On July 23, 2026, the Substance Use Health Funding Collaborative and Catalyst Philanthropy hosted a webinar bringing together frontline, legal, academic, and lived-experience leaders to talk with funders about Canada’s overdose crisis – and where philanthropy can have the greatest impact.

National surveillance has tracked over 55,000 overdose-related deaths since 2016, yet substance use health remains one of the most underfunded areas in private philanthropy. At the same time, government funding cuts have left many community organizations carrying this work forward with limited resources.

At its core, the conversation was about caring for people—ensuring they have the support, dignity, and safety they need to stay alive, healthy, and connected. The webinar served as a call to action for funders to invest in evidence-based care, harm reduction, and the profound expertise of people with lived experience and the community organizations that hold that expertise.

Below is a summary of the key insights and actions from that conversation. Please note that this session was not recorded.