The Sector

Story Money Impact: Driving Positive Change Through Impactful Storytelling

story money impact and the sector logos, side by side

The Power of Storytelling for Social Good

Story Money Impact (SMI) takes on the challenge of fostering understanding through empathy, relatability and ultimately some form of action. Social impact storytelling has been around since the dawn of human existence, from tribal campfires to the ultra fast digital mediums that surround us each and every day. Our goal is to use the powerful medium of film coupled with dialogue to create engagement illuminating important issues by creating positive change at a critical time when the world seeks more clarity, purpose and good.

money story impact at a panel, speakers

Our Mission: Creating Impact Through Film

Having positive impact on human rights, social equality, environmental justice, climate change, food security, regeneration are among some of the important topics that we bring to light. Whether it be a quiet nod from an individual or the collective lean-in of a group at a screening, the education, empowerment and stewardship of an idea can be an important catalyst for change.

SMI is a Canadian registered charity (with Equivalency Determination status in the US) that leads change through programming, screenings, panel discussions, training and community dialogue. We illuminate changemakers, issues and stories that have the ability to influence human, social and environmental justice.

Our Approach: Fostering Understanding and Action

A respectful cultivation that fosters a deeper understanding of a topic is what the world needs now. An unbiased multi-faceted approach with films curated from a wide cross section of Canadian filmmakers allows participants to engage and develop the appropriate context that can lead to action. We facilitate the journey that can lead to inspiring changemakers for our precious planet.

We are inclusive, respectful, provocative and embrace different points of view that leads to healthy conversation, effective action and impactful outcomes.

money story impact at a panel, speakers

Our Impact: Changing Hearts and Minds

SMI exists because we know film has the reach and the power to change hearts and minds. We specialize in bringing compelling social interest documentary films to organizations and groups for screenings, discussions and action.

SMI actively engages with organizations to help them fulfill their social mission goals, both within and beyond their walls, by offering a program that combines compelling content, engaging events, valuable resources, and evaluation. SMI works with completed impactful films as tools to shift hearts, minds and actions for a better world. Social impact storytelling is core to our mission.

Last year SMI partnered with over 580 diverse organizations to deliver screenings and customized panels, discussions and educational opportunities. These initiatives are not just informative; they are transformative, fostering a cultural shift rooted in empathy, knowledge, and decisive action.

In the end, as audiences are impacted, hearts are moved to action. At the same time, funders feel connected because they were a part of something special; filmmakers feel validated because they captured a story that mattered; and for those whose stories were told, they feel that their voices were heard, their courage was valued, and their vulnerability was not in vain. Everyone experiences the satisfaction of investing, learning, caring, and being a part of positive change bigger than themselves. Social impact storytelling is how we drive this change.

Our Programs: Empowering Changemakers

The Klabona Keepers — a film about the protection of one’s own ancestral lands has had over 100 screenings all followed by discussions (some several hours long!) and opened the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto in 2022. The film continues to have national screenings, creating awareness and impact by highlighting Indigenous Elder land defenders. It also inspires the next generation of Indigenous youth to become stewards of the land.

STORY TO ACTION

A program supporting five documentary filmmaking teams to create strategies, build partnerships and organize screenings. STORY TO ACTION educates audience understanding and inspire tangible action on the social and environmental issues featured in their films.

The SMI Pod Program

The SMI Pod Program is a part-time, paid experience for aspiring impact producers. The goal is to build skills and understanding of impact campaigns for documentary films. Participants learn how to design and execute impact strategies. In addition, they work with SMI staff on active projects. This six month program has an in-person residency week. It also includes a three month practicum supporting SMI’s slate of projects. Overall, the SMI Pod Program provides hands-on training and experience for the next generation of impact storytellers.

