Aaron Pereira

• Co-Founder
  CanadaHelps and Vartana

Aaron Pereira is Co-Founder of CanadaHelps, a charity which engages Canadians to support causes in their community and around the world. CanadaHelps raises C$ 80 million a year for social sector organizations across Canada, engaging hundreds of thousands of people. He also is the Co-Founder of Vartana, which sought to meet the financing needs of social and environmental organizations. While it garnered significant support from leading stakeholders, including the federal government, the financial services sector and NGOs, the initiative ultimately did not achieve its vision of launching a new financial institution for the social sector. However, it did break substantial policy ground along the way and helped to stir interest in social finance. Pereira previously worked as a social entrepreneur. He completed a degree with a minor in Economics from Queen's University and studied at Oxford University.