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Supporting Canada's Nonprofit Sector
Nonprofit organizations play an essential role in shaping vibrant, inclusive communities. Contributing over $200 billion annually to the Canadian economy1 and serving as Canada's largest employer2, the sector provides critical services and resources to people in need while helping drive change at every level of society.
The sector is under unprecedented strain. Rising demand, financial instability, workforce burnout, and declining volunteerism—challenges intensified by the pandemic and affordability crisis—are pushing organizations to their limits.
“We've listened closely to our community investment partners, and we understand the real challenges they face in delivering the services and programs people depend on. That's why RBC is committed to investing in the health, resilience and capacity of the non-profit sector — so these organizations can keep doing what they do best: delivering on their missions.”
Andrea Barrack, SVP, Sustainability & Impact, RBC
Canada's nonprofits need support now. That's why we launched the RBC Stronger Nonprofits Program — a comprehensive initiative designed to strengthen nonprofit capacity so organizations can continue serving the communities that depend on them.
RBC's approach brings more than financial support. We aim to bring together funders, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders in common cause to foster greater collaboration across the sector — because real change happens when we work together.
Our Focus Areas
RBC and RBC Foundation are supporting organizations that help strengthen the nonprofit sector in two key areas:
Leadership and Talent Resilience
Helping nonprofit leaders develop essential skills, strengthen well-being and resilience and access the resources and tools they need to thrive.
Including:
- Executive coaching and mentorship
- Leadership development programs and peer learning cohorts
- Governance training
Digital Skills Development
Helping nonprofits bridge the digital skills gap and improve operational efficiencies through access to tools, training, and systems.
Including:
- AI literacy and adoption
- Data management and governance support
- Cybersecurity protection
How to Access Support
Nonprofits can access programs and resources through our community investment partners that are dedicated to help strengthen Canada's nonprofit sector.
Full scholarship for the Governance Essentials Program (GEP), enabling leaders from registered charities—particularly those from small, under-resourced, or equity-seeking organizations—to access world-class governance education without financial barriers.
Ensemble is a modern operating system for charity teams, designed to unify fundraising, donor management, and tax receipting into one secure, cloud-based platform. The platform features guided imports, CRA-compliant receipting, and a focus on cybersecurity, ensuring that donor data remains safe and organized.
QT Leaders: Nonprofit Digital Futures is a national conversation designed to support 2SLGBTQIA+ nonprofit leaders in understanding, assessing, and managing digital transformation and AI adoption within their organizations. Through structured peer dialogue and guided discussion, participants explore emerging opportunities, risks, and governance questions.
Full scholarship for the Governance Essentials Program (GEP), enabling leaders from registered charities—particularly those from small, under-resourced, or equity-seeking organizations—to access world-class governance education without financial barriers.
Ensemble is a modern operating system for charity teams, designed to unify fundraising, donor management, and tax receipting into one secure, cloud-based platform. The platform features guided imports, CRA-compliant receipting, and a focus on cybersecurity, ensuring that donor data remains safe and organized.
QT Leaders: Nonprofit Digital Futures is a national conversation designed to support 2SLGBTQIA+ nonprofit leaders in understanding, assessing, and managing digital transformation and AI adoption within their organizations. Through structured peer dialogue and guided discussion, participants explore emerging opportunities, risks, and governance questions.
National Programs
Provincial & Territorial Nonprofit Networks
The Charitable and Nonprofit Sector Infrastructure Collaborative Fund
The Charitable and Nonprofit Sector Infrastructure Collaborative Fund helps address the longstanding underfunding of organizations that serve as essential infrastructure for Canada’s nonprofit and charitable sector. RBC Foundation is proud to be an inaugural funder in a collaborative funding approach that provides multi-year general operating support to nonprofit networks across Canada.
Imagine Canada & Canadian Centre for Nonprofit Digital Resilience (CCNDR)
Next Together
Next Together is building future-ready nonprofit sector leadership through national and regional leadership conversations, strategic foresight workshops, sector signals, modernized leadership standards, and digital capacity building via CCNDR focusing on cybersecurity and data management.
LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact
The Leadership Lab
The Leadership Lab focuses on the needs of leaders to lead scale in their organization through executive coaching, action-oriented roundtables, and shared resources to support common challenges and solutions.
