For more than three decades, Ottawa’s Philanthropy Awards by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Ottawa Chapter have celebrated extraordinary generosity in our community.
Over those 32 years, the Phils have recognized individuals, families, businesses and organizations whose financial generosity has helped make transformational work possible across our city. That legacy matters: It has demonstrated what can happen when people choose to invest generously in the communities, and causes, they care about.
As AFP embarked on planning the 2026 Phils, it considered how to best honour that history while thinking about how to build on it.
That’s because AFP’s guiding idea is simple: a longer table and a wider circle.
Building on a strong tradition, introducing new award categories
Financial philanthropy remains fundamental to the charity sector. Charitable organizations simply could not do what they do without donors willing to invest resources into creating stronger, healthier and more vibrant communities.
The Phils will continue to recognize and celebrate that generosity.
Philanthropy has also always been an ecosystem. Alongside those who make extraordinary financial commitments are volunteers, fundraisers, community leaders, businesses, creative thinkers and behind-the-scenes professionals whose contributions help turn generosity into impact.
This year, AFP wants to tell more of those stories.
That led the organization to revisit some of its award categories and introduce new opportunities for recognition:
- The Community Heart Award recognizes generosity and community impact.
- The Community Impact Through Business Award celebrates businesses that embed community engagement into how they operate.
- New awards recognize the people working behind the scenes and the creative ideas helping move the charity sector forward.
These changes don’t replace what the Phils have celebrated for more than three decades. They add new voices to that tradition.
Celebrating philanthropy in its fullness
AFP also says it has considered what it means to truly celebrate philanthropy in its fullness.
Every year, remarkable people are nominated for a Phil because someone in their community has stopped and said that what this person is doing matters.
AFP believes that sentiment deserves to be celebrated fully.
While the Phils will continue to recognize award recipients, this year AFP shines a brighter light on every nominee. Each represents a story of generosity, leadership, service or community impact that someone believed was important enough to put forward. Collectively, those stories offer an extraordinary picture of philanthropy at work across Ottawa.
AFP wants people to know who these nominees are, to hear their stories and to recognize their contributions.
Because recognition shouldn’t begin only when an award is presented. It begins when a community says: We see what you’re doing, and it matters.
Making participation possible
Widening the circle also means reducing the financial barriers that can keep individuals, volunteers and smaller organizations from being part of the celebration.
The event’s presenting sponsor, RBC, along with extraordinary sponsors including Wealth Creation Preservation and Donation (WCPD) and the Ottawa Community Foundation (OCF), share AFP’s vision of bringing more of our community into the room. Their support helps the organization make that possible.
A celebration to remember, Ottawa style
On Nov. 26, attendees will gather at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park for an evening meant to feel distinctly Ottawa – warm, generous, a little unexpected and deeply grounded in community.
Chef Joe Thottungal of Coconut Lagoon will be at the heart of the evening’s culinary experience. Thottungal is not only one of Ottawa’s most celebrated chefs – he has consistently used food to bring people together, and has demonstrated a deep commitment to giving back to the community around him.
In many ways, his involvement represents exactly what AFP hopes this year’s Phils will be: an event shaped by people already deeply invested in this city. His willingness to be part of this next chapter – and his confidence in what AFP is building – means a great deal to the organization.
There will be recognition and storytelling, but also incredible food, conversation and connection.
AFP wants donors and volunteers, fundraisers and business leaders, established organizations and grassroots groups, longtime champions of the Phils and people attending for the first time to find themselves together.
Because interesting things happen when our usual circles overlap. A conversation becomes an idea. An introduction becomes a partnership. Someone hears a story that changes how they think about their role in our community.
Honouring a legacy while looking ahead
The Phils have a remarkable 32-year history in Ottawa, and that history deserves both celebration and thoughtful stewardship.
AFP’s goal is to build on that strong foundation – preserving what has always been at the heart of the Phils while making room for more people and more stories.
On Nov. 26, AFP invites you to join them to hear those stories, share a meal, make a connection and celebrate the people whose generosity has shaped Ottawa – and those helping shape what comes next.
The table is getting a little longer.
The circle is getting a little wider.
And the legacy continues.
