Date:  April 16, 2026
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm
Venue: Aga Khan Centre,
10 Handyside St, London N1C 4DN
A light lunch will be served.

Please join us and a select group of invited guests at the 2026 Victoria Forum 2026 London Roundtable. RSVP to mgr@VictoriaForum.ca before April 8.

Background

Climate instability, structural inequality, housing precarity, democratic fragility and geopolitical disruption are not isolated failures. They are structural outcomes of the way capital flows through society. While our crises are systemic, most philanthropy remains fragmented – trapped in short-term, project-based cycles that treat symptoms rather than causes.

Conventional philanthropic models are misaligned with the complex, long-term nature of social and ecological needs. The London Roundtable invites a critical dialogue: Is philanthropy ready to shift from siloed grant making to systemic intervention?

Drawing on public-public finance research by Thomas Marois at the Public Banking Project at McMaster University, Canada; the Fertile Ground report from Metabolic; the Financial Backbones report by TransCap Initiative; the work of Dark Matter Labs and members of the FEST network, we will explore the emerging field of Systems Innovation Finance, noting ways that leading foundations, Canada’s Social Finance Fund, and the UK’s Office for the Impact Economy are shaping regenerative futures.

Discussion

The roundtable will discuss:

• Moving from fragmented philanthropy and siloed public funding to “public-public” finance that fits the contours of systems challenges.
• The role of philanthropy in de-risking structural transitions.
• Building the financial “backbones” necessary for long-term impact.

About Us

Founded in 2017, the Victoria Forum aims to develop ideas for a better world. The major annual event each August is hosted by Members of the Senate of Canada, the University of Victoria and Royal Roads University. Victoria Forum 2026 will convene from August 23 to 25 on the traditional territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples (Songhees and Esquimalt Nations). Rooted in place and open to the world, the Forum brings leaders, scholars, practitioners and youth together to navigate a turbulent era—and to move from diagnosis to renewal.

How we work

The Victoria Forum is designed for action. Our dialogues aim to translate ideas into implementable solutions. Every session is anchored in three principles: (i) Action orientation – define concrete commitments and coalitions; (ii) Evidence-based dialogue – pair lived experience with rigorous analysis; and (iii) Inclusivity – welcome diverse peoples, places and perspectives.