MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 26, 2025

Who

Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) is hosting Illuminate 2025, a national gathering of philanthropic leaders, grassroots changemakers, nonprofit organizers, Indigenous advocates, and community builders from across Canada.

What

Illuminate 2025 is a three-day conference inviting bold conversations about the future of philanthropy, equity, and belonging. With over 600 participants, the event will spotlight how communities, and the philanthropic organizations that support them, can respond to complex issues with imagination, courage, and accountability.

When

May 27–29, 2025
Sessions begin daily at 9:00 a.m. Full agenda here.

Pride vs. Prejudice screening: May 27 at 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.

Where

Halifax Convention Centre
1650 Argyle Street, Halifax, NS

Highlights for media

• Tareq Hadhad – A New Chapter for Belonging: Founder of Peace by Chocolate and globally recognized voice on displacement and resilience, Tareq Hadhad explores what it means to build communities rooted in empathy, entrepreneurship, and hope, starting with belonging.
• A Decade Later: Truth, Reconciliation, and the Continued Call for Action: Ten years after the close of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, this powerful plenary examines where we are on the path to reconciliation and what philanthropy must do to keep walking it.
• Dr. Ruha Benjamin – Viral Justice and systems change: Ruha Benjamin, Professor, Department of African American Studies, Princeton University, invites us to reimagine the role of philanthropy in shaping systems that serve communities. 
• Special Public Screening – Pride vs. Prejudice: The Delwin Vriend Story: A powerful documentary on the landmark 1998 Supreme Court case that transformed human rights in Canada. With a special foreword by Doug Stollery, co-counsel in the case. Open to the public, capacity: 100

Why it matters

Philanthropy stewards billions in assets and directly shapes the future of local communities, from housing and healthcare to education and climate. Illuminate 2025 is a rare gathering of those leading that work, asking not just how to give, but how to change systems.

Media Passes

Media are invited to attend select sessions and keynote events. 

MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Munshi, Communications Director, Community Foundations of Canada
hmunshi@communityfoundations.ca

Explore the full program and speaker lineup: www.cfc-illuminate.ca