About Terrapin Social Finance
Terrapin, meaning "a little turtle", is a hard, dependable worker - slow and steady wins the race. That's why we chose our name - to reflect the slow, steady and determined nature of building effective programs and organizations that bring about lasting social change.
In many origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world on its back and is an icon of life itself. The turtle is a marker of identify, culture, autonomy, and a deeply-held respect for the environment that sustains all of us.
Terrapin Station, an album released by the Grateful Dead in 1977, tells a hero's tale in which the Lady with a Fan dispatches a traveler on the path to Terrapin Station - a place of enlightenment.
Terrapin Social Finance was founded in 2014. The Terrapins (our team) form a unique community of practitioners who work in support of nonprofit and other social purpose organizations. We specialize in program evaluation, social research, fund development and organizational capacity building. We are based in rural Ontario and work across a spectrum that includes small local organizations, large national organizations and NGOs working on international developments projects.
Our Team
Dr. Trace MacKay, DVM, MPH
Co-founder
Trace has the rare distinction of being both a clinical veterinarian and an evaluation practitioner. She holds BSc, DVM and MPH degrees from the University of Guelph and Ontario Veterinary College. Trace is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and Canadian Public Health Association and is pursuing the designation of Credentialed Evaluator (CE). Her approach to research and evaluation is comparative by nature, thanks to her veterinary and public health training, concerned with multiple species and complex systems.
Trace is an expert at designing and implementing qualitative & mixed method evaluations, experienced in program development and carrying out community interviews and focus groups. Trace applies a public health lens to her work with a focus on social and structural determinants of health.
Stephen Woeller, MBA
Co-founder
Stephen Woeller has spent nearly three decades helping to strengthen the financial health of social purpose organizations. This has involved raising philanthropic support and private sector investment and reporting on the impact of these investments to individuals, communities, corporations, foundations and governments. He is an experienced project manager having spent much of his career contributing to large-scale development projects across a range of sectors. In 2010 Woeller began advising corporate clients on social responsibility activities which inevitably led to a primary focus on impact evaluation in relation to social impact investment.
Stephen holds a BA in International Development Studies and MBA in Agribusiness from the University of Guelph. He is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and is pursuing the designation of Credentialed Evaluator (CE).
Meredith Davis, MSc
Collaborator,
Good Roots Consulting
Meredith is a strategic planning, evaluation and research specialist with 15 years of experience dedicated to promoting community well-being in Canada and abroad. Meredith’s academic and professional work has focused on areas including poverty reduction, food security, rural planning, community economic development, sports and recreation, engagement through storytelling and the performing arts. She has a Master of Science degree in planning and community development and formal graduate level education in program evaluation and quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Meredith is a Credentialed Evaluator with the Canadian Evaluation Society. She has also completed training in facilitation, strategic planning, adult education and Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis.
Julia Grady
Collaborator
10C Shared Space
Julia leads and supports community projects as a systems thinker, placemaker, and social entrepreneur. This is brought to life through 10C Shared Space, a NFP organization that Julia co-founded in 2008, and subsequently scaled with over 2.3M in social finance investment, taking 10C to a new level and providing a platform for community-led change. Julia is committed to the national potential of social finance and social enterprise, and the impact that small communities and mid-sized cities can make towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As a lifelong entrepreneur, Julia has a rare talent of turning possibility into action. She supports projects to develop robust theories of change, create diverse revenue generation strategies, grow team capacities, and realize financial models that support enterprises to embrace risk and achieve community goals.
“I can’t say enough good things about the Terrapin team and the quality work they continue to deliver for our organization.”