What Social Capital Partners does

Social Capital Partners (SCP) is a Canadian nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization headquartered at 215 Spadina Ave in Toronto, operating with 1-10 employees since approximately 2001. The organization’s stated mission is to broaden access to wealth, ownership, and economic opportunity for working people, with functional work concentrated across five themes: employee ownership and alternative ownership models, strengthening small business and entrepreneurship, leveraging capital for public benefit, challenging conventional economic and tax policy narratives, and local economies. Its primary outputs are not commercial products but rather a portfolio of free, open-access research reports, policy submissions, op-eds, podcasts, and analytical dashboards.

SCP’s core offerings include two flagship research series — The Ownership Solution and Never 51 — alongside substantive reports such as Built to Exclude (on enterprise financing concentration), Tied Up (on non-profit housing balance-sheet capacity), and Billionaire Blindspot (on underestimation of Canadian wealth inequality). The organization also produces the Gloves Off podcast, the Cross Check video series, and an Economic Trends Dashboard covering eight alternative economic indicators. Distribution occurs through its website, email newsletter, media placements in major Canadian publications (Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Policy Options), formal government submissions, and partnerships with academic and civil-society organizations including the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, the Atkinson Foundation, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and the Centre for Future Work.

The organization has no proprietary technology products, no public API, and no commercial revenue model. It is funded by donations and grants from foundations, individuals, and government agencies, and is led by CEO Matthew Mendelsohn and Chair Jon Shell, with Director of Policy Dan Skilleter and Policy Manager Michelle Arnold among the named leadership. The 2001 founding year and a long history of work on social enterprises, skills training, and employment-based initiatives (e.g., the 2007 TurnAround Couriers SROI report, 2017 Rate Drop Rebate evaluation) indicate an evolution from operational program work toward a policy advocacy and thought-leadership posture focused on ownership concentration, financing-system reform, and economic sovereignty in Canada.

Name

Social Capital Partners

Legal name

Social Capital Partners

Website

https://socialcapitalpartners.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Social Capital Partners is a Canadian nonprofit policy research and advocacy organization based in Toronto that publishes reports, op-eds, podcasts, and policy submissions aimed at broadening economic ownership, addressing wealth inequality, and reforming enterprise financing in Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Employee ownership advocacy
• Economic inequality research
• Nonprofit think tank
• Wealth concentration analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization, Social Capital Partners relies on donations and grants from foundations, individuals, and government agencies to fund its research, advocacy, and policy work on economic inequality and ownership agendas.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Social Capital Partners is a Canadian nonprofit that undertakes public policy research, investment initiatives, and advocacy to push back against economic inequality and broaden access to wealth, ownership, and opportunity. It produces research reports, policy briefs, podcasts, videos, and analytical dashboards focused on employee ownership, alternative ownership models, local economies, leveraging capital for public benefit, and challenging conventional economic and tax narratives. The organization operates on a donation and grant funding model and distributes its outputs without charge to influence Canadian economic policy.

Product overview

Social Capital Partners is a nonprofit policy research organization offering a portfolio of research reports, policy initiatives, media series, and analytical tools focused on economic policy and wealth inequality in Canada. The core offerings include two flagship research series—The Ownership Solution (policy solutions for broader economic ownership) and Never 51 (Canadian economic sovereignty initiatives)—alongside substantive research reports such as Built to Exclude (on enterprise financing), Tied Up (on non-profit housing), and Billionaire Blindspot (on wealth inequality data). The organization also produces multimedia content including the Gloves Off Podcast and Cross Check video series. An additional analytical resource is the Economic Trends Dashboard featuring eight alternative economic indicators. These offerings work together as a unified policy research and advocacy portfolio rather than an integrated software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Ownership Solution: Special research series featuring policy solutions that help more workers and communities profit from the value they create. Redesigning how the economy is owned so more Canadians benefit.
• Never 51

