The Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) is a Canadian
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
organization that creates publicly accessible databases about philanthropic donations, political funding, and lobbying in anglophone Canada. The francophone reality is mostly not represented.
Organization
The Investigative Journalism Foundation is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that was launched on January 4, 2023. The organization is supported by donations from the Balsillie Family Foundation, the Trottier Family Foundation, the McConnell Foundation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the
University of Toronto Scarborough
The University of Toronto Scarborough, also known as U of T Scarborough or UTSC, is one of the three campuses that make up the tri-campus system of the University of Toronto. Located in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the campus is set upo ...
, and John Campbell & Denise Fujiwara. The organization is based in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
It is led by CEO and
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
Zane Schwartz. The board of directors includes Brent Jolly, (the President of the Canadian Association of Journalists), Karyn Pugliese (the Editor-in-Chief of Canada’s National Observer), Sadia Zaman (the CEO of the Inspirit Foundation), and John Ruffolo, (the founder of Maverix Private Equity). Reporters include Roberto Rocha and Kayla Zhu, contributing editors include Fatima Syed and Michael Pereira. There are twelve staff in total, eight of whom are full time.
Databases and investigative reporting
The Investigative Journalism Foundation's team, which includes over eighty volunteers and academic partners, spent two years gathering and analyzing data from government websites and organizing them into eight publicly accessible databases on topics including political funding, philanthropic donations, and lobbying. The Investigative Journalism Foundation has raised roughly $800,000 Canadian dollars since 2021 from 10 donors.
In addition to creating and managing these databases, the Foundation uses them to develop investigative reporting in collaboration with news outlets including Canada's National Observer,
Village Media
Village Media is a Canadian media company, which operates a number of hyperlocal online news and community websites throughout Ontario.The Walrus and
The Canadian Press
The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...
. It published eight stories on the day of its launch, including a piece with The Walrus about the state of Canadian
public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
and one investigating various lobbyists' presence at
fundraisers
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
for the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.
Critical reception
The Investigative Journalism Foundation was described as "Canada's ProPublica" by Sarah Scire, writing for the Neiman Lab.