Give Amplify Connect

When Philanthropy Learns Together, Communities Win

• Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation • Episode 24

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What happens when a professional magician becomes a foundation leader and helps steer a national network of grantmakers? We sit down with Simon Mallett, Executive Director of the Rozsa Foundation and long-time board member at Philanthropic Foundations Canada (PFC), to unpack how collaboration, research, and peer learning turn good intentions into real community impact.

We explore how networks turn isolated funders into effective partners for equity and community impact. Simon Mallett shares his path from theater to philanthropy, how Philanthropic Foundations Canada strengthens Canadian foundations, and why board engagement, research, and arts leadership training matter.

  • PFC’s mission and three pillars: capacity, collaboration, policy and research
  • Value of affinity groups and the CEO retreat
  • JEDI accelerator as a driver of organizational change
  • Alberta presence and Western voice in national dialogue
  • Research agenda, compensation and investment surveys
  • National conference versus CEO retreat differences
  • Arts as a lever for mental health and social connection
  • Rozsa Foundation leadership training and who can join
  • Invitation for small foundations to connect and learn

About Our Guest

Simon Mallett is the Executive Director of the Rozsa Foundation, a philanthropic, learning-focused organization that advances equitable leadership and management practices in the arts in Alberta through an integrated use of training, funding, and storytelling supports. He also serves as Past Chair of the Board of Philanthropic Foundations Canada, and spends time in his other valued roles as a theatre director, magician, baseball fan, husband, and father.


What is Give Amplify Connect?

There’s a story behind every action. Give Amplify Connect is a podcast from the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation that gives a voice to the Alberta-based charitable organizations creating community impact, changing lives, and making a difference. Driven by honest conversations with host Kristy Wolfe, it’s a chance for passionate changemakers to share their story.

Learn more at wolfepackwarriors.com

Podcast music used with artist permission
"Okay" by Ellen Braun


Simon Mallet:

The mission is, you know, that we strengthen Canadian philanthropy in all of its diversity and in its pursuit of a just, equitable, and sustainable world. And the way we do this work is really through three core pillars of capacity building, collaboration, and then policy and research.

Announcer:

Welcome to Give, Amplify, Connect, the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation podcast that dives deeper into the stories of the charitable organizations in Alberta that are making a difference. Host and producer Kristy Wolfe sits down with the leaders of the nonprofit world to learn more about their purpose, hopes, and dreams. Settle in for an honest conversation with Kristy about the impact people are making in their communities and how they keep moving forward.

Kristy Wolfe:

With me today is Simon Mallett. And Simon is actually going to be talking to us about Philanthropic Foundations Canada, but he is also the executive director of the Rozsa Foundation here in Alberta. So, Simon, that's really all I'm going to say about you. I would like you to introduce us to who you are.

Simon Mallet:

Sure. Well, thanks so much for having me. I've I've sort of found myself in the world of philanthropy through a very strange uh turn of events. Um, my career trajectory for a very long time was as a professional magician. Um it was something that uh that I grew up doing. Uh, I went to theater school uh as a way to improve my performance abilities as a magician. Uh, I wound up uh becoming a theater director in theater school, and then I pursued a master's in theater directing, and that brought me to Calgary, um, where I've now been for 22 years. And uh, and so I started a theater company. I was working as a theater director for many years. And then uh, and so the Rozsa Foundation was a funder of uh the theater company Downstage that I uh was running. Mary Rozsa De Coquet, our board chair, uh, and the daughter of Ted and Lola Rozsa, the founders of the Rozsa Foundation, asked me to um sort of produce and direct the 25th anniversary celebration for the foundation. And so through that was back in in 2015. And through that process, I learned a lot more about the foundation, uh, really sort of um deepened my appreciation for the breadth and and depth of work that they were doing in the community. And uh, and then, you know, at the end of that uh process, Mary sort of said, you know, I'm thinking about kind of uh transitioning out of the day-to-day operations, and that set off a series of conversations that that led me to uh to now being the executive director of the Rozsa Foundation, which is uh entirely an art supporting foundation. And so it was really important that they had uh someone, you know, who the arts community knew and who knew the arts community. And and so I've I've arrived in philanthropy through uh a series of twists and turns, but I'm delighted to be where I am, uh, including uh being here on the podcast.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, and thank you for all of that. So I have a few questions. How long have you been working with the Rozsa Foundation as their executive director?

