Who is Canada’s most promising new financial player in social finance? You tell us!

Who is Canada’s most promising new financial player in social finance? You tell us!

From one of Canada’s largest financial institutions to a group of community investors who set out to make a difference, this year’s finalists for the Social Finance Awards represent the diversity and scope of impact investing activity in Canada. Whether they have pioneered a new financial model, strengthened the social economy or impacted an entirely new market, each finalist has demonstrated an innovative way to mobilize private capital for public good.

Presenting this year’s finalists

Voting is now open for the 2012 Social Finance Awards, and we are excited to present this year’s finalists for “Most Promising New Financial Player” in the Canadian social finance landscape.

  • Caisse d’économie solidaire: Desjardins
  • Community Forward Fund
  • CSI Community Bond investors
  • Greenchip Financial Corporation
  • RBC Investing for Impact Fund
  • Rise Asset Development
  • Sarona Asset Management Inc.
  • Tonya Surman, CSI
  • Toronto Atmospheric Fund
  • Youth Social Innovation Capital Fund

 

About the Social Finance Awards

The Social Finance Awards are presented to leaders who are playing a pivotal role in catalyzing the Canadian social finance marketplace. The awards were conceptualized to showcase and celebrate the efforts that individuals and organizations are making to mobilize private capital for public good.

Throughout July and August, SocialFinance.ca sought nominations to not only find Canada’s “Most Promising New Financial Player” in social finance, but to share and celebrate the stories of those shaping the impact investing market. Our goal was to celebrate the momentum of innovation and leadership, and to inspire those that are interested in social finance to take the leap.

We discovered that social finance activity is taking many shapes and forms throughout the country, and that a “Most Promising New Financial Player” can be an individual or organization, large or small, making several small impacts or a few large ones.

The complex social and environmental problems that we face demand a wide range of solutions, with various levels of impact. Each of our finalists has a role to play in being a part of these solutions and making an impact. You can read their stories and learn how each of them is shaping the social finance market here.

The 2012 Social Finance Awards Judges Panel 

  • Seth Asimakos, Saint John Community Loan Fund
  • Tania Carnegie, KPMG
  • Ethel Côté, Canadian Centre for Community Renewal
  • Itifo Engulu, Banque Canadienne Impériale de Commerce (CIBC)
  • Tessa Hebb, Carleton Centre for Community Innovation
  • David LePage, Enterprising Non-Profits
  • Timothy Nash, Strategic Sustainable Investments
  • Michael Oster, Ottawa Community Loan Fund
  • Brenda Reid-Kuecks, Ecotrust Canada

We would like to thank all of our judges for their dedication and support as we launched the first Social Finance Awards. Each of their unique perspectives brought a multi-faceted dimension to selecting the finalists.

Don’t forget to vote!

Voting is now open and will close on Thursday, November 8, at 11:59 a.m. The winner of the Social Finance Awards will be announced during the 2012 Social Finance Forum.

 

The 2012 Social Finance Forum

The 2012 Social Finance Forum: Measuring up, hosted by the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing, will be held November 8 and 9. The forum will delve deeply into the opportunities and challenges surrounding impact measurement, while also exploring other critical elements of what makes a good deal and how existing market opportunities measure up.

This year’s conference program has already been announced, and registration is filling up quickly. Conference delegates will hear from Gordon M. Nixon (RBC), Arlene Dickinson (Venture Communications), Antony Bugg-Levine (Nonprofit Finance Fund) and many others.

Register here and remember to vote for this year’s “Most Promising New Financial Player” in the Canadian social finance landscape.