Our Leadership

sue baily, leader of story money impact

Sue Biely | Executive Director

Sue has worked in the culture sector for 30 years, nurturing stories and creativity from all kinds of creators in many forms. Over her six year journey with SMI, she has collaborated on over 24 films and mentored many social justice filmmakers. Sue continually works to support a diversity of voices in her field and has partnered with many organizations and clients. Her enduring commitment is a testament to the power of media to drive positive change. Driven by a desire to make the world a better place, Sue uses the art of storytelling to create impact.

Partnering for Greater Impact

The Sector values our partnership with Story Money Impact. Together, we empower filmmakers to amplify messages for change through impact strategies, education, and community engagement.

By combining The Sector’s expertise in social innovation and impact measurement with Story Money Impact’s programs like Story to Action and The SMI Pod Program, we support their mission to inform, educate, and inspire compassion through film.

Our shared commitment to meet community needs with unique programming allows us to deepen understanding of complex issues. We will continue to collaborate on maximizing the impact of documentary films that address important social and environmental issues.

The Sector appreciates the opportunity to support Story Money Impact as they create positive change through impactful storytelling.

 

The Sector

The Sector’s Beena Tharakan Shares Her Social Innovation Journey with WE-Empower

We-empower, the sector, women empowerment

Beena Tharakan, the sector consultant, woman empowerment

WE-Empower is an impactful organization that brings together innovative and entrepreneurial individuals for women empowerment. They provide free mentorship and training in key areas like entrepreneurship, research commercialization, and intellectual property protection. Their goal is to equip more women with the knowledge, skills, and support systems to turn ideas into successful ventures.

Earlier this month, Beena Tharakan of The Sector consulting group was invited to be a guest speaker by WE-Empower at an event held at the University of Western Ontario.

 

Beena Tharaka speaker for We-Empower, women emoiwerment

In her speech, Beena spoke about her consulting journey and specializing in social innovation and impact. She gave an overview on ecosystem building and partnerships for social enterprises and impact-driven organizations.

The Sector and WE-Empower partnership aims to collaborate and share knowledge with women entrepreneurs. By integrating innovation, they hope to drive societal change.

In her talk, Beena emphasized understanding the ecosystem and partnerships to enact change. She shared valuable insights from her experience in social innovation consulting.

We are honored our community work is recognized. We look forward to future collaborations with WE-Empower to equip more women with the knowledge and tools to make their ideas a reality and create lasting impact. Together we can equip women with tools to make ideas a reality and create impact. Supporting women entrepreneurs advances equity.

The Sector

It Takes a Village: Empowering Racialized Entrepreneurs through Tribe Network

The sector and tribe logos together

It Takes a Village to Build a Tribe

What if more racialized people worldwide had the knowledge, resources, and tools to succeed as entrepreneurs and innovators?

We believe our potential to succeed is infinite when we nurture the power of community. We have the ability to do anything, be anywhere, and we know what it takes to raise a successful entrepreneur and innovator. It takes a village to raise an entrepreneur.

Tribe Network is the village.

group of people at tribe networking event

The Tribe’s Philosophy

Antiquated systems rooted in systemic racism shape the world we live and work in. The historically powerful majority still enjoys stacked access, opportunity and privilege, especially in high-growth, high-value industries.

This has led to a lack of access to and community in high-growth industries for racialized entrepreneurs. As a result, they are unfairly held back from generational health and wealth and are underrepresented in high-value industries.

This is a massive disservice to those impacted, to our earth, and to our collective wellness.

What We Do

Tribe Network is a community of racialized people pursuing entrepreneurship and innovation in Canada. We offer several key programs and resources to support racialized entrepreneurs in their journey.

Black Start-Up Project

The Black Start-Up Project (BSP) supports African, Black, Caribbean, and other Afro-descended entrepreneurs through programming, mentorship, coaching and consulting services, free online courses, and other resources – all led by Black business experts.

All entrepreneurs have different needs. Our three streams, START, BUILD, and ACCELERATE, help entrepreneurs access support relevant to the industry and stage they’re at. ********Since September 2022, our START and BUILD programs have supported over 455 Black founders.

