Everyone can be part of the solution
The CSI Institute is a registered charity helping Canadians use social innovation to get at the root causes of systems-level problems. The Institute is an affiliate of the Centre for Social Innovation and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Building the Field of Social Innovation
Social innovation is about getting better at putting people and planet first.
At their best, social innovations address the root causes of problems that have resisted traditional methods and institutions.
Read more about our work below and in our annual reports!
Projects & Initiatives
SI Canada
SI Canada is informed, designed, and governed by practitioners, who emerge from a wide range of backgrounds: grassroots, corporate, and front-line workers or facilitators. SI Canada is building an open ecosystem for people and planet first by leveraging and connecting existing assets.
THE SI CANADA TEAM
Andrea Nemtin
Executive Director
Andrea’s work connects social innovation practitioners to each other, opportunities and resources to create the change required to put people and planet first.
Devon Bond
Operations Manager
Devon uses her dynamic set of skills and experiences to bolster SI Canada’s operations and its goal to strengthen its network of social innovators.
Flavie Halais
Communications & Engagement Lead
Montreal, QC
Flavie is passionate about weaving narrative, brand and communication strategies to tell engaging stories of social change.
Maryam Mohiuddin Ahmed
Design Lead & Project Manager
Maryam’s work centres ‘dialogues of wisdoms’ and explorations around alternate ways of knowing, doing and being to decolonize social innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Common Approach
The Common Approach is an evolving story about the growing impact measurement community.
Social purpose organizations are at the centre of the Common Approach so that every organization can tell their story of impact in a meaningful way.
The Common Approach is making it possible to have a flexible standard that works for funders and impact investors – and that works for people working toward beneficial social and environmental impact around the world.
THE COMMON APPROACH TEAM
Alicia Richins
Partnerships and Standards Lead
Our Partnerships and Standards Lead, Alicia Richins, is on a personal mission to advance the UN SDGs through advocacy, capacity building and community building because she knows we can’t solve wicked problems working in silos.
Valerie Adriaanse
Communications Lead
Our Communications Lead, Valerie Adriaanse, is a multi-passionate sustainability professional with a penchant for storytelling. She applies this gift to clearly articulate the Common Approach’s mission and vision, and connect with our growing community.
Garth Yule
Strategy and Operations Lead
As Strategy and Operations Lead, Garth ensures that our team has the tools and systems in place to do our best work. He helps facilitate our shared strategy to achieve the Common Approach’s vision for impact measurement standards.
The Common Platform
CSI’s Online Network. Connect, learn, and collaborate with social innovators on the Common Platform.
The Common Platform amplifies your impact by broadcasting your events, opportunities, and news with other members across the sector. Access the latest updates from social innovation thought leaders, catalyze and collaborate on your next project, and amplify your impact.
Learn about The CSI Institute
We are an educator, content creator & disseminator. We connect, convene, and support social innovation. As a registered charity, we are committed to listening to what Canadian social innovators are looking for. We want to help social innovators see their visions through, for people and planet first, so we can all share in a better world.
Benefactor ($500,000+)
- McConnell Foundation
Visionary ($50,000+)
- Peter Gilgan Foundation
- Suncor Energy Foundation
- Suncor Inc.
Sustainer ($1,000 - $4,999)
- Brian Iler
- Denny Manchee
- Eric Meerkamper
- Helen Yung
- Marie Moliner
- Natalie E Telfer
- Tonya Surman
- TD Bank
Friend ($25 - $499)
- Adam Jamkhou
- Allyson Hewitt
- Amy Furness
- Anahita Belanger
- Angela Bischoff
- Anna Liu
- Ann Armstrong
- Annelies Tjebbes
- Anne Simpson-Porco
- Anonymous (4)
- Brian & Carolyn
- Hoessler
- Brittany Twiss
- Cheryl May
- Common Thread
- Collective
- Darryl Moore
- Debra Lary
- Denise Thomson
- Eli Levin
- Elisa Smith
- Geoffrey Singer
- George Dark
- Ivan Bilicki
- Jane Zhang
- Jason Dojc
- Jennifer Zelmer
- Joanna Reynolds
- John Napoleone
- Katie Perconti
- Kelly Hawke Baxter
- Khondkar Rabbani
- Louanne Chan
- Matthew Price
- Paul Antze
- Pluck Tea Inc.
- Ratna Omidvar
- Rick Findlay
- Ron Koperdraad
- Ronny Yaron
- Ryan Knight
- Saira Ansari
- Sharon Lovett
- Smooth River
- Consulting
- Solange Belluz
- Stanislav Zlobinski
- Steven Dolman
- Tanya Cothran
- Urbane Cyclist Worker Co-op
- Valerie Adriaanse
- Valerie Fox
- Wayne Miranda