Sustainable Capacity Solutions
Capacity Strengthening for Environmental Nonprofit Leaders
Intensive leadership development providing executive coaching, one-on-one mentorship, and cohort-based learning through six thematic training workshops including inclusive leadership, financial sustainability, digital outreach, governance, HR management, and risk mitigation.
CyberRise
CyberRise provides digital literacy workshops, advanced cybersecurity training, customized assessments, wraparound digital and financial support, and mentorship sessions to help Canadian nonprofits build lasting cyber resilience.
Data Capacity Builders Network
The Data Capacity Builders Network aims to empower nonprofits in making informed, data-driven decisions through data maturity assessments, journey mapping, tailored coaching, technical assistance, and network coordination to identify trends and improve data practices sector-wide.
Digital Leadership for Resilient Nonprofits
Digital Leadership for Resilient Nonprofits is a modular, cohort-based training program delivering applied knowledge in AI literacy, data governance, algorithmic systems and platform economics through interactive modules, activities and case studies grounded in nonprofit contexts.
The B3 AI Lab Project tailors AI access, coaching support, and co-design opportunities for Black-serving, Black-led, Black-focused organizations. Provides co-design workshops, dedicated coaching for sustainable AI adoption and customized AI assistants for program reporting, research and community engagement.
Regional Programs
NonprofitNow+
NonprofitNow+ is supporting Alberta’s nonprofit sector through shared learning, leadership development, and practical capacity building through two programs: "Leading a Complex World" (4-day immersive leadership program) and "AI Non-profit Leader Program" (6-week applied learning on AI literacy).
Peer Support and Coaching
EPIC supports nonprofit Executive Directors and CEOs across Canada by addressing isolation, burnout, and resource challenges through peer support cohorts, tailored coaching and a robust resource library.
The Nonprofit Leadership Resilience Lab
The Nonprofit Leadership Resilience Lab supports strategic capacity, well-being and leadership effectiveness of 100+ nonprofit leaders across Southwestern Ontario through executive coaching, cohort-based peer learning, equity-centered development and regional peer retreats.
Resilience in Action
Resilience in Action is a training and co-development program for directors of 37 shelters across 15 regions in Québec. The program includes hybrid training on HR management, governance, team mobilization, and strategic planning, plus regional co-development groups for peer support.
Digital Innovation Laboratory for Inclusion
The Digital Innovation Laboratory for Inclusion is a collaborative space to develop digital solutions for newcomer support agencies, including an information chatbot to simplify access to administrative resources and an intelligent résumé database combined with an AI-powered career orientation system.
Executive Director Network + Advanced Governance Training
Volunteer Manitoba strengthens Manitoba's nonprofit sector through an Executive Director Network for peer connection and learning, plus Advanced Governance Training focused on strategic leadership, risk management, board culture and succession planning.
Grow to Lead Mentorship Program
Location: Newfoundland and Labrador
The Grow to Lead Mentorship Program is designed to nurture strong, confident and proficient arts leaders across Newfoundland and Labrador. The program connects experienced professionals from the private and public sectors with arts leaders for 10 months of cross-sector mentorship.
Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick
Strengthening Mental Health & Wellness Nonprofit Leadership
Location: New Brunswick
The Canadian Mental Health Association of New Brunswick supports the resilience of New Brunswick’s nonprofits through trauma-informed, equity-oriented leadership coaching and wellness support, plus digital readiness audits to assess organizational capacity and create digital transformation recommendations.
Community Impact Lab
Location: Nova Scotia
The Community Impact Lab provides hands-on embedded support for community impact organizations through direct implementation of digital tools and financial dashboards, critical digital skills and AI training via cohort-based learning and co-creation of an open-source Digital Readiness Playbook.
Ideas in action
Building capacity and strengthening communities
Building capacity and strengthening communities – RBC launches new approach to support Canada’s nonprofit sector.
Building Cyber Resilience for your Nonprofit
In collaboration with Future of Good, RBC hosted a discussion on the growing reality of the cyber threat landscape. Learn what you can do to help protect your organization.
WatchMore from RBC
Our Impact
Learn about our ambitions and how we’re making progress to support Ideas for People and Planet™.
Community Investments - Canada
We invite charities and non-profit organizations to submit innovative ideas for funding consideration.