Theory of Change Overview Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network (CEGN) November 4, 2015

Overview and context 2 CEGN applied at the end of 2014 to participate in the Impact and Strategic Clarity program, offered by Innoweave, a project of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. We were successful in our application and embarked on a strategic clarity process with a core team of four Board members, plus two CEGN staff, and our Innoweave coach - Lynn Fergusson. The process which has involved weekly calls and two day-long workshops is designed to gain clarity and agreement as to the outcomes we seek, and how we will achieve these outcomes. The core team (Jack, Thea, Andre, Lara -originally as a Board member and now as a volunteer -, Sandy and Pegi) has worked with Lynn over the past four months to draft and refine a set of outcome goals and a theory of change for CEGN. Our next step is to engage the full CEGN Board and seek their input and feedback on the process to date. The core team is meeting on November 3 rd and will present additional information on November 4th. Working with the full Board, we will develop our next Strategic Plan for introduction to CEGN members at our AGM in June.

Rationale for developing our theory of change 3 CEGN has reached the end of its current three-year strategic plan. The plan has served the organization well and we have accomplished many but not all of the activities stipulated in the plan.three-year strategic plan Our search for strategic clarity to inform our next strategic plan is spurred on by a number of factors, including: i) the realization that solutions to many environmental issues require a holistic approach (addressing social, economic, health and cultural concerns) and that this has implications for the kind of partners/partnerships with which our members and the network engage ii) the urgency posed by climate change and other environmental issues iii) the growing evidence of the success of collaborative and collective impact approaches iv) Our desire to develop a more refined set of strategies and goals for the organization

Our Theory of Change 1) Connecting, Convening and Collaborating 2) Building and Sharing Skills and Knowledge 3) Growing Investments for a Sustainable Canada 4) Building CEGN's Internal Capacity If CEGN undertakes these key strategies, with our members and others: We believe we will create (and be accountable for creating): A strong and growing network of funders, working effectively to build a sustainable Canada A sustainable Canada, valuing people, planet, and place. Towards ultimately creating (beyond our point of accountability):