The MMI team is relatively small, comprising only five full-time employees and an annual budget of under $1 million. MMI has no endowment and must pay for salaries as well as services used both inside and outside of the University of Ottawa; therefore, it relies on supporting partners. MMI currently receives roughly half of its funding through charitable organizations and not-for-profit entities, with the remainder coming from government and private sector partners. Supporting partner organizations provide data, insights, and financial support to MMI.
Editorial independence and integrity
MMI’s credibility hinges on our ability to maintain editorial independence and avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest, a challenging environment for an organization that requires working with supporting partners. To navigate this tension, MMI does not undertake projects that run counter to or outside of our stated goals and objectives. Furthermore, MMI retains exclusive editorial control over all publications and outputs, and our research findings and recommendations are not subject to approval or revision from supporting partners.
MMI recognizes that our need for editorial independence creates potential for tension between our organization and our potential supporting partners, particularly near the end of a project. Prior to starting any project, we work closely with our potential supporting partners to ensure that their goals and objectives align with MMIs and that the final product meets the needs of all parties involved. If a common vision cannot be achieved, MMI will not take on the project.
Political independence
The University of Ottawa, which houses MMI, is a registered charity. The University of Ottawa, and by extension MMI, as a charity, is prohibited from devoting any resources to the direct or indirect support of or opposition to any political party or candidate or from engaging in any other partisan activities.
Relevant links
About us: Who we are, what we do, and why we exist.
Our team: Biographies of team members.
Studies and reports: A list of long-form studies and reports, including ones that predate the formation of MMI.
Substack archive: An archive of our past Substack posts.