Philanthropy
Now
Max Bell was an entrepreneur and a venture capitalist. He was also
a philanthropist. His entrepreneurial and philanthropic spirit lives
on in Max Bell Foundation. As we begin the 21st century, private
granting foundations like Max Bell Foundation have the opportunity
to become the venture capitalists of philanthropy. The founders
of each foundation are clearly free to choose what aspect of community
life needs assistance - from the birthing experience to the hospice
movement, from religious training, fiscal policy, or aiding mentally
challenged children, to microbiology research or physical fitness.
Whatever the choice, the opportunity and need for innovative philanthropy
has never been greater.
The
Challenge of Change
Canadians are experiencing dramatic changes in many aspects of
their lives. These changes provide granting foundations with an
increased opportunity to serve. In Canada today, the need for philanthropic
giving far outstrips the ability of the 1,200 active Canadian Foundations
that spend over $300 million each year on charitable activity.
For example, the make-up of the traditional family unit is changing
as the number of single parent families continues to grow. This
change in the structure of family has spawned a large number of
organizations, from the Big Brothers and Big Sisters movement to
Uncles at Large and the modern daycare facility. While each of these
organizations plays a somewhat different role in the life of a family,
all do share a common need - financial assistance to help parents
in the rearing of their children.
Canadians are also feeling the effects of a massive and unprecedented
demographic shift. Over the last few decades, a "sandwich generation"
of Canadians has been created. This generation is faced with the
twin challenges of caring for their children and their aging parents
at the same time. The challenges of juggling employment with the
responsibility for the nuclear and extended family is bringing pressure
to bear on many points within our communities.
The number of people over 65 years of age is growing dramatically,
generating increased demands for health care and housing facilities
as well as driving changes to retirement practices. While public
and private pension programs have substantially reduced poverty
among seniors, the need for research into diseases like Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's Disease, and Cancer far outpaces the dollars available
from government, foundations and special fundraising campaigns.
Technological change continues at a staggering pace. New products
and services not even dreamed of a generation ago, such as cars
built by robots, wireless telecommunications, the internet, and
bank cards, are impacting employment opportunities and wealth distribution.
Changes in the role of government in the past decade have been
dramatic. From the end of the Second World War until the late 1980s,
many citizens, bureaucrats and elected officials believed that governments
could solve a myriad of social, economic and cultural problems by
spending more money or increasing the number of regulations on individual
and group behavior. The inability of government to generate enough
funds to buy solutions to these problems was finally made apparent
by the creation of mountains of public debt, whose cost of servicing
began to outstrip the cost of delivering key services such as education,
health care, or roads.
Opportunities
Brought by Change
The changes we see and experience present us not only with challenges,
but also with unparalleled opportunities. For example, by encouraging
and facilitating volunteerism among a growing group of seniors,
Canadians can unleash one of the greatest untapped resources in
their communities. The opportunity to develop productive and creative
educational programming so the benefits of technological advances
are shared by all has never been greater. Consider the demand for
government and charitable dollars to aid in the development of life
long learning processes. Re-inventing government has become a necessity,
and the resulting reduction in expenditures at all levels of government
and on most types of programs has created an overwhelming demand
for voluntary and charitable activity. Our country is now managing
its scarce resources in a better way and moving positively into
the twenty-first century. Most important, the door has been opened
wider for foundations to encourage research, educate and inform
Canadians and help foster innovative solutions which benefit all
of society.
Max Bell Foundation in the Twenty-first Century
Max Bell was an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, Christian, and
philanthropist. He thrived on investing in unproven and often risky
ventures. His mind fed on innovation. Max Bell's spirit and vision
will continue to guide the work of the Foundation. We invite existing
Foundations to join with us in becoming entrepreneurial philanthropists,
and we offer our assistance and cooperation to anyone who wishes
to create a foundation to participate in this work with us.
|