Simon Mallet:

So I arrived in April of 2017 uh as the first sort of non-family member to uh to head up the foundation.

Kristy Wolfe:

Simon, thank you for introducing us to you. I know there's a lot of stuff behind you. I actually have so many questions about that, but I also want you to talk about Philanthropic Foundations Canada, what your role is there, how you got involved, who they are.

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, so Philanthropic Foundations Canada has been uh a really significant part of my journey uh since joining the philanthropic community. In the fall of uh 2017, uh after shortly after arriving, I attended sort of a Calgary members meeting uh and I met a bunch of folks uh within the philanthropic community um based here in Calgary and uh really sort of started to appreciate the some of the high-level conversations that were happening uh around kind of organized philanthropy from a philosophical and theoretical standpoint, but also um some of the ways that they were sort of supporting the hands-on work of running a foundation and and and trying to you know be a good grantmaker and and other pieces of the work as well. I left that meeting uh and then shortly after uh Shelly Uderhagen from the Carthy Foundation, who was sort of convening that uh meeting, I think had a conversation with my board chair and said, perhaps Simon should consider joining the board of PFC. And I think at the time, you know, they were looking for some more Western representation. Uh at the time I filled the under 40 demographic, which sadly I no longer do. And so that started a uh conversation and I had an interview and um and was chosen to join the board at that. And so I joined the board in in June of 2018. Uh, and so that's now been you know seven years that I've been on the board. And so Philmith Prophet Foundations Canada is sort of an umbrella organization for organized philanthropy. Its membership is about 140 to 150 foundations, mostly family foundations, but uh also corporate foundations, a couple of community foundations, uh, a number of sort of donor-advised funds. And really the the work of the organization is is around strengthening philanthropy. The mission is, you know, that we strengthen Canadian philanthropy in all of its diversity and in its pursuit of a just, equitable, and sustainable world. And the way that they that we do this work is really through sort of three core pillars of capacity building, collaboration, and then policy and research. Uh, and so it really is around bringing together uh the philanthropic community to have conversations about what matter in our work, both in terms of the how of how we do the work that we do, but also um, you know, conversations around the state of democracy, conversations, you know, kind of these big picture questions that I think uh philanthropy is trying to wrestle with so that we can do our work better and support the charities uh that are really doing the impactful work on the ground.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, I really appreciate this. And and I have to say, Philanthropic Foundations Canada was brought to my attention by Yvonne Chenier, who works with Integral Org. She had invited me to a conversation that was happening at the Calgary Foundation. And so that was my first introduction, just meeting some people, hearing about what the work they were doing. And we are the Wolfpack Warriors Foundation is a small family foundation. We only started in 2021. We're fairly new. And similar to you, I was kind of like, where am I? What am I doing? How do I do it better? And who can help me do this? And so I have participated in a few different things with PFC. And one of them was the Great Governance for Family Philanthropy course that they recently ran. And I have to tell you, it was so incredible to have conversations around family philanthropy. So it's been really helpful to have those conversations with other large foundations, small foundations, foundations that are working in other areas of the country as well as locally. And I am finding that there is a bigger presence, and this is probably thanks to you, Simon, that there is a greater presence in Alberta. Um, and I know they have a staff member now in Alberta. Can you kind of talk about how they're moving this direction?