Products and services

• The Ownership Solution A special research series featuring policy solutions that help more workers and communities profit from the value they create, advocating for redesigning how Canada's economy is owned so more Canadians benefit. The series is targeted at policymakers, advocates, and the Canadian public interested in broadening economic ownership.
• Never 51 A policy initiative outlining practical solutions to economic and geopolitical threats facing Canada. Each proposal enhances economic sovereignty and serves the interests of workers, smaller businesses, and the vulnerable.
• Built to Exclude: Why Canada's enterprises need a different kind of financing A research report analyzing how Canada's enterprise financing system, dominated by big banks controlling 93% of banking assets and nearly 80% of SME lending, systematically excludes viable businesses from access to capital. It is targeted at policymakers, lenders, and advocates for SME finance reform.
• Tied Up: Unleashing Canada's non-profit housing potential A research report identifying technical policy fixes to unlock Canada's non-profit housing sector, which is structurally constrained by accountability mechanisms that limit balance-sheet capacity and restrict financing access. The report targets federal and provincial housing policymakers and non-profit housing providers.
• Billionaire Blindspot: How official data understates the severity of Canadian wealth inequality A research report demonstrating that Statistics Canada's official wealth survey significantly underestimates wealth inequality in Canada, revealing that Canada's wealth concentration is more extreme than official data suggest. The report is targeted at policymakers, journalists, economists, and the Canadian public.
• Gloves Off Podcast A podcast series featuring conversations with thought leaders about bold ideas for Canada's economic future, charting in the top 10 on Apple Podcasts. It covers wealth inequality, Canadian sovereignty, and economic policy, and is targeted at engaged Canadian listeners, policymakers, and policy-interested media.
• Cross Check Video Series A video and podcast series featuring Stephen Marche, Jon Shell, and Vass Bednar discussing how Canada can thrive economically, win at trade, and build strategic alliances. It is targeted at engaged Canadian audiences interested in economic policy.
• Economic Trends Dashboard An analytical resource featuring alternative economic indicators exploring how Canadians are really experiencing the economy across eight domains: investment & profits, home ownership, economic inequality, business ownership & entrepreneurship, savings & assets, labour markets, cost of living, and economic sovereignty. It is targeted at policymakers, journalists, researchers, and engaged members of the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Employee-owned companies demonstrate faster growth, lower default rates, greater resilience in downturns, and higher employee compensation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Atkinson FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Co-published joint research with Social Capital Partners on strategies and democratic practices to build community wealth, including a roundtable report at DemocracyXChange 2026.
• DemocracyXChangecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Collaboration on roundtable discussions and joint reports on democracy and community wealth building, hosting events that bring together policy experts and advocates.
• Employee Ownership CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated organization focused on promoting employee ownership models in Canada. SCP staff and leadership actively advocate for Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) policies and legislation.
• The Canadian Tax ObservatorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent nonprofit focused on taxation research and economic fairness. SCP helped establish this organization and maintains close working relationships on tax policy issues.
• Smith School of Business at Queen's UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Canada's first Employee Ownership Research Initiative in November 2025, deepening knowledge and understanding of employee ownership succession models.
• Venture for CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint submission to Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada to optimize the Canadian Small Business Financing Program and recommend changes to encourage Entrepreneurship through Acquisition.
• Centre for Future WorkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the 'Elbows up: A practical program for Canadian sovereignty' report, contributing essays on economic policy and sovereignty issues.
• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the 'Elbows up: A practical program for Canadian sovereignty' report with 20 progressive economists and policy experts.
• Missing Middle InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on housing policy research, including proposals for getting single-family homes out of investor hands.
• Community Asset Management Practitioners (CAMP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint submission to Ontario Securities Commission regarding concerns about expanding retail investor access to private equity.
• Futurpreneur CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on business succession policy proposals to keep Canadian businesses in Canadian hands.
• Harvard Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured Taylor Guitars employee ownership transition as Harvard Business School case study, showcasing employee ownership benefits.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: Canada's leading progressive think tank producing research on economic inequality, taxation, and social policy. SCP is already a co-sponsor with CCPA of the Elbows Up report, and both compete for the same donor base and policymaker attention on progressive economic issues.
• Broadbent Institute: Canadian progressive policy and research organization focused on democracy, economic justice, and progressive policy ideas. Overlaps directly with SCP on economic inequality advocacy and progressive policy thought leadership in Canada.
• National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO): US-based nonprofit focused on advancing employee ownership through research, education, and advocacy. Most direct functional peer on employee ownership trust policy and serves as the reference model for SCP's EOT advocacy work in Canada.
• Project Equity: Nonprofit that works with business owners, employees, and communities to transition companies to employee ownership. Directly comparable mission and advocacy on EOTs as a succession and wealth-building mechanism.
• Maytree Foundation: Canadian private foundation focused on reducing poverty and inequality through policy research and advocacy. Directly comparable as a Canadian nonprofit combining grantmaking with policy research on economic inequality.

Emerging players

• Generation Squeeze: Canadian advocacy organization focused on generational equity, housing affordability, and economic issues facing younger Canadians. Comparable as a smaller advocacy nonprofit competing for similar donor attention on economic issues.
• Smart Prosperity Institute: Canadian policy think tank focused on productivity, clean growth, and economic prosperity. Comparable in size and policy research orientation but focused on growth/environment intersection rather than ownership inequality.

Broad incumbents

• Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP): Established Canadian independent policy research institution with broader mandate covering economic and social policy. Larger and more generalist than SCP but competes for similar policy influencer mindshare.
• Public Policy Forum: Canadian policy organization convening stakeholders across sectors on economic and democratic challenges. Overlapping relationship to SCP's DemocracyXChange partnership and broader policy convening role.
• C.D. Howe Institute: Established Canadian economic policy think tank focused on economic growth, fiscal policy, and competitiveness. Provides a contrasting centrist/liberal perspective to SCP's progressive economic policy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SocialCP
• Facebookfacebook.com/socialcapitalpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/276755

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Social Capital Partners