Since 1986, Federated Health Charities has donated $56 million to 21 charities to help, in part, fund research that works toward disease alleviation through drugs or therapies and ultimately toward cures.
However, it is always difficult for individual charities to be able to pinpoint exactly where dollars go versus the entire donation pool which usually consists of government funding, funding through business and individual donations.
Among the charities we support, many have remarked on ways their research is affected. And below is just a sample of some of the good things that are happening.
ALS Canada funds some of the best peer-reviewed research in Canada, including:
- fundamental and clinical research to better understand the disease and identify new therapeutic targets
- support of early clinical development for experimental ALS treatments
- studies aimed at improving clinical management and quality of life
- awards to support the best young researchers to work on leading ALS science.
Canadian Liver Foundation
funds all forms of liver disease research, and are the only national charity in Canada to do so. In 2023, jointly with the Cancer Research Society, they announced the recipients of four liver cancer research grants of $125,000 each over a two-year period.
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation
invests in the best researchers and most promising studies in Canada. This is the reason why Canada has become a global powerhouse for Crohn’s and colitis research. The impact has been profound with advancing discovery, treatments and care including:
- Investments that have led to new treatments and lower rates of surgery
- Funding researchers like Dr. Alexio Muise (The Hospital for Sick Children), who used bone marrow transplant to successfully treat inflammatory bowel disease in a young girl
- Funding the GEM Project – a landmark study to identify the triggers of Crohn’s disease that has grown to over 100 study sites around the world
Cystic Fibrosis Canada
launched its new research strategy, Momentum, which maximizes the potential of donor dollars:
- by investing in diverse research initiatives and partnering with like-minded organizations, they have advanced cystic fibrosis research and care that has more than doubled life expectancy for Canadians living with CF
- by contributing to the global body of CF knowledge, by funding research achievements such as mapping the gene that causes cystic fibrosis, in 1989
- by advocating relentlessly for access to life-changing CF medicines such as Trifakta in Canada
- by creating Discovery Grants that build on breakthroughs with Grants of up to $300K
- by providing seed funding of $150,000 over 3 years which encourage out-of-the-box thinking by balancing higher-risk, more innovative work with lower budgets and shorter time frames
Heart and Stroke Foundation
has been saving lives for 70 years by investing $1.6 billion in research. The progress is real and the death rate in Canada from heart disease and stroke has declined more than 75% over the past six decides.
The Kidney Foundation has raised $124M for research funding since 1964, with 40+ active research project supported every year.
- The National Research Program has grown to become one of the most important sources of funding for scientists conducting kidney-related research, and we leverage the value of our investment to collaborate with other research-related organizations and funders to support research discoveries more broadly in Canada.
- We uphold our commitment to research excellence through research grants, fellowships and scholarships awarded to investigators from all scientific disciplines and support young researchers through KRESCENT (Kidney Research Scientist Core Education and National Training Program)
Parkinson Canada funds all areas of research related to Parkinson’s. This includes:
- A broad grant/award portfolio for the annual Research Competition, where in 2023, over $1.7M was granted for Canadian research projects.
- Trainee awards to help support salary needs of talented graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are conducting research into Parkinson’s Disease.
Clinical Fellowship Awards to train the next generation of Movement Disorder Specialists to treat Canadians living with Parkinson’s. This pilot project grants support highly novel research projects by established Parkinson’s researchers, and our New Investigator Award gives longer-term support to early career scientists as they establish their own research programs.