Simon Mallet:

Oh, there's a lot in there. Uh, first of all, I don't want to take any credit for uh the increased uh I, you know, because I think it's it's been a deliberate, uh, deliberate work on the part of PFC and the and the amazing staff. It's uh PFC is a team of eight uh with a board of 15. It's a small team, but it's a a really dynamic team. Uh major shout out to all of them. And, you know, and I think recognizing that um that East versus West divide is one of those sort of big picture questions that we need to be talking about. And and uh and so finding ways to meaningfully support the work that is happening in Alberta, you know, in our unique political climate and and everything else that's going on, uh, you know, I think that um the PFC is is being deliberate in their attempt to to connect with, uh, to support and and frankly to recruit uh additional members to give Alberta a strong voice in the national conversations that are happening. And, you know, the the governance accelerator is is a great example of um it's a new program for PFC. And it very much uh, you know, it's sort of within this realm of capacity building. And it was very much of uh a lot of foundations saying, this is what we need, and PFC going, okay, well then we we need to be here to support you. And so we're going to develop that in direct response to to where we see those needs uh in the sector. And I think it's been really impactful. You know, we took part in the in the Jedi accelerator that they ran a few years ago, the justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion accelerator. And it was it was hugely transformative for us as an organization in terms of um embedding both myself as management, but also board members into a real process of organizational change. I credit a lot of uh the impact of of the transformational work that the Rozsa Foundation has been doing over the last few years to work that has been stemming from our work at PFC.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, I really appreciate that comment as well, that it wasn't just management or staff or executive director involved. It was board members that you brought in too. I was going to ask, how many people ended up doing that Jedi Accelerator with you? Because that was something that I noticed. I was there as a single person from our organization and there was quite a few in similar boats, but then there were organizations that had some of their board, some of their next generation, some of their staff. And I can imagine that the work goes deeper and further when you can bring more people in to have those conversations within that time.

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, I think anytime you're you're dealing with uh transformative work, having champions at all levels of the organization is really critical. So we did the Jedi Accelerator with two board members and myself. And and two was uh enough critical capacity to put it on the agenda and to and to have folks who are there to champion the work internally. Um and I think it's the same with the with the governance accelerator. It's one thing for staff to bring work to the board level, it's another thing for the board to champion amongst themselves. And I think that that's a really key enabler for that kind of um that kind of significant work to happen. And I would say the same thing with with things like conference attendance and and other opportunities, even even the regional gatherings that PFC uh runs, including those in Calgary. Um, you know, it's it's great to have uh management and staff there. It's it's even better to have board and trustees there because I think that's where the the real change can can happen uh across lines of an organization and give you something to talk about at your next board meeting as well.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, and I think also just the different perspectives, like having a large organization there are dealing with some similarities to what I am working with, but also they've got things I haven't even thought about yet. And that maybe that down the road, that'll be a question I'll have. And now I'm starting to build a relationship with people who can answer those questions about how they did it. And I just found that the course was very much set up to have those conversations and to have breakout rooms or smaller conversations off to the side around what are the questions you have? What does this make you think about? What needs to happen next? And I know a couple of different affinity groups came out of that. And and that as well has been helpful to kind of have the opportunity to keep doing the work. So I guess I'm just saying PFC, thank you. I didn't know what I needed to know, and it's been a big step in my learning journey, but also I plan to be back over and over and over.

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, I mean, I've joked that everything I know about philanthropy I've learned because of PFC. And it's and it's not it's not a tremendous stretch from the truth. It was a huge part of the reason that I agreed to join the board in the first place. And I think the affinity groups are a massive part of that because there are affinity groups across uh areas of focus, um, whether it's affordable housing, um, healthy aging, those sorts of things. Uh, there's one for the arts as well, ironically, not ironically, because I was uh involved in starting that up. Um, but there are also some around job functions. So there's a communications one, there's a sort of a grant-making one for folks within those roles in uh, you know, typically in larger organizations where you have people who are specialized in those roles. So one of the programs that that PSU puts on is a CEO retreat, an annual CEO retreat, and it's a highly sought-after. There's always a waiting list. And uh one of the things that emerged from that was a need for a CEO affinity group and these this opportunity for CEOs to connect with each other, you know, across uh areas of interest, across organizational sizes, um, to support each other in the work that we're doing, because it can be pretty lonely work as well. And so again, the CEO affinity group is another way that I I learn from my peers uh in organizations that are both smaller and larger um than my own. And that kind of convening power is really, I think, what um what PFC can capitalize on and and and harness uh for good for the benefit of the sector is the bringing of people together uh to have conversations that are focused yet loose enough to also let people go, I really just have to talk about X because this is the thing that's occupying my space, and everyone else going, oh, you know what? I'm dealing with X too. And and it it does, it really makes you feel less alone. It really creates a sense of blogging and it provides you with some, you know, some logical outcomes and tactics that you can apply to your work. So it's it's um, yeah, it's really been a beneficial organization because it's it's easy to go it alone, but um, you know, it's that thing of uh you can go fast alone, but far together. And I think what we want to be doing is going as far as we can in this work that we're doing.

