CEO Update | October 2024

Read our latest CEO Update, as originally published in Inspirit Foundation’s Fall 2024 newsletter.

A dear mentor and former colleague who had spent much of his career as a foreign correspondent rarely spoke about what he had seen in the field. He was not unique in that the journalists of his generation hid the burden of bearing witness. There was so much they could not unsee, the trauma lodged in the cells of their bodies, only for the inevitable PTSD to extract the pain to create new wounds. I often think of their sacrifices in an age where misinformation and disinformation can masquerade as journalism. Polarization is the result.

Not surprisingly, polarization emerged as a major concern at the annual gathering of foundation CEOs last spring, and now as a next step, a group of foundations have come together to explore possible solutions. On this, we have a lot to learn from our American colleagues, including around language that increases polarization, and language that is perceived to be more neutral.

For the Foundation, one of the ways we are addressing polarization is through our focus on local, equitable journalism that supports underserved communities. The newer, scrappier outlets that are beginning to populate an independent ecosystem need significant resources. We are working on a major initiative with other foundations that will support this ecosystem and hope to share more soon.

This fall, we also announced the first fund for Muslim creatives in Canada, an initiative that builds on our Narrative Change Lab. An advisory committee is helping us with fund design; our goal is to launch in the first quarter of the new year.

We recently invested in the Raven Indigenous Outcomes Fund, a first-of-its-kind Indigenous outcomes-based financing product. The fund will support projects that improve outcomes in Indigenous communities, especially around health (such as type 2 diabetes), climate adaptation and clean energy, workforce development, and homelessness. This is a natural fit for us as Inspirit was also the first investor in Raven Indigenous Impact Fund, the country’s first majority-owned Indigenous venture capital fund supporting majority-owned and led Indigenous ventures.

In our day-to-day work we don’t often get to pause and reflect. However, last week we did just that. The CRTC announced a mandatory carriage license for Inspirit grantee Uvagut TV, Canada’s first national Inuktut-language station. This is a very big deal; Uvagut TV will be carried on basic cable from coast to coast to coast in 10 million homes in Inuit languages with programming framed through a cultural lens. When we began working with the Uvagut TV team in 2021, we were struck by their vision of how media can support Inuit culture.

The Uvagut TV decision reflects an organic shift in our work towards systems change. We are increasingly asked to lead or lean in on other activities including investment in affordable housing, preservation of space for creatives, back-end infrastructure support for grantees, research, as well as input into a myriad of policies and processes for grantee and other organizations. Much of this addresses systemic barriers and is crucial for systems change. As an organization we are now also focused on building capacity for ourselves.

All this while recognizing the profound impact of a war in the Middle East on staff, board, and grantee partners. In late September, I felt a brief moment of inspiration. Board member Cheryl McKenzie gave board and staff a tour of APTN headquarters in Winnipeg. The co-founder of Vision TV, Rita Deverell, mentored staff at APTN to help create a pathway for Indigenous leadership in the newsroom. Of course, the sale of the Vision TV license led to the creation of Inspirit. So, I think too about this full circle, and the pioneers who held firm to a vision of a pluralist Canada where all of us could feel a sense of belonging.

Sincerely, 
Sadia Zaman, CEO