Malcolm Burrows

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Malcolm is a philanthropic advisor with over 30 years of experience. He is head, philanthropic advisory services at Scotia Wealth Management and founder of Aqueduct Foundation. Views are his own. malcolm.burrows@scotiawealth.com

Founders: the good, the innovative, and the toxic

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Founders are a source of innovation and energy in the social good sector. Lionized as “social entrepreneurs” they identify gaps and create organizations to fill them. But there is, sometimes, a dark side to founders. Donors, employees and stakeholders should be aware of these dynamics. Dr. Susanna Kislenko is a researcher who focuses on founders, especially those in the non-profit world.  In 2025, she established The Founder Leadership Research Lab,….

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Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

Donor Advised Funds are not Trusts

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A common misconception about donor advised funds is that they are trusts, charitable purpose trusts.  At times, lawyers, especially those with expertise in trusts and estates, struggle with this distinction, as do donors.  In 2023, this issue came to the forefront when Canadian charities briefly thought they might need to report on certain funds under trust reporting rules.  Although donor advised funds have trust-like features, most are not trusts. This….

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Estate Donations, Estate Planning, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Trusts

The new charity funding crisis

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Charities do not exclusively depend on donations, despite popular perceptions to the contrary. In Canada, government funding and earned revenue contribute more to registered charities than donations.  Both these types of low-key funding are under pressure, enough so that we will soon witness some large charities shrink or even collapse. Now, it’s true that a high percentage of charities get most of their income from donations, but these organizations are….

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Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving

The Two-Charity Structure

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In its Income Tax Act, Canada has two basic types of registered charity: charitable organizations and foundations.  These charity types are often paired to work together in a complementary fashion – ying and yang – to achieve shared purposes. This article is a short primer on the prevalence of this structure and how it can be used for charitable planning. Doing and Funding Charitable organizations are the most common charity….

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Estate Donations, Philanthropy/Charitable Giving, Uncategorized

Caravaggio and Complex Charitable Purposes

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The story of the Confraternità del Pio Monte Della Misericordia and Caravaggio’s painting is a fascinating example of how art and charity can intertwine to convey a powerful mission. In 1602, seven idealistic noblemen founded the Confraternità del Pio Monte Della Misericordia in Naples, Italy.  Their mission was ambitious, and no doubt the product of multiple feverish strategic planning sessions. Rather than focus on one charitable purpose – for example, feeding….

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Philanthropy/Charitable Giving
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