Kristy Wolfe:

So, what would you say to a small organization that's getting started about joining PFC? I know I was originally the leadership retreat, is what was mentioned to me. And I was like, I don't know if I should be going to that. I am new in this space. How do you invite people to take up space? How do you invite them to join you on this journey?

Simon Mallet:

I cannot recommend the CEO retreat uh highly enough. Um I think eventually it's gonna have to be one of those things that runs twice a year because there's so much demand for it, but it's um we're all learning, whether we've been doing this for for two years, 10 years, 20 years, there's still learning to be done. And we're just a group of people in a room talking about learning, talking about what we're doing and sharing experiences with each other. And and so, you know, I think we probably all encounter imposter syndrome to some degree. You know, I'm a magician who was just chair of the board of PFC for two years. Like that's a weird thing. But at the end of the day, like you get in that room and you go, oh no, these people all have concerns about how to take care of their staff as well, while also taking care of themselves, right? Like the so many of the thematic things that we're dealing with in leadership roles are are the same. But I think really, you know, for an organization, for a small foundation, it's um it's connecting into the network. It really is that kind of opening the door to the peer-to-peer support, whether that happens in an affinity group, whether that happens at a local convening, whether that happens at a more structured thing like the CEO retreat. Uh, I think that's one of the biggest benefits. Like PSE really is a network. It really is a an association of organizations, a place for them to gather, a place for them to have conversations. It's less about, uh, at least for me, it's less about sort of the dollar to for dollar benefits for uh membership cost. Like it's not about uh what's the return on investment as it relates to uh member benefits. It's both about kind of connecting into the network, but also recognizing that you're contributing to the work that PFC itself is doing, especially on the policy and advocacy front, because I think that's the other really important realm, things like the disbursement quota review that happened a few years ago. You know, PFC was highly involved and they had a um a task force that was meeting weekly to talk about those issues and come forward with some really, really considered and thoughtful uh policy approaches, that many of which were ultimately adopted by the government. And so that the work there is happening and then the research to equip people to make better decisions. So it's it's it's both the benefit of being connected into the network and it's also the benefit of having an organization that is doing that work on behalf of the sector so that we as individual foundations uh don't have to concern ourselves as much with going, oh gosh, how am I making sure that my voice is being heard in these large-scale policy conversations that are happening, which ultimately are going to affect me in a really significant way?

Kristy Wolfe:

Now, since I have you, is the national conference the same as the leadership retreat or are those two different things?

Simon Mallet:

They're two different things. So the um the national conference happens every second year. Uh, and the next one will be September 23rd to 25th, 2026, on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg. Uh, and the theme is reciprocity. And the amazing people at the Asper Foundation and Winnipeg uh foundation are supporting the work to make that happen there. So that's every two years. It's a massive convening. Uh, several hundred people get together, lots of amazing sessions. It was really beautifully broken out last year. Full props to Andre and the programming department for the work they did there. Uh, the uh the CEO retreat is an annual retreat with a much smaller group. It's it's about 30 to 40 CEOs. Uh, and it typically is about uh two and a half days, uh, takes place in different places uh every year. Um this coming year, it is in uh Prince Edward Island in June, I think. Um it's an experience that uh is really it's it's just limited to CEOs, whereas the conference is open to trustees, it's open to uh staff members, it's open to uh folks who are philanthropy adjacent. Um and and that's part of the benefit of having such a sizable gathering with so many different perspectives, whereas a CEO retreat is a really sort of focused opportunity for CEOs to talk about the work, the nature of their work as CEOs within foundations.

