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In Quebec, relations between State and voluntary sector have been played in pairs since the 1960s. However, in the last decade, a third player executed a pivotal role: the philanthropic foundations. At the heart of these new relations are formal partnerships between government and the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. These agreements have reactivated some tensions related to the associations’ request for autonomy. Although in a period of budgetary austerity, foundations have also been questioning the decline of social State. Our article aims to retrace the emergence of these public-philanthropic partnerships in order to enlighten the triangular dynamics and debates around the role of the State, foundations and community organizations.