The Dragonfly Fund is our bridge to the charitable sector as it tackles today’s greatest challenges.

How We Give

The Dragonfly Fund has been an innovative donor-advised fund at MakeWay since 2009.

With a powerful desire to engage in philanthropic giving united with experienced mentorship, the vision for the Dragonfly Fund was born. The Fund is now firmly anchored as the primary vehicle for distributing charitable grants. MakeWay provides both advisory services and administration support to the work. The Dragonfly Fund’s compass has evolved alongside the Social Justice Principles of Philanthropy and we continuously renew and update our practices through learning from grantee testimonials and feedback.

When We Give

Our giving is primarily directed towards three of our four focus areas. Below is an outline of our objectives for each of those.

 
Icon of rectangles turning into smaller circles to represent toxics being reduced
 

Toxic Elimination

We support solutions designed to limit, reduce and eventually eliminate the pervasiveness of harmful human-contrived chemicals.

Specific priorities for grantmaking in this area include:

  • Developing a policy framework and enforced legal standards that take a precautionary approach instead of responding to toxics after they’ve become prevalent in the environment

  • Addressing immediate toxic threats to protect human and environmental health

  • Improving public understanding of the impact of toxics on human health in conjunction with the natural environment

  • Ensuring all people living in Canada have equitable access to a toxic-free environment with a focus on supporting and engaging marginalized and vulnerable communities


Icon of a storm cloud with raindrops and lightning bolt to represent severe weather
 

Climate Resilience

We support people engaging in community-based solutions and efforts to build resilience in the face of a rapidly changing climate.

Specific priorities for grantmaking in this area include:

  • Developing a policy framework and enforced legal standards that reduce carbon emissions, support the transition to a clean and renewable energy system, and provide communities opportunities to build their resilience to climate change impacts

  • Increasing awareness and engagement of the public and key stakeholders on climate solutions and resilience approaches

  • Community-driven solutions that support the transition away from carbon-intensive systems and practices

  • Securing equitable access to both solutions and resilience building opportunities with a focus on the marginalized communities that will be the most impacted by our changing climate


Icon of four wave forms representing a water stream
 

Fresh Water Conservation

We support efforts that protect and honour the sacredness of fresh water, recognizing its essential role in the health of ecosystems and people.

Specific priorities for grantmaking in this area include:

  • Increasing community capacity and engagement on fresh water conservation issues

  • Developing a policy framework and enforced legal standards that ensure the protection of fresh water resources and access to fresh water for all Canadians

  • Capturing, organizing and storing robust and accessible data to inform the health of fresh water and related decision making

  • Building sustainable environments and economies that are in harmony with or contribute to fresh water health

  • Securing equitable access to clean water for all people living in Canada with a focus on supporting marginalized communities experiencing limited, degraded or precarious access to clean water resources

 

Our Criteria

We carefully consider the following approaches when identifying opportunities for philanthropic gifts.

01

Fill crucial gaps that help organizations go from good to great.

02

Influence policy to address cracks and gaps that are key to systemic change.

03

Community-driven, grassroots work that affects change and builds trust.

04

Emerging, innovative leadership that reflects diverse ways of knowing and being.

05

Experimentation and ongoing learning to build from mistakes and spark innovation.

06

Ignite collaborations where leaders and communities work together to tackle ambitious goals.

 

For each of our grants, the Dragonfly Fund invites organizations to request a ‘top-up’ grant to support the emotional health and well-being of their employees and volunteers.

Learn more about our Emotional Health and Well-being top-up grants program.

To learn more about the Dragonfly Fund and how you can partner with us, please reach out.