Sara is Associate Chief Executive Officer at Philanthropic Foundations Canada – Canada’s national network for grantmaking foundations. She works closely with the President & CEO overseeing thought-leadership, organizational management, and operations, while guiding PFC’s public policy and advocacy agenda, research, and public relations activities to foster good public policies for the sector and to advance impactful, forward-thinking philanthropy.
Sara has spent almost 25 years leading non-profit and social impact initiatives across Canada. She began her career in fundraising, has worked on Parliament Hill, and for over eight years managed community initiatives and granting for one of Canada’s largest community foundations, allocating millions of dollars annually to tackle inequity in her city, and connecting philanthropy to the greatest needs.
Sara is passionate about advancing advocacy in Canada’s non-profit and charitable sector. She has a BA in Political Studies from Trent University and a Master’s in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University. She sits on the board of directors of Sustainability Network, and in 2024 she was appointed to the CRA and Finance Canada’s Technical Issues Working Group, advising the Government of Canada on charity regulation.
Having lived across Canada and internationally, Sara is now based in Toronto with her husband and three children. The land that Sara and her family live, learn and work on has been home to many Indigenous communities throughout time, including the Wendat, Anishinaabe, Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Haudenosaunee. The area is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and it is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.