Co-creating & Advancing a Local Investment Strategy

Welcome

Across Canada, community finance is making a powerful difference, investing where traditional finance won’t, and unlocking opportunity through local businesses, affordable housing, regenerative agriculture, and Indigenous-led development.

Community finances intermediaries are at work providing debt and equity financing for a range of enterprises from leading local entrepreneurs creating good jobs to affordable housing projects providing roofs over our heads to local farms feeding us all. Collectively, they hold hundreds of millions of dollars in assets from individuals, families, foundations, faith-based organizations, and corporations bridging the investment gap where it matters most in our cities, towns and rural communities. These organizations have tremendous potential to scale up to meet the pressing needs of Canadians for economic resilience, adaptation, and growth.

Together, we are building the foundation for a more inclusive and resilient economy. 

Build Canada Through Local Investment: A National Community Finance Strategy can provide the resources and enabling regulations to leverage existing infrastructure to mobilize new capital, create and maintain jobs, and create positive community benefits. Read our 2026 Pre-budget submission.

Amplify our presence and role in the national landscape: As governments look to ‘Build Canada’ through equitable and locally driven growth, we have a critical opportunity to make sure community finance is part of the plan. We’re inviting you to join a national Community Finance Campaign to engage Members of Parliament and Provincial MLAs. Your voice, your work, and your local leadership can help secure the policy changes and support our field needs to thrive.

In this together! There was a certain energy in the air this past summer, as people and organizations worked furiously to articulate clear and compelling recommendations to the Federal Government as it prepares for the Fall Budget.

SVX Founder and CEO, Adam Spence recognized this collective and inspiring effort in a short series of LinkedIn posts this September and we wanted to preserve the call outs here. Read on.

In Ontario, Premier Ford has been vocal in his advocacy for Canada first, and as he was returned to government in February, the Catalyst community in Ontario began coalescing around a set of policy initiatives that could work in alignment with Ford’s Main Street strategy. Below we share the Policy Brief and letter shared with the government, and some tools you can use to advance the case for support.

Read through the Policy Brief

In the face of economic uncertainty in Ontario, there is universal recognition that we need to take action to support local businesses, organizations, and projects. One of the critical actions will be to mobilize local capital to support local enterprises in Ontario to help them adapt and continue to grow.

Read our four policy solutions and pathways to achieve them.

In March 2025, Catalyst penned a letter to the Premier of Ontario and many supporters added their signature to the effort. In short, we acknowledged the government’s stated commitment to protect major industries and Main Streets in Ontario in the face of the tariff war.

We recognized the pressing challenge ahead and invited them to see the opportunity in building Ontario’s economy through local investment in resilient business, jobs, affordable housing, and community infrastructure. You can read the full letter below and then send a letter to your MPP in support of the campaign.

Campaign Tools

We have created a folder with some instructions and files to support you local media outreach.

British Columbia is looking to advance a renewed policy agenda with their new government. Early conversations and emerging alliances are coming to the surface.

More details coming soon