Founded in 1990, the Institute on Governance (IOG) is an independent, Canada-based, not-for-profit public interest institution with its head office in Ottawa and an office in Toronto. The institute's mission is ‘advancing better governance in the public interest,’ which the institute accomplishes this by exploring, developing and promoting the principles, standards and practices which underlie good governance in the public sphere, both in Canada and abroad.

The IOG’s vision is to be the pre-eminent, independent Canadian source of knowledge, research and advice on governance and its continuous improvement.

Over the past 20 years, the IOG has an advanced better understanding and practice of good governance, and has undertaken over 1000 projects in Canada and 35 other countries. The IOG’s work is marked by independent thought, innovation, collaboration, excellence, and a responsive and principled approach.

In recent decades, governance has come to be acknowledged as a key factor in the success of governments, organizations and democracies. As central issues have grown more complex and interrelated, historical models of government and governance have been revealed to be too reliant on expertise organized in silos to be effective. This has an enormous impact on the potential for more holistic outcomes. As such, important issues such as the environment, security, poverty, wealth distribution, and health all require better governance. Citizen cynicism and the lack of engagement in current governance models and practices further add to the challenges. Technology and expectations towards greater transparency and accountability all put additional pressures on structures of the day.  Evolving governance is essential to effectively address these challenges.

Awareness of the topic of governance has grown in and across all sectors. Within governments, measures of accountability have increased exponentially in the last decade, and these measures have extended to the not-for-profit sector as well, where leadership and governance are being addressed with greater frequency and seriousness by all organizations, regardless of their size. In addition, the public has become ever more attuned to the fact that good governance is a requirement for all institutions and organizations.

The IOG is uniquely positioned, as a truly independent, public purpose organization, to fill the need for knowledge, research and advice on good governance.

The Institute is a registered charitable organization.