He has more than 15 years of experience in the access to justice space
Former Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) director Noah Aiken-Klar has joined the Law Foundation of Ontario as director of grants and programs.
He has previously worked as RBC’s inaugural director of youth social impact and as director of academic and strategic partnerships, technology, and operations. He helped create RBC’s $500 million project, Future Launch, which delivered programs that prepare students to launch careers and build a more equitable and prosperous workforce.
Aiken-Klar will provide strategic leadership for the foundation’s granting activities in his new role. He will lead a team that awards millions of dollars annually to not-for-profit organizations, aiming to build, support, and manage relationships with grantees and other funders across Ontario.
As director of grants and programs, Aiken-Klar will report directly to chief executive officer Lisa Cirillo.
“We’re excited to welcome Noah into this key leadership position at the foundation,” Cirillo said. “Noah brings more than 15 years of varied experience in the access to justice space. He has led cutting-edge granting programs and Canada’s largest pro bono organization. The common thread across these roles is Noah’s deep commitment to social justice and inclusion.”
Before RBC, Aiken-Klar acted as the regional director of community investments at Ontario Trillium Foundation, leading the redesign of the organization’s grant review and evaluation program processes. He also helped manage large grant portfolios across the province.
He had spent three years as the national director of Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC), one of the foundation’s long-standing grantees. At PBSC, he led a network of 4,000 law student and lawyer volunteers from 21 law schools across the county.
He earned his LLB from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and practised in civil litigation earlier in his career. He is also a member of the communities building youth futures national collaborative with the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement. Most recently, he sat on the boards of The Learning Partnership and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic of Ontario.
