The Tomorrow Project
What if the sector worked together,
not just side by side?
The Tomorrow Project is a community-led initiative to reimagine and strengthen social services in Wood Buffalo. Led by FuseSocial, it brings organizations, leaders, and residents together to identify gaps, build shared plans, and create the kind of coordinated change no single agency can achieve alone.
The Need For The Tomorrow Project
For years, the social profit sector in Wood Buffalo operated in silos. Organizations were doing good work, but often without a shared picture of what the community needed, where the gaps were, or how to fill them together. In 2020, FuseSocial commissioned a sector research study to start building that picture. What came back was clear: the sector was resilient, but stretched. Fragmented. And in need of a new way of working.
The Tomorrow Project is that new way of working.
Using a collective impact model, The Tomorrow Project brings multiple organizations into structured collaboration around a specific subsector — setting a shared vision, identifying priorities, and building an action plan they can execute together.
FuseSocial serves as the backbone organization: facilitating the process, measuring outcomes, and keeping the work moving forward.
From Research to Action
The research study launched a broader engagement process led by FuseSocial, Wood Buffalo Community Foundation, and United Way Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo. Over several months, key stakeholders were brought together to surface insights about the current and future state of the sector.
Three consistent themes emerged:
Organizations were burning out and needed more support, not just more funding
Mission drift was a real risk when funding followed popular issues rather than actual community need
The sector was strong and resilient, but operating in survival mode rather than building for the future
Those findings shaped everything that came next.
To date, the Tomorrow Project has produced three completed subsector strategic plans: Child and Youth, Mental Health, and Seniors. More than 50 local agencies have been involved.
Special thanks to subsector committee leads: The Hub, CMHA Wood Buffalo, and St. Aidan's Society.
Spotlight: Seniors Subsector Collective Impact Initiative
The Seniors Subsector represents the Tomorrow Project's most mature collective impact initiative to date — a meaningful milestone in a multi-year process that continues to grow across the sector.
Wood Buffalo is home to a growing population of older adults. Through the Tomorrow Project, nine organizations serving seniors came together to form the Seniors Subsector Collective Impact Initiative, building a unified, inclusive approach to supporting older adults across the region.
Their shared mission: ensure every senior in Wood Buffalo can age with dignity, autonomy, and connection.
Founding partners:
St. Aidan's Society, Golden Years Society, YMCA of Northern Alberta, Nistawoyou Association Friendship Centre, Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo
Expanded contributors:
Some Other Solutions, Support Services Wood Buffalo, Royal Canadian Legion McMurray Branch 165, McMurray Métis
Shared Priorities
Access to Services
Improve awareness and navigation of health, housing, and support services.
Social Participation
Reduce isolation through inclusive programs and intergenerational connection.
Dignity and Inclusion
Centre older adults in decision-making and create respectful spaces for aging.
Safety and Mobility
Promote age-friendly infrastructure, transportation, and community safety.
Together, these partners developed a collective action plan to address service gaps and improve quality of life for older adults across the region. The initiative is community-driven, culturally safe, inclusive, and built to last.
Thank You for Supporting This Work
Whether you represent a nonprofit, a funding body, a business, or the broader community, there is a role for you in this work. Reach out to learn how your organization can participate in the Tomorrow Project.