What MUHC Foundation does

The MUHC Foundation (legal name: McGill University Health Centre Foundation; French: Fondation CUSM) is a registered Canadian charitable foundation (CRA Charitable Registration Number 86843 3947 RR0001) that raises philanthropic funds to support patient care, research, and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC). Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Montreal, the foundation operates as the principal philanthropic arm of an academic health network that employs 10,000+ staff, 1,356 doctors, and 744 researchers across the Glen site, Montreal Chest Institute, Montreal Children's Hospital, Royal Victoria Hospital, and RI-MUHC facilities serving 1.9 million Quebecers (63% of the province). In fiscal 2024-2025, the foundation raised $36M from 27,369 donations and disbursed $34.5M across 150 projects (+35.6% YoY), closing its $200M+ Dream Big campaign in April 2025.

The foundation's "products" are a portfolio of named multi-year fundraising campaigns and signature events that translate donor dollars into specific research, equipment, and patient-care outcomes. The active portfolio includes Fix Broken Hearts ($50M goal, $19.6M raised), End Cancer ($35M goal, $16.5M raised), Breathe Easier ($10M goal, $6.5M raised), the Forward Fund for Women's Health ($5M goal, launched May 2025), the SDR Project ($3.1M goal, $2.26M raised), Palliative Care: Embracing Life at Every Moment ($3M goal, $1.78M raised), and Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive ($10M goal, $2.2M raised). Revenue streams include one-time donations, recurring monthly giving, in-memory tribute donations, peer-to-peer fundraising via Akaraisin, signature galas (Le Bal Rouge has generated $13M+ cumulative since 2016), community events (Raise Craze, Pink in the City, Breakthrough Run, Raymond James Softball), corporate sponsorships (Rio Tinto, TD, BMO, RBC, Scotiabank, Desjardins, AtkinsRéalis, Merck, Birkenstock, Heritage MD), and matching-gift programs.

The foundation's underlying technology footprint is concentrated in the research it funds rather than in its own systems. Funded technologies span DOvEEgene genomic screening (~70% early-detection accuracy, 5,000+ women enrolled, 85+ cancers identified), the SDR Project's sequencing platform (analyzing up to 25,000 genes), the Courtois Cardiovascular Signature Program's multimodal platform (4,000 participants, integrating genomics, microbiomics, imaging, lifestyle, and wearable data plus a cardiovascular biobank), AI-driven chest X-ray and CT-scan analysis (TD-funded $1M, serving 200,000+ Northern Quebec residents), the MyHeart Counts Canada AI-powered mobile app, AIMS hand-hygiene monitoring, robotic bronchoscopy, 3D bioprinting for lung regeneration, stem-cell-derived cardiac models, and the SimMan 3G PLUS high-fidelity patient simulator. The foundation itself runs on standard non-profit infrastructure: bilingual websites (muhcfoundation.com / fondationcusm.com), Akaraisin for donation processing, Buzzsprout for podcast distribution (Doctors Unscripted, Intensive Caring), Race Roster for event registration, and Memento for event photo hosting. It is governed by a Board of Governors and led by President and CEO Marie-Hélène Laramée, holds Imagine Canada Standards Program accreditation (73 standards across five areas of governance and accountability), and is recognized by Research Infosource as the philanthropic engine behind Quebec's #1 / Canada's #3 research hospital.

Name

MUHC Foundation

Legal name

McGill University Health Centre Foundation

Website

https://muhcfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The MUHC Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable foundation that raises funds for patient care, research, and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre. It operates a diversified fundraising platform spanning flagship campaigns, signature galas, peer-to-peer giving, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. One-time donations: Direct charitable contributions solicited via the Foundation's own website with a "Give Once" CTA; supports general operations and specific named campaigns. In 2024-2025 the Foundation received 27,369 donations totalling $36M in support of patient care, research and teaching.
2. Recurring (monthly) donations: Subscription-like monthly giving program ("Become a monthly supporter") enabling sustained donor base for ongoing research, patient care and innovation projects.
3. Tribute and in-memory giving: Donations in honour or memory of individuals, including dedicated tribute pages and "Hospital Hero" nominations; includes ongoing memorial giving for Dr. Balfour Mount.
4. Peer-to-peer and community fundraisers: Fundraising pages created by supporters (Akaraisin platform) and signature community campaigns such as Raise Craze (head-shave / pink-hair solidarity events) which raised $162,160 in 2025 for breast cancer care.
5. Signature gala and event proceeds: Le Bal Rouge Gala (raised $2,223,306 in June 2026; $2,106,445 in 2025; over $13M cumulative since 2016); Breakthrough Run at Montreal Marathon ($164,800 inaugural; $170K cumulative in 2025); Pink in the City Magic of Hope Gala; Raymond James Softball Tournament ($30,409 in 2025; $350K+ since inception).
6. Major gifts and named multi-million-dollar campaigns: Large-scale targeted campaigns: Dream Big ($200M+ raised, closed 2024-2025); The Forward Fund: For Women's Health ($5M goal, $1.2M raised to date); Fix Broken Hearts ($50M goal, $19.6M raised); End Cancer ($35M goal, $16.5M raised); Breathe Easier ($10M goal, $6.5M raised); SDR Project ($3.1M goal, $2.26M raised); Palliative Care ($3M goal, $1.78M raised); Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive ($10M goal, $2.2M raised).
7. Corporate sponsorships and matching gifts: Sponsorships and matching gift programs with corporate partners (Rio Tinto, TD Bank Group, AtkinsRéalis, Desjardins Group, Merck, Birkenstock, Heritage MD, la Vie en Rose, RBC, BMO, Scotiabank, Trottier Family Foundation, R. Howard Webster Foundation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

MUHC Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable foundation that raises philanthropic funds to support patient care, medical research and teaching at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC). It operates a portfolio of multi-year fundraising campaigns (Dream Big, Fix Broken Hearts, End Cancer, Breathe Easier, The Forward Fund for Women's Health), targeted research and clinical programs (SDR Project, DOvEEgene, Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive, Electrophysiology Centre of Excellence, Palliative Care), signature events (Le Bal Rouge gala, Breakthrough Run, Raise Craze), podcasts, and donor-governance programs. Donations are processed through the Akaraisin platform; events, podcast hosting and photo galleries are powered by Race Roster, Buzzsprout and Memento respectively.

Product overview

MUHC Foundation is a charitable fundraising foundation supporting the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) — Quebec's largest research hospital. Rather than a software product, the foundation operates a unified portfolio of fundraising campaigns, research programs, and signature events that move money into medical research, patient care, and teaching. The core offering is a campaign-based philanthropy platform spanning the flagship $200M Dream Big Campaign (which closed in 2025 at over $203M raised), its sub-campaigns Fix Broken Hearts, End Cancer, Breathe Easier, and The Forward Fund: For Women's Health, and targeted initiatives including The SDR Project (rare genetic diseases), Stop Ovarian Cancer (DOvEEgene), Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive, New Therapies for Brain Cancer, Treating Stiff Heart Syndrome, MyHeart Counts Canada, A Tool to Prevent Heart Disease, An Electrophysiology Centre of Excellence, and Palliative Care: Embracing Life at Every Moment. The foundation also operates donor engagement products: signature annual gala Le Bal Rouge (since 2016), the Breakthrough Run at the Montreal Marathon (since 2025), Raise Craze (a