Attendees at the BSP’s Black Business Dinner

Attendees at the BSP’s Black Business Dinner

Start Small Grant Program Powered by Emera

The Start Small Grant Program helps racialized entrepreneurs and community leaders who are solving a problem related to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Program participants receive between $500-$1000 to help get their idea off the ground. In addition to non-repayable funding, the program offers mentorship from racialized founders who have been in their shoes.

discussion panel at tribe networking event

Tribe team and IDEA fellows, including this year’s Start Small mentors, at the IDEA showcase.

Planting Money Seeds with Tribe Ventures

Tribe Ventures is a $20M pre-seed and seed stage fund dedicated to investing in underserved (racialized) founders building high-growth technology-enabled companies.

Our mission is to address a gap in venture capital by providing racialized founders with the capital, coaching and networks needed to succeed.

We are currently raising and we welcome inquiries from potential investors. Please email alfred@tribenetwork.ca

people from tribe meeting for first time

Tribe Ventures team in Calgary at our Roadshow event

Find Your Tribe

We believe that racialized entrepreneurs need access to relevant networks, opportunities and markets to succeed and thrive in the world. Thanks to technology and increased resources, we can change this. We can provide access and opportunity, and we can democratize entrepreneurship and innovation.

Join our network to connect with racialized entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals across Canada.

https://www.tribenetwork.ca/

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Reconciliation

The Sector strongly believes in transparency, reciprocity, integrity and accountability in our partnerships. This drives our steadfast support for Tribe Network. We are jointly committed to diversity, inclusion and equity. Together, we ensure racialized entrepreneurs can access the networks, opportunities and markets needed to thrive.

We know Reconciliation is an ongoing journey as we build cohesive, sustainable communities. By expanding access and democratizing entrepreneurship, we can increase our collective resilience.

The Sector

Driving Social Impact: The Reading Partnership and The Sector

The reading partnership and the sector logos create a partnership

Connecting with the Right Partner

The Reading Partnership was introduced to The Sector through a recommendation from Ken Aucoin of Jump Math. We decided The Sector was the ideal partner based on their offer to assist with an Investment Readiness Grant application and provide guidance on using the grant funding effectively if awarded. Their expertise supporting social enterprises aligned perfectly with our needs. If you need help accessing to funding, click here.

Furthering Our Literacy Mission

Partnering with The Sector has proven invaluable for advancing our mission in several ways. It is identifying and exploring new revenue opportunities to sustain and expand our literacy programs long-term. Collaborating on the grant application enabled organizing our thinking and business plans to scale up impact. Partnering with The Sector helped us drive substantial progress by establishing a comprehensive growth plan. And connected us with potential funding sources.

Enhancing Programs in the Future

Looking ahead, we hope that collaborating with The Sector will soon help enhance our educational resources and extend our reach. Their guidance will be instrumental in executing our ambitious growth plans.

teacher teaching children how to read

Turning Goals into Reality

The Reading Partnership has big goals for the future, and our partnership with The Sector will play a pivotal role in achieving them. We want to improve our organizational structure and business planning capabilities, develop our intellectual property into revenue streams, and continuously improve our programs based on user feedback. This will ensure we meet families’ needs. As we scale our effective literacy programs through partnerships across Canada, clearly conveying our impact to potential funders will be crucial in securing their support. Furthermore, assembling an excellent team and leveraging technology will help streamline our operations as we continue to expand our reach.

The people at The Reading Partnership are thrilled to have The Sector’s expertise supporting us in turning these goals into reality. Together we can bring life-changing literacy opportunities to many more children and families nationwide.

The Sector

Construct by Blue Door: Innovative Training for Diverse Construction Jobs

blue door and the sector logos together

The Sector is proud to be supporting the great work of Blue Door’s Construct Program. Construct recruits, trains, and employs motivated individuals with barriers to employment to learn and work on-site with qualified trades people to prepare for a career in the construction industry. Construct works to meet construction needs with integrity, innovation and sustainability within a framework of inclusivity, diversity and opportunity.

  1. Addressing Inequitable Systems
  2. Construct leading social innovation
  3. Social innovation as a tool to create equitable careers
  4. Opportunities to Collaborate

Happy students in construction class

Addressing Inequitable Systems

Construct provides practical employment opportunities for individuals who face systemic barriers to securing stable incomes. These include people experiencing poverty, homelessness, mental health challenges, disabilities, and involvement with the criminal justice system.

By thoughtfully expanding training programs to the regions of Peel, Durham, and York, Construct is deliberately creating a more diverse and inclusive construction workforce. Historically, the construction industry has lacked diversity and inclusion.

The Construct program offers individualized supports tailored to each trainee’s unique situation and needs. This can include assistance with transportation, counseling, housing, childcare, and identifying other relevant community resources. Construct recognizes the great need for more diversity within the skilled trades. They also understand the importance of well-paying construction careers to improve economic security amidst rising costs of living.

students learning in construction class

Construct Leading Social Innovation

Construct’s national expansion model represents leading social innovation in the construction training and hiring space. The organization is creating positive systemic change by challenging the status quo with an inventive approach.

The Construct training program provides alternative and accessible education and training opportunities in the construction field. Skills-based, hands-on learning accommodates those without college educations or backgrounds in the trades.

Throughout the program, Construct identifies and addresses common barriers to securing and retaining employment in construction. Barriers can include lack of transportation, unstable housing, mental health struggles, limited skills training, and stigma. Construct’s innovative programming directly counteracts these obstacles through individualized support systems.

students building in construction class

Social Innovation as a Tool to Create Equitable Careers

With strategic national expansion, Construct aims to have the resources and capacity to facilitate placement into good-paying, unionized construction careers for even more program graduates. This prevents homelessness and provides economic security for marginalized individuals.

Specifically, Construct works to place trainees into well-paid jobs such as carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, and general contractors. These sustainable career paths provide economic security and financial stability for marginalized individuals who face systemic barriers.

Many graduates have gone on to grow successful full-time careers in various construction trades. They gain access to union membership benefits, as well as increased earnings potential to support themselves and their families.

Broader intended outcomes include comprehensive program growth to transform hiring systems across the construction industry. Construct is demonstrating through example the positive impacts of inclusive, diversity-focused hiring practices.

When those facing barriers have access to skills training, mentoring, and job opportunities, it benefits both the employees and the industry. Construct is leading by example to make the entire construction field more equitable and accessible.

Opportunities to Collaborate

While innovating, Construct faces systemic challenges that collaborators can help address, such as:

  • Addressing unique barriers and reluctance to change hiring practices in the status quo construction industry. Construct must work to shift mindsets on inclusive hiring.
  • Reducing stigma around mental health disorders and criminal records that remains prevalent in construction culture. Discrimination persists against qualified workers.
  • Securing more internal organizational and external partner resources to fund expansion into more regions. Scaling requires increased funding.
  • Building partnerships with diverse community organizations to represent and reach the various populations Construct aims to serve. This enhances inclusion.
  • Forming partnerships with local colleges and unions to establish credentialing pathways and job placement pipelines. These partnerships are key to trainee success.
  • Raising more awareness of Construct’s work within both community organizations and the construction industry. This supports referrals and participation.

Construct invites collaborators across sectors to get involved in addressing these challenges and opportunities. With increased support, Construct can scale impactful programming, shift hiring practices in construction, and create more equitable access to careers.

The Bottom Line

Blue Door’s Construct Program exemplifies social innovation in action with its mission to provide inclusive construction training and employment for marginalized individuals. As Construct expands its impact nationwide, overcoming challenges through strategic collaboration remains key.