for the better part of the next decade. In this shadow, the Foundation’s trustees got to work.

They invested big in health and education like nurses’ training at George Brown College, a professional school for public administrators at Carleton University, and Atkinson College at York University for part-time students with full-time jobs. The first immigrant welcome centres and Stratford’s Shakespearean Festival benefited from trustees’ commitment to social services, arts and culture. They played their part in Toronto’s recovery from Hurricane Hazel and many other poverty relief efforts in the first decades.

During Canada’s centennial celebrations, trustees made a grant to the Bureau of Municipal Research for an international conference on “big city problems”. This grant kicked off a period during which “big ideas” about poverty, housing, the environment, race, justice, and civil liberties were priorities. For example, they supported a new journalism program for Indigenous students at Western University. The program became the centre for Indigenous activism on the Western campus and a spark for transformative change in the field of journalism.

Game-changing public policy ideas took centre stage in 1989. The Atkinson Foundation, The Toronto Star, and the Honderich Family formed a partnership to create the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy for outstanding journalists. A few short years later, trustees transformed how the Foundation operated. They hired Charles Pascal to be its first Executive Director in 1996. Dr. Pascal led the transition from funding “bricks and mortar” to the “architecture of ideas”, and a ground-breaking economic and social justice agenda over fifteen years.

The Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award was established in 1998 to celebrate and encourage the outstanding efforts of organizations whose work significantly improved the wellbeing of children. This annual award, the largest of its kind in Canada, provided a one-time gift of $50,000 to an Ontario-based charitable organization.

The Canadian Index of Well-Being, the Government of Ontario’s Full Day Learning Strategy, and the province’s Poverty Reduction Strategy are three of the policy innovations cultivated by the Foundation over many years. 

The Atkinson Economic Justice Fellowship fuelled the work of economist Armine Yalnizyan, former premier and Medicare champion Roy Romanow, housing activist Cathy Crowe, Gitxsan child welfare activist Cindy Blackstock, immigrant rights advocate Uzma Shakir, and early childhood educator Kerry McCuaig.

The Foundation supported Voices from the Street, the Community Undertaking Social Policy Project (CUSP) at St. Christopher’s House (now West Neighbourhood House), and other initiatives to bring people who live on the economic margins into the public policy development process. Atkinson was a founding member of the Shareholder Association for Research and Education, and a backer of the award-winning film, The Corporation.

Dr. Pascal retired from the Foundation in 2010. He was succeeded by Olivia Nuamah as Executive Director.

Colette Murphy became Atkinson’s Executive Director in 2012, and Chief Executive Officer in 2020.

In 2014, the Board of Directors set its strategic direction for the next ten years: strengthening movements for decent work and a fair economy. 

The Government of Ontario’s Changing Workplaces Review set the stage for community organizing, policy research and advocacy by Atkinson’s partners and collaborators, leading to the historic Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act. A $15 minimum wage, paid sick days and other legislative reforms made this one of the most significant wins for workers in a generation.

Atkinson formed a “philanthro-journalism” partnership with the Toronto Star to create a “work and wealth” beat at the start of this dynamic period in public policy reform. After a decade of decline in Canadian labour reporting, this investment ensured workers’ perspectives and experiences would be part of the public discourse on these critical issues.

The development of the province’s Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act created another significant opening for community organizing and policy advocacy for decent work and a fair economy. The legislation created opportunities to leverage multi-billion dollar public investments in capital in ways that build community wealth in low-income neighbourhoods. Community organizers, policy innovators and advocates including Atkinson collaborated with Metrolinx to demonstrate how to develop a Community Benefits Framework.

The Foundation invested in three innovative leadership learning initiatives to support these strategies:

AnchorTO is a ‘learning-while-doing’ collaborative led by the City of Toronto. It’s about channeling the economic power of public anchor institutions to create jobs and procure from community-based and diverse enterprises. 

The Power Lab is a leadership learning initiative convened by the Broadbent Institute and led by organizers who are building economic and democratic power within persistently excluded and racialized communities.

Civic Tech for Civic Voice, written by the Atkinson Associate on Civic Tech Jennifer Hollett, introduced community organizers to new digital strategies and tools.

Policy research has included ground-breaking studies into decent work, public investment in innovation, employment insurance reform, community benefits, social procurement, and co-op conversions as a strategy for small business succession plans.

In 2019, Atkinson convened a national gathering of 100 decent work activists and advocates in Montréal to mark the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization. It was called My Labour Our Future.

Everyday, we write a few lines of this chapter through the Atkinson Decent Work Fund, public policy initiatives, shareholder advocacy, mission-related investment strategies, and creative program partnerships.

Follow us in social media to find out what we’re working on right now or reach out by e-mail to Atkinson’s Chief Executive Officer Colette Murphy to learn more.

As an advocate, investor and grant maker, the mission of the Atkinson Foundation is to promote social and economic justice in Ontario. This mission compels us to pursue racial justice. 

The Atkinson Principles ground this mission: a strong and united Canada, civic engagement, individual and civil liberties, the necessary role of government, and workers’ rights.

It is in the context of growing income, wealth and democratic inequality in the first decades of the 21st century that Atkinson’s board and staff members are living out this mission and these principles. We are driven by the value of kinship that calls us to recognize and repair our relationships with each other and the planet; the value of equity that shifts power to Indigenous, Black and racialized communities; and, the value of accompaniment that enables us to work alongside communities with respect, humility, and patience.

In 2014, the Atkinson Foundation set its course for ten years: strengthening movements for decent work and a fair economy.

We pursue four integrated philanthropic strategies:

NARRATIVE CHANGE: Contribute to the process of identifying and calling out dominant narratives that do not serve the goal of decent work and a fair economy. Advance narratives that centre equity, amplify the voices of Indigenous, Black and racialized leaders, and are based in evidence.

LEADERSHIP LEARNING: Organize opportunities for increasing public knowledge/engagement with narratives and policy ideas related to decent work and a fair economy. Support the continued development of place-based and sector-specific Indigenous, Black and racialized grassroots organizers and policy experts, and organizational capacity.

PUBLIC AND CORPORATE POLICY CHANGE: Continue to support campaigns at all levels of government seeking equity and improving and/or maintaining employment standards, labour relations and/or related public policies, including addressing media coverage deficits as required. Increase engagement and capacity to participate in shareholder activism and impact investing.

KNOWLEDGE CO-CREATION: Co-convene tables, dialogue, conferences and networks related to the first three strategies. Fund, disseminate and mobilize research related to the first three strategies.

We’re organized to add capacity to movement-building organizations and the movement ‘ecosystem’ in three ways: by aligning mission and money, supporting advocacy and organizing, and facilitating learning and knowledge mobilization.

For even greater impact, we collaborate with foundations and other funders to harness the power and resources of philanthropy.  We also work with foundation colleagues to share information and strategize to best support movement leaders.

For example, the Early Child Development Funders Working Group prioritizes decent work for early childhood educators as part of a national strategy to ensure access to quality and affordable child care across Canada. We’re members of the Philanthropic Foundations of Canada. We also listen and learn as members of two national networks of foundations and other philanthropic organizations, The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada and Environment Funders Canada. Director of Mission and Money Jenn Miller is the co-chair of the Governing Circle of The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

Reach out by e-mail to Atkinson’s Director of Strategy, Communications and Learning Pat Thompson for more details about how we size up the potential, value and impact of our philanthropic strategies.