Kristy Wolfe:

So back to what you're saying about research and advocacy. I have met Michelle Fouguel Gardner and uh she is doing incredible things. I think she's fairly new to the PFC. Will you talk a little bit about her role?

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, so Michelle is is our our our token Calgary uh staff member. Is it's really tremendous A to have a staff member for PFC uh based here in Calgary. Um and she is the lead researcher for PFC. And so she is the one who's making sense of the data and uh and really sort of trying to understand what's happening in philanthropy. Uh there are a few things. If you go to the PFC website, there's a few pieces of research that have been put out over the last few years around the state of philanthropy in Canada and the trends and uh everything that's emerging on that front as part of the advocacy and research uh agenda that PFC has. And and you know, there's um yeah, there's quite a lot of work on that front, but but she is based in Calgary, which is uh really exciting. And we do the compensation survey, but the landscape of uh Canadian Foundations, which came out uh last year, which really sort of looks at the purpose, approaches, and roles that foundations uh use to fulfill their mandates. And then um she's doing uh leading a piece next of work next year on um looking at the people who work within foundation operations. Uh, we have uh we'll do another investment uh survey and report, and then uh in 2028 come back around to another iteration of that landscape of Canadian Foundations. So there's big pieces of research happening on an annual basis at PFC to really sort of equip both members but also the broader philanthropic sector with the information and tools they need to be doing their best work in support of charities who are doing amazing work to support the people, right? Is that sort of uh PFC is sort of three degrees removed from that kind of frontline engagement, but it strengthens the work of every organization, getting right down to the direct frontline work that's happening.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, and I have to say, when they did get a person in Alberta, that was the tipping point for me to say, okay, this isn't just going to be back east. There's going to be groups here and meetings here. I appreciated that.

Simon Mallet:

I'll also just say that the board is a national board as well, right? And and that's always really deliberate. There's a lot of attention paid towards having voices from across Canada on the board, making sure that they're bringing the concerns of of both members in the area, but also kind of a temperature check for the the philanthropic sector and the charitable sector more broadly in that realm as well. And so, you know, Alberta has has long had strong representation on the PLC board. Uh well, I don't want to call myself a strong representative, but I'm there. Because yes, the organization is is sort of based in Montreal, but but it works, they do work remotely. And so having someone in Western Canada uh on the front lines is is terrific. But also, you know, the the local convenings in Calgary have been happening for certainly as long as I've been around at the Rozsa Foundation as well.

Kristy Wolfe:

Nice. Okay, so you are no longer the board chair. What's your role going to be next? Are you staying with the board?

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, so I I have a I have a victory lap as past chair uh that will take me through until June of 2026, at which point, after eight years, um, they're finally going to uh let me go, I think, unless something radical emerges before that. But uh typically, you know, board role board terms are three years, um, which is renewable once for up to six years. Uh, and just because of the time, we had a bit of an unexpected departure of the previous vice chair. So I stepped into a vice chair role that extended the term. But it's also, you know, it's been such an honor to to support and serve this organization and to see it through a really fascinating period of change as well, from a founder-led organization to Jean-Marc's leadership and the way that PFC has sort of stepped into uh its its own understanding of its own uh social responsibility and and advocacy and policy-based roles as well. The the staff there is is really championing some incredible work and it's been it's been an honor to be part of.

Kristy Wolfe:

Okay, so I'm gonna end our conversation with who or what is an organization or a person that inspires you?

Simon Mallet:

