CEO Update | March 2026

Read Inspirit’s latest CEO Update by Sadia Zaman, as originally published in Inspirit’s Winter 2026 newsletter.

Throughout my career, pattern recognition has been a guiding light. This has been especially true in leadership roles where I’m pitched content, personalities, or outcomes; story angles in journalism, documentary subjects, or framing around funding requests. Many people are drawn to similar treatment of universal themes, they gravitate to popular personalities, or they structure their work in a way where the outcome is predictable. Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of this.

However, I get excited when I am challenged to think outside of those patterns; the bringing together of unlikely allies, and a unique worldview that allows for sensemaking in unpredictable ways. Last week, I learned about a very small initiative where terms like ‘trust architecture’ and ‘narrative imagination’ were used with depth and conviction and paired with technical savvy and financial literacy. The ability to be surprised by those who believe in our mission is still such a highlight of my work. 

That work has also privileged collaboration as a strategic as well as a deeply human imperative in these volatile times. We have joined forces with the McConnell Foundation, Euphrosine Foundation, and the Sonor Foundation in the launch of the Journalism Futures Fund; the very first pooled fund for independent journalism in Canada with a focus on underserved communities. The resources committed by funders invested in civic infrastructure are brought to life by advisory committees, reviewers, and an independent jury. In late February we announced the winners of the first round of the Fund. As we prepare for the next round, we are committed to growing the Fund, so reach out if you’d like to partner with us. 

Throughout the fall and continuing into 2026, grantees from our inaugural New Narratives Fund have launched film tours, held concerts, and presented works that speak to the diversity of Muslim experiences in Canada. We know that stories grounded in individual experience, like Nawaaz Makhani’s bol, brown boy, bol, can illuminate harsh truths about our world AND at the same time guide our collective imagination to what is possible.  

As Emi Aguilar and Trevor Smith note in their piece on narrative infrastructure in Nonprofit Quarterly: 

“We are living through an era where movement truths and stories are under siege….Solidarity and shared narrative power can provide the antidote.” 

The ability to recognize patterns in team culture has also served me in the building and managing of many mission driven teams through the years. The most effective ones are those where passions and ideologies are not weapons, but necessary tools to serve mission and vision through sharply honed skillsets. I am lucky that my team has that culture, as well as a can-do attitude that allows us to build, fail fast, and learn even faster. And now we are adding to that team. Deadline for applications is March 16. 

And one final thing about pattern recognition. It is also a survival skill. As we continue to witness the collapse of global norms, I am terrified for my children; that fear is bound by the constant ache of deja vu. We have seen so much of this before. While I can’t influence much in the world of geopolitics, I can continue to challenge harmful patterns that fuel a profound lack of belonging here at home. This requires many of us to come together to fund, to organize, to help build the infrastructure that makes belonging possible. We are here.

Sincerely, 
Sadia Zaman, CEO