Changing our name. Anchoring our Vision

Community engagement, collaborative action, and research - this is the heart of the Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC). It’s how our organization contributes to building a community in which all people are full and valued participants. But this work is changing by how people access data, relate, make sense of the world, and how communities take action on the issues that are important to them. 

We are excited to announce our new name - the Social Impact Collective - that reflects what we seek to achieve through our mandate and our approach - that working interdependently with others is the only way to get there.

ESPC’s 85 year history has had a lot of name changes - this will be our fifth evolution. But, we remain committed to continuing its mission: deepening community understanding of social issues, influencing policy and sparking collaborative actions that lead to positive social change. 

A Name Shaped by Listening
After a year of transition in 2025, the community had questions about ESPC’s future: How can ESPC add value to the work of the social impact sector now and for the next generation? What values should ESPC’s work reflect? Who does ESPC need to build relationships with? What does ESPC need to excel at? And how does ESPC not duplicate the work of others?

ESPC listened to responses from  a cross section of individuals and organizations who are working towards improving inequalities in the community, and especially from those who are experiencing inequities right now. Our name change is one part of our ongoing transformation based on these conversations and we will continue to listen and respond.

One thing is clear: our vision is still relevant and in need of action. We continue to anchor ourselves in the impact we want to have: a community in which all people are full and valued participants.

We heard this work requires trusting and intentional relationships for co-creation. We need open conversations about challenges. We need to contribute to repairing harmful historical societal patterns of how research and consultation has been done in the past. And we need to recognize that issues like poverty, housing, education and health are deeply interconnected - requiring interdependence as the lens for analysis, action and solutions. 

And so, using the insights of those with whom we consulted, we chose a name that reflects these realities: the Social Impact Collective.

What Comes Next?
This announcement is our first step - you will see our email addresses changing, and eventually our website and our branding. We will continue connecting with others to guide our strategic priorities and our actions. And we will share our progress with you over the next couple of months, including the principles that guide our work and our understanding of how our activities will lead to the changes we want to see (our theory of change). 

We believe change is generative - a process that brings forth more ideas and re-imaginings to help us meet the challenges in our community.

Thank you for being part of this organization’s journey - we know many of you have contributed to this evolution over the last 85 years, and we look forward to growing the Social Impact Collective – welcoming a diversity of thoughts and questions to continue moving forward. You will be hearing from us about engagement opportunities over the next year. You are welcome to contact us anytime at info@socialimpactcollective.ca 

This change is a celebration of ESPC’s work and seeing its vision and mission flourish into the future.