Philanthropic Approach
Our mission is to nurture infant and early childhood mental health by fostering secure connections between young kids and their caregivers.
Happy Roots Foundation is a private family foundation focused on our mission, vision, and core values. While we love a high-five as much as the next human, this work isn’t about us. Our primary objective is to amplify and advance the work of experts and leaders in the field who know what needs to be done and are engaged in doing the work.
We take a trust-based approach to philanthropy because we value and honour the expertise of the people and organizations that we fund. This means developing relationships with our grant partners that are built on trust and transparency. Sometimes operating without a traditional playbook can feel messy, but we are committed to taking chances on new and promising ideas while working closely with our partners in ways that are flexible, respectful, and incorporate a good dose of humility.
We are big believers in the adage that ‘two things can be true’: both that private foundations play a crucial role in funding and advancing social issues in strategic ways because of their ability to take a long-term view, shielded from the political winds of change and shareholder interests that may influence government funding and corporate philanthropy and that private foundations enjoy preferential tax treatment at inception and throughout the lifetime of the organization–supported by the public–that should compel them to redistribute their funds back into society over some reasonable period of time.
Since 2020, Happy Roots has granted over $2 million to support infant and early childhood development projects in the Ottawa area to incredible partners including Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Family Services Ottawa, Playful Mindset, and Rooted Birthwork Collective. We are currently developing a strategic plan to see Happy Roots’ endowment fully granted out by 2030.
An integral component of Happy Roots’ philanthropic approach is our commitment to granting the full amount of our endowment by 2030.
Our Team
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Founder & Chair, Board of Directors
Linsey is a lawyer and nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience working with families in conflict. She co-founded Happy Roots Foundation to shine a light on the crucial years of early childhood, increase access to mental health services for families with young children, and to engage philanthropy differently. She has been a frequent writer and speaker on a variety of legal and philanthropic issues and is a long-standing advocate for gender equality and family justice reform.
Linsey holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Columbia University, a law degree from the University of Ottawa, and an undergraduate degree from Carleton University. She is a Member of Forward Global, a global network of philanthropic funders across 22 countries, and also serves on the Advisory Council to the Master in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program at Carleton University. Linsey is the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors at Lanark County Interval House and Community Support, an anti-violence organization that offers emergency and on-going programs to women and children living in or escaping from domestic violence.
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Founder & Director, Board of Directors
Mark is a Founding Partner at The Greater Return, a mission-oriented private investment firm focused on investing in early-stage companies looking to change the world. He is also the Chairman of Invert Inc., an Ottawa-based company that funds and supports projects that reduce or remove CO2 from the atmosphere, and the past Chairman of BC Biocarbon, a BC-based technology company that transforms waste materials into biochar that sequesters carbon.
Mark is the former President & co-CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation. He holds law degrees from the University of Ottawa and the University of Cambridge, and was voted one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2018.
Currently, Mark serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization, and is the Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters Ottawa.
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Scott Sherman, Director, Board of Directors
Scott leads Engage Financial where he provides mutual fund and insurance-licensed services to his clients as a Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner. Fundamentally a people person, Scott has spent his professional career connecting with his clients – from their offices to their kitchen tables – helping them achieve their retirement goals. He has a business degree with a minor in economics from the University of Guelph, where he also played two sessions of junior hockey. Scott is an avid hockey player and golfer, and is active in his community as a hockey coach supporting his children’s teams.
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Monique Moreau, Executive Director
A recovering lawyer, Monique has four years of legal experience in international trade issues and over seven years in senior roles in government relations, public affairs and communications in the not-for-profit sector. Prior to joining Happy Roots, Monique was a VP at a national industry association, and she brings with her a rich background in board service and governance. She is currently Vice Chair of the Board of the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre. A classmate of Linsey and Mark’s, she obtained her communications and law degrees from the University of Ottawa.