At the Rozsa Foundation, we work exclusively in the arts sector. And I will say that I'm constantly inspired by organizations uh supporting artists and supporting art in community and and frankly, the the broader philanthropic goals that can be accomplished through the arts, things like looking at mental health, looking at um, you know, senior social social isolation and the way that the arts are, you know, there's a music organization that goes into seniors' homes and and gives them an opportunity to connect. And um, but the one that I'll highlight is is the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation led by Toyana Ola Dele. And uh, you know, she came to Canada as an immigrant from Nigeria um as an artist and looked around and said, you know, was looking at immigrant settling agencies and said, How do I get into the arts community in my new home? And found very little information because, you know, for many people, it's like, well, that's not a real career path, uh, which it is for anyone out there listening who wants to consider a career in the arts. And so she started it. She started an organization that uh newcomers could connect to uh to find their way into the arts community in their new home, whether as an artist, whether as an arts manager, you know, in whatever capacity they have the arts connecting into their life. And so they they run a mentorship program, they run a series of professional development works. Uh, they they're a co-producing partner for with a number of organizations to give uh newcomers an opportunity to to apply their trade in their new home. Um and the organization is growing rapidly. Uh so it started in Calgary, it has expanded its its mentorship program up to Edmonton. But, you know, I think as as we embrace the continually changing face of Alberta, certainly, but also Canada more broadly, making sure that folks have viable pathways, continue their lives and their livelihoods in their new homes, I think is really important. And, you know, I think often the arts get left out of those conversations. And so it's it's really meaningful to have an organization who is ensuring that that work happens for artists and arts managers and arts workers who want to be doing that here in Canada.

Kristy Wolfe:

Thank you. I didn't know about this organization. So thank you so much for introducing me. It's probably one of my favorite questions on this podcast that foundations have a role with finances and giving, but there's so many other ways to also support and amplifying and connecting organizations to funders. I think there's so many opportunities. So I really appreciate you bringing that up, Simon. What's next for the Rozsa Foundation?

Simon Mallet:

Uh, we've just launched so one of the we work in sort of three areas as well. We do funding, uh, we do a lot of advocacy and research work ourselves. And then we also run training programs specifically for sort of the management and leadership area of arts organizations. And we're just launching a new sort of uh senior level leadership training program for arts leaders in the sector to really sort of be connected to the current context of what it means to lead an organization in the arts, because there is um there's been a lot of change. You know, arts organizations are being asked to step up as citizens uh in new ways, right? In in order to voice their their their thoughts and their solidarity with certain uh ideas and against certain ideas. AI obviously is factoring really tremendously into that. Uh, a much more sort of human-centered approach to human resources is a really key component of that as well, recognizing that we have much more multicultural teams, especially here in Alberta, you know, for arts managers and leaders, a lot of the way that you learn how to deal with these kinds of questions is to deal with them and fail and hopefully learn through that process. And so for us, it's really about going is there an opportunity for us to equip them with some knowledge and some tools to be able to position their organizations for positive change uh before before the the theory actually has to be put into practice. So it's called Rozsa Horizons of Arts Leadership and uh and it's a program that's launching for us in November of this year.

Kristy Wolfe:

I am taking off my Wolfpack Warriors Foundation hat a little bit and thinking from the lens of some of the arts organizations that I work with. And I'm wondering around your leadership courses, if that is very specifically meant for nonprofit leaders or if social enterprise or for-profit arts leaders are also invited into that.

Simon Mallet:

The the programs themselves are open to anyone. Uh the learnings are are generally tailored around a nonprofit structure in terms of some of the governance uh pieces and those kinds of things. Um, we are also working now on a on sort of a business essentials for artists program for those who are a bit more of a kind of an artist entrepreneur uh type of approach, uh making sure that they have the tools that they need to succeed as well. But certainly we've we've had folks in for-profit and and social enterprise uh roles come through our training programs before and really get a lot out of them.

Kristy Wolfe:

Well, Simon, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate learning about both the Rozsa Foundation and PFC. This was uh this was incredible just to get to pick your brain. So thank you.

Simon Mallet:

Yeah, my pleasure. Yeah.

Kristy Wolfe:

Thank you for joining us today. The purpose of the Wolfe Pack Warriors Foundation is to give, amplify, and connect. Visit our website, wolfepack warriors.com to learn more about this initiative or connect with us about a registered charity that is important to you. Don't miss the next episode. Follow Give Amplify Connect on your favorite podcast platform to hear from other Alberta-based nonprofits about the work they are doing. On a final note, remember to take care of yourself and your pack.

Ellen Braun:

Okay, you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. Hush, my darling. Gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay.

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Kristy Wolfe

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