In this episode of New Housing Alternatives, hosts Cherise Burda and Dr. Ren Thomas speak with Alex Laidlaw, Director of Impact Investments at the Calgary Foundation, one of Canada’s largest community foundations. They explore how community foundations sit at the intersection of philanthropy, government funding, and non‑market housing—and how tools like grants and flexible loans can help close the financing gaps that keep desperately needed projects from getting built.
Alex traces the Calgary Foundation’s roots back to the 1950s, when large estates were locked into obsolete causes like carriage maintenance charities, and explains how community foundations were created so local partners could continually redirect those funds toward evolving needs. Today, that endowment of over $1.6 billion supports a wide range of priorities—but food insecurity and affordable housing are increasingly emerging as fundamental pressures across Calgary and the Treaty 7 region.
The conversation then turns to the Resolve campaign, a collaborative, time‑bound effort by nine housing agencies that set out to raise $120 million for permanent supportive housing. Alex explains what made Resolve unusual in the philanthropic world: instead of competing campaigns chasing the same donors, organizations pooled their asks, coordinated messaging, and treated housing as a shared civic project. Even though the campaign ultimately raised just under $80 million, it was enough—paired with public funding and financing—to bring all of the planned projects to fruition.
From there, Cherise and Ren dig into the broader role of philanthropic capital in the housing system: not as a replacement for government, but as one critical slice of the capital stack. Alex highlights the importance of using donations to build organizational capacity, fund feasibility work, and take early‑stage risks that public programs are often too rigid or slow to support. He also describes Calgary Foundation’s impact investing program, which uses short‑term, flexible “bridge” loans so non‑profits can acquire land and move projects forward while they wait on federal, provincial, and municipal grants.
Throughout, Alex reflects on the current transition from CMHC programs to Build Canada Homes, and how well‑intentioned policy changes can create uncertainty on the ground that stalls non‑market developers already working at the edge of their capacity. The episode closes with a look beyond Calgary, as Alex points to more than 200 community foundations across Canada—from large urban institutions to smaller players like the Comox Valley Community Foundation—and invites listeners to see local community foundations as powerful, grounded partners in housing solutions.
Key Takeaways
Community foundations keep philanthropy aligned with current needs. Community foundations were created to unlock estate gifts tied to outdated purposes and redirect them toward evolving local priorities; today, they manage pooled endowments that can respond to issues like housing, food insecurity, and mental health as they emerge.
Housing and food insecurity are cross‑cutting pressures. Across Calgary’s charitable sector, organizations are seeing food insecurity and affordable housing as fundamental barriers to stability—issues that touch everything from social services to health and cultural programming.
Collaborative campaigns can reshape donor behaviour. The Resolve campaign showed how nine agencies fundraising together for a shared housing goal could reduce competition, simplify the donor landscape, and position housing as a unified, city‑wide priority rather than a fragmented set of projects.
Philanthropy is a catalytic slice of the capital stack. Donations rarely cover full project costs, but they can play a decisive role by funding feasibility studies, early staff capacity, and non‑bricks‑and‑mortar elements that don’t fit neatly into government funding programs yet are crucial to getting housing built.
Impact investing can bridge timing gaps in funding. Through loans rather than grants, Calgary Foundation helps organizations acquire land and undertake pre‑development work while they wait on slower public funding decisions—then recycles those repayments into future projects, multiplying the impact of endowed capital.
Local foundations are national infrastructure for housing solutions. With more than 200 community foundations across Canada, there is likely one in or near most communities; their local knowledge and long‑term relationships position them to convene partners, identify gaps, and support context‑specific approaches to non‑market housing.
Chapters:
00:00 – Intro: New Housing Alternatives and this episode’s focus
00:20 – Introducing guest: impact investor and fundraiser Alex Laidlaw
01:41 – The origin story of the Calgary Foundation
03:51 – From broad philanthropy to recognizing housing as a core need
04:21 – Food insecurity, housing, and basic needs across the sector
05:47 – Is this focus on housing new for community foundations?
07:24 – Alex’s path into housing and the Resolve campaign
07:49 – What made Resolve unique: nine housing agencies, one campaign
10:19 – Pooled philanthropy and the role of donors in capital projects
12:19 – Can campaigns like Resolve be sustained over time?
12:36 – Time‑bound collaboration and the challenge of ongoing capacity
14:00 – How community foundations relate to government funding
14:37 – Philanthropy as one slice of the housing capital stack
16:00 – Early‑stage risks, feasibility work, and building capacity
18:08 – Impact investing 101: Calgary Foundation’s loan program
18:40 – Timing gaps, land acquisition, and flexible bridge financing
19:54 – Build Canada Homes, CMHC, and the cost of uncertainty
21:20 – Why slow decisions and program shifts can stall local projects
21:56 – How listeners can find and engage local community foundations
22:30 – Examples from Calgary and the Comox Valley Community Foundation
24:05 – Closing reflections on local knowledge and housing solutions
24:37 – Episode wrap‑up and thanks to our guest
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