The Non-Profit Sector Deserves More: Why Government Support Must Change

Across Canada and beyond, the non-profit sector plays a vital role in addressing urgent societal issues: housing insecurity, mental health, food access, education, immigrant settlement, environmental protection, and more. These organizations often fill the gaps left by government systems — yet they are the ones consistently underfunded, undervalued, and over-relied upon.

It’s time to acknowledge a hard truth: the non-profit industry is not adequately supported by any level of government. And that needs to change.

Non-Profits Are Doing the Work Government Won’t or Can’t
Non-profits serve on the frontlines of social crises. From small grassroots collectives to large national charities, they respond rapidly and creatively where government systems are too slow, bureaucratic, or politically constrained to act. Their work is not supplemental — it is essential.

Yet the financial structures surrounding non-profits often treat them like afterthoughts. Federal and provincial grant programs are inconsistent, restrictive, and chronically underfunded. Municipal support is often politically vulnerable or dependent on short-term cycles.

Expectations Keep Growing, While Resources Shrink
Government downloads responsibility onto non-profits while withholding the funding needed to match those responsibilities. Organizations are expected to:
- Expand services to meet growing needs
- Prove impact through rigorous evaluation
- Innovate on limited budgets
- Sustain staffing in a sector plagued by burnout

Meanwhile, they navigate short-term project grants, overcomplicated reporting, and caps on operational funding. It’s unsustainable — and unethical.

The Sector Deserves Structural Investment
This isn’t about handouts — it’s about fairness. The non-profit sector should be recognized as a core pillar of society, alongside healthcare, education, and infrastructure. That means:
- Multi-year, stable funding commitments
- Operational support — not just project-based grants
- Simplified reporting structures that prioritize trust over red tape
- Partnerships based on respect, not transactional tokenism

This Isn’t Just a Sector Issue — It’s a Societal One
When non-profits are underfunded, the impacts ripple outward: communities suffer, front-line workers burn out, and preventable crises escalate. But when they’re supported, the outcomes are transformational.

Communities become stronger. Lives are changed. Systems are challenged — and improved.

It’s Time to Advocate for Change
If you work in, support, or benefit from the non-profit sector (spoiler: that’s all of us), it’s time to raise our voices. Government at every level must do better.

Advocate Fundraising stands firmly with the sector. We support organizations doing the heavy lifting, and we believe advocacy must be part of fundraising.