Blended finance is gaining momentum in Canada as a powerful approach to mobilizing capital for complex social, environmental, and economic challenges. from affordable housing and food security to Indigenous economic reconciliation and climate solutions. As interest grows, so does the need for shared knowledge, practical tools, and accessible pathways into this evolving field.
What Is the Blended Finance Resource Hub?
The Blended Finance Resource Hub is an online learning and connection space for people working across the capital continuum. It brings together events, webinars, case studies, reports, and practical resources that highlight how blended finance and catalytic capital are being designed and deployed across Canada.
The Hub was created to help demystify blended finance, share real-world examples, and provide an easy way to navigate the blended finance ecosystem, and support collaboration for those entering the field across philanthropy, public institutions, and private capital.
Who the Hub Is For
- The Blended Finance Resource Hub is designed for:
- Funders and foundations exploring ways to move beyond grants and deploy capital more flexibly
- Impact investors and asset owners interested in risk-tolerant or catalytic strategies
- Blended finance practitioners and intermediaries structuring deals and funds
- Community-based and place-based investment leaders seeking models that align capital with local priorities
- Whether you are new to blended finance or actively structuring deals, the Hub offers entry points that meet you where you are.
Why Blended Finance Matters Now
Blended finance is a structuring approach that allows funders with different objectives to invest alongside each other to achieve broad impact goals. By strategically combining philanthropic, public, and private capital, blended finance helps de-risk projects that prioritize impact and unlocks investment that might not otherwise flow.
Catalytic capital plays a critical role within this approach. It is flexible and risk-tolerant capital that addresses gaps left by mainstream finance, often by absorbing first losses, offering guarantees, or accepting lower or delayed returns to enable broader participation.
Across Canada, these approaches are already showing promise. Impact funds seeded with catalytic capital are growing, risk-mitigation tools are reducing investor hesitation, and flexible financing structures are supporting innovation in sectors such as affordable housing, nonprofit infrastructure, food sovereignty, and social enterprise.
At the same time, significant barriers remain: complexity of deal structures, misalignment among stakeholders, limited knowledge and capacity, regulatory constraints, and a shortage of risk-tolerant capital. These challenges make it difficult for blended finance to scale without shared infrastructure and learning.
How the Hub Supports the Growth of Blended Finance in Canada
- The Blended Finance Resource Hub helps strengthen Canada’s ecosystem by:
- Creating an entry point and building capacity for funders and investors new to blended finance
- Supporting collaboration across public, philanthropic, and private actors
- Reducing complexity through shared tools, examples, and plain-language resources
- Highlighting real-world examples that demonstrate what works and why
- Encouraging place-based and equity-centered approaches to capital deployment
- By making knowledge more accessible, the Hub supports the shift from isolated innovation to a more coordinated, inclusive, and effective blended finance ecosystem.
Why Thrive Impact Fund Is Part of This Work
Thrive Impact Fund exists to provide flexible, patient, and impact-first capital to social enterprises, non-profits, and community-led organizations, particularly those overlooked by traditional finance. Our approach already aligns closely with blended finance principles: thinking across capital types, prioritizing impact, and structuring financing to match real-world needs.
Through our work providing a range of financing and support, we see firsthand how the right capital structures can unlock both impact and resilience. We also see where systems fall short, especially for early-revenue organizations, place-based initiatives, and leaders from communities historically excluded from capital.
By partnering on the Blended Finance Resource Hub, Thrive is contributing practical, on-the-ground experience to the national conversation. This work aligns with our belief that growing blended finance in Canada requires not only innovation, but also shared language, transparency, and collaboration across sectors.
A Call to Explore and Engage
Canada’s blended finance ecosystem is at a critical moment. The potential is clear, but achieving it will require shared infrastructure, risk-tolerant leadership, and a willingness to learn together.
We invite funders, investors, and practitioners to explore the Blended Finance Resource Hub, engage with the resources, and join a growing community committed to using blended finance as a tool for meaningful, long-term impact.
Together, we can help ensure blended finance in Canada is not only possible, but powerful, inclusive, and grounded in community needs.