Relentlessly Useful

October is my favourite month. I always find this time of year to be filled with long talks over good coffee, meaningful time with family, and time spent outdoors surrounded by brilliant fall colours. October also marks my ninth month in my new role as the President and CEO of the Metcalf Foundation .?

Over these early months, I have come to learn what a privilege it is to lead this organization. With an amazing staff, a compelling mission, and no shortage of daunting challenges, the opportunity to make a difference is truly special. As I learn and grow in this role, I intend to use this space to share regular reflections and updates on our work. We are a foundation with a proud history and an exciting future. We have a desire to deepen and broaden our impact, while staying true to our relationship-based approach to investing in people, ideas, and actions to build a just, healthy, and creative society.

A few weeks ago, we released our most recent biennial report where we take stock of the progress we have made and signal what we see emerging on the road ahead. I am proud of the positive tone, the authenticity of the voice, and the transparency of the information. I invite you to read through and learn about our activities, granting, and partnerships across our three focus areas.

A dominant theme of the report, and in our work, is the emphasis on working through the long arc of change. Metcalf has long believed that we can best contribute through a sustained, thoughtful, long-term effort to identify and support viable solutions to systemic issues. I want to ensure we continue to make the most of the time and space and means we have to create tangible, long-term impact.

At the same time, I hope to bring a real sense of urgency to the progress we seek. While there is a time for patience and incrementalism, the philanthropic world can also be an advocate and driver of bold change. We will look for ways to move swiftly when the opportunity arises. The through line of my career — and my approach to the public good and the public interest — is to do as much as I can, for as many as I can, for as long as I can. That desire to be relentlessly useful will inform our actions, our partnerships, and our pace.?

As I settle into this new role, I am looking forward to expanding our ambition. We will stretch ourselves to deepen our impact and look for ways to enhance our thinking and approaches that help all three of our focus areas succeed. Through continuous learning, experimentation, and humility, we hope to achieve real progress in our fields of work, and the philanthropic sector in general. I will be using this space on a monthly basis to share and chart our work going forward. I hope you will join me.