About

StartWork provides pathways to jobs for individuals facing barriers to employment as an alternative to Alberta Income Support. In partnership with the Government of Alberta and Northpine Foundation, the Institute for Community Prosperity is testing a brand new mode of community investment. If successful, this form of investment could upend existing community investment practices across government, foundations and corporate sponsorship. StartWork has applied an outcomes procurement approach in working with the Government of Alberta to address the high demand for Alberta Income Support.

What is outcomes procurement?

Outcomes procurement follows procurement practices already widely used in government to create social benefit while saving the government money. This is in contrast to the government's existing relationship with non profits as a funder which creates a competitive and constrained environment for non profits to deliver their services. Outcomes procurement modernizes the relationship between non-profits and overburdened government agencies while leveraging the marketplace to ensure non profits have the resources they need to to create transformative impact in the communities they serve.

In the case of StartWork, Northpine Foundation provided the up front investment. The contract payment from the Government of Alberta at ‘12 months off Income Support’ and ‘24 months off Income Support’ was re-invested into a second contract working with up to 300 people to exit Alberta Income Support, and so on for future contracts.

A diagram illustrating the procurement approach between the Government of Alberta (GoA) and StartWork. Begins with a Notice of Procurement by GoA. 40 participants exit Income Support, leading to Invoice #1 to GoA for “12 months off Alberta Income Support.” A $1.2 million investment from Northpine supports the initiative. A procurement contract is signed with GoA. Later, 300 participants exit Income Support and start the program, triggering Invoice #2 for “24 months off Alberta Income Support.” Ends with a second procurement contract signed with GoA.

How does procurement differ from traditional funding?

A side-by-side comparison of outcomes-based procurement and traditional funding models. Outcomes Procurement: Government acts as the customer. Payment occurs after services are delivered and evaluated. Encourages nonprofits to compete against government outcomes rather than each other. Increases efficiency and allows reinvestment of surplus. Traditional Funding: Government is the funder and pays upfront. Nonprofits compete for limited funds. The process is administratively burdensome. Restrictive funding discourages profitability and sustainability for service partners.

Who is involved?

StartWork is made possible thanks to a novel partnership between the Government of Alberta, Northpine Foundation, and the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University, along with participating community partners.

“ You didn’t just help me find work—you helped me rebuild my confidence, and that means everything.

StartWork participant

“ StartWork put me on the right path toward finding a job and becoming independent from Alberta Income Support. This program is helping me take my first real steps into the workforce in Calgary. Being part of StartWork makes me feel valuable and more confident, especially after moving to Canada just 10 months ago.

StartWork participant

How to get involved?

Community partners

StartWork is currently seeking community partners with expertise in employment training and labour-market integration for individuals facing barriers to employment. This includes social enterprises hiring individuals with barriers to employment.

Contact Barb Rallison at brallison@mtroyal.ca to learn more.

Social Procurement

StartWork connects Purchasers with social enterprises to foster procurement relationships. By purchasing goods and services from social enterprises, Purchasers expand their purchasing power to include social impact at no additional cost.

If you are a purchaser interested in engaging with StartWork or a social enterprise interested in supplying goods and services to the government, contact Hallie Vermette at hvermette@mtroyal.ca to learn more.

Faculty at MRU

Are you a faculty member at MRU with an interest in community-engaged teaching and scholarship?

Contact Barb Rallison at brallison@mtroyal.ca to explore opportunities.

Resources

Doing Things Differently: StartWork & the Case for Outcomes Procurement

From 2024-2026, StartWork brought together the Government of Alberta, Northpine Foundation, and Mount Royal University to pilot an outcomes procurement model, paying for employment results rather than funding activities upfront. Read the report to learn what eighteen in-depth interviews with participants and stakeholders reveal about what this shift made possible and where its limits lie, and how our learnings translate into recommendations for policymakers, nonprofits, foundations, researchers, and refugees and newcomers.

Link to the PDF

Upend: How Nonprofits, Governments, and Charities Can Work Together Differently To Get What We All Want

Written by Shaun Loney, an Ashoka Fellow and EY Entrepreneur of the Year, with contributions from our Associate Director, Barb Rallison, this book offers practical strategies for making meaningful progress in addressing issues such as homelessness, poverty, crime, and climate change.

Link to the PDF

StartWork Community Celebration Video

This video from a StartWork community celebration was made by Marcus Hollingsworth, an MRU student. The video captures reflections and experiences shared by some StartWork participants and community partners partners.

Link to the video

Questions?

Contact Barb Rallison at brallison@mtroyal.ca