Development & Corporate Partnerships Director

Canva launches Goals Platform to find where its hopes overlap. July 17, 2026 The Global Goals Platform is the latest initiative under its Two-Step Plan: its commitment to using its success as a force for good in the world. * Canva has launched the Goals Platform, inviting communities around the world to share one goal they'd like to see achieved in their lifetime. * Two pilots are underway: USA Goals, in partnership with the Ad Council, and Wollongong Goals, in partnership with Wollongong City Council. * Goals submitted across both pilots will be published as an interactive report in late 2026, mapping where the world's hopes overlap. Since the very beginning, Canva has had a Two-Step plan underpinning everything Canva do at Canva. Step One is to build one of the world's most valuable companies. Step Two is to use that value to do as much good as possible. Over the last few years, Canva is incredibly proud of the progress Canva has made on its Two-Step plan. Canva has donated over $2.5 billion worth of Canva subscriptions to nonprofits and schools. Canva has supported communities through crises, from wildfires to earthquakes. And through its partnership with GiveDirectly in Malawi, Canva has helped put direct cash transfers into the hands of more than 130,000 people, letting them decide for themselves what they need most. But, Canva has also learned that resources aren't the only barrier. Canva believe there is enough money, goodwill, and good intentions to solve the world's biggest challenges. What's missing is a shared way of understanding what people actually want to see achieved. Today, Canva is launching the Goals Platform to change that. It starts with a simple question: What is one goal you'd like to see achieved in your lifetime? It's a question Canva has been sitting with for a while now, because Canva kept noticing that when you ask people that question, something shifts - they pause, they think, and almost always, they have an answer. What they haven't had, until now, is a place to put it, and a way to see that millions of others are holding onto something remarkably similar. Most conversations about the future start with the people making decisions: governments setting agendas, funders deciding priorities, organizations allocating resources. The Global Goals Platform starts somewhere different: with people, in their own words, on their own terms. Canva is inviting communities around the world to share the goals that matter most to them, whether that's something vast and global or something specific to the street they grew up on. The platform is non-partisan and always will be - goals can be submitted with a name and location, or anonymously, because what matters is the goal itself. Two pilots, one question. Canva is starting with two pilots, one national in scale and one deeply local, but both asking exactly the same question. USA Goals, in partnership with the Ad Council, pairs open public participation with nationally representative research to build a true picture of American ambition - across communities, geographies, and backgrounds that don't always get to sit at the same table. The Ad Council has spent more than 80 years helping shape the conversations Americans have about the things that matter most to them, which makes them exactly the right partner to help Canva listen well. Americans can submit their goal at usagoals.org(opens in a new tab or window). Wollongong Goals, in partnership with Wollongong City Council, will invite the 220,000 residents of the city to share what they want to see for their community. While Wollongong has a strong track record in community engagement, Council sees the partnership as an opportunity to complement its existing community engagement activities, as well as expand its reach to hear more from new voices who might not otherwise connect with their local government. Wollongong residents can submit their goals at wollongonggoals.org(opens in a new tab or window) The bigger vision. Its community spans 190 countries and includes teachers, small business owners, community leaders, and nearly one million nonprofits. Millions of people already using design to communicate, advocate, and bring their goals to life. It also draws on what Canva has learned from its work with GiveDirectly in Malawi(opens in a new tab or window), where more than 130,000 people have now received direct cash transfers through a program built on a simple but radical premise: that communities know what they need, and that when you trust their judgment and give them the resources to act on it, things change in ways that top-down solutions rarely achieve. The Goals Platform is applying that same thinking at a much bigger scale, because Canva has seen enough now to believe that when you trust people to define the problem, you get much closer to the right solution. What comes next. Goals submitted across both pilots will be brought together in a report later this year, mapping where hopes overlap across communities, demographics, and geographies in one place. Canva'll publish the full methodology and findings alongside the results, because transparency about how Canva listen matters as much as what Canva hear. The report will serve as the starting point for a series of future initiatives. Canva hope to visualize the goals people share, so communities can see where their hopes overlap with others around the world. From there, Canva want to help connect organizations, nonprofits, and individuals to the goals that match what they're already working toward, and report back on the progress being made over time. Canva believe that when people can actually see where their hopes overlap - when a goal that felt private and perhaps impossible is suddenly reflected back by millions of others - something shifts, and the distance between imagination and reality starts to close. And that's something worth working toward

For America's 250th, content creators star in social videos to share lessons learned from former U.S. Presidents and First Ladies. June 17, 2026 More Perfect and the Ad Council partner with ATTN to bring In Pursuit's historical essays to life for young adults. WASHINGTON, June 17, 2026 - Ahead of America's 250th anniversary, More Perfect - a bipartisan alliance of Presidential Centers and many of the country's leading educational and civic initiatives - today released, as part of their In Pursuit initiative, a new social video series designed to reach young adults, in partnership with the Ad Council and ATTN:. In Pursuit features essays from leading American public figures exploring lessons from each American president and several first ladies. As part of the project, the videos will premiere on ATTN:'s social and digital platforms, as well as creator channels on Instagram and TikTok, in the lead up to July 4 and throughout the summer. Produced by ATTN: and four creators who focus on history content, the series delves into the stories of former American presidents and first ladies in a social-first and engaging way to reach young people. A 2024 survey conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that many U.S. college students lack basic history and civics knowledge, demonstrating a need for deeper engagement and understanding in this age group. The videos, the first of which are available here and here, encourage viewers to find more inspiration from its nation's past by subscribing to In Pursuit's free Substack at InPursuit.Substack.com. "Gen Z deserves better than boring lectures about civics," said Colleen Shogan, CEO of In Pursuit. "They deserve history that feels alive, relevant, and worth sharing. These short, entertaining videos will bring In Pursuit's lessons to the platforms where young Americans already gather, helping them see that the choices, character, and courage of the past still matter for the future." The self-filmed creator videos bring the In Pursuit lessons to life in an accessible format with the concept of "spilling the (historical) tea," referring to a phrase often used online to mean sharing hot gossip. Featured creators are: * Emily Mazza (@makeupbyemazza), a beauty creator who blends makeup tutorials with storytelling and historical narratives, on First Lady Abigail Adams * Eric Somppi (@what.history), the creator behind an educational channel specializing in bite-sized lesser-known history, on President James Monroe * Dr. Harini Bhat (@tilscience) a pharmacist turned storyteller who translates complex facts and history into accessible curiosity-driven content, on First Lady Dolley Madison * Lauren Cella (@laurencella) a history teacher and content creator known for translating historical events into digestible Gen-Z vernacular, on First Lady Louisa Adams "This partnership with More Perfect and In Pursuit is timely and compelling, and we're excited to bring together the talent and media that will truly resonate with young people," said Lisa Sherman, President and CEO of the Ad Council. "We all appreciate getting 'the tea,' and these fresh, engaging videos will spark curiosity and inspire audiences across the country to deepen their understanding of our history." In addition to the creator videos, ATTN: created three custom videos that will live on their platform and engage their young adult audiences, including an overview of the project, and videos sharing the lessons of President James K. Polk and President James A. Garfield. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's independence, In Pursuit is releasing essays throughout 2026 written by some of the nation's most respected historians, journalists, and thought leaders across the political spectrum - including three former U.S. presidents, three former first ladies, the current chief justice of the Supreme Court and seven Pulitzer Prize winners. The essays distill timeless lessons reflecting American ideals from across history, to launch a national conversation about what Ad Council can learn from the past to inform its future. Each essay is published on their Substack weekly in chronological order. The full release schedule and list of contributors is available at inpursuit.org/schedule. About More Perfect More Perfect is a bipartisan alliance of 43 Presidential Centers, National Archives Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia, and more than 100 organizations working together to advance five foundational Democracy Goals: 1) Universal Civic Learning; 2) Expanding National Service & Volunteering; 3) Bridging Divides & Building Trust; 4) Trusted Elections & More Representative and Responsive Governance; and 5) Access to Trusted News & Information. About In Pursuit In Pursuit is led by CEO Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States & Senior Advisor to More Perfect & Senior Fellow in Civics at Stand Together; and Co-Chaired by John Bridgeland, More Perfect Founder & CEO and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council under President George W. Bush; Anita McBride, Director, First Ladies Initiative at American University and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush, and Mark Updegrove, President & CEO of the LBJ Foundation and Presidential Historian for ABC News; with Vice Chair Andrew Mangino, an award-winning social entrepreneur. About the Ad Council The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change. For more than 80 years, the nonprofit organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country's most iconic social impact campaigns - Smokey Bear, Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and view campaign creative on YouTube. About ATTN: ATTN: is a media company and social publisher that bridges entertainment with topical issues to create a more informed world. Masters of modern storytelling, ATTN:'s creative shop leverages its publisher roots to put brands at the center of culture and, ultimately, the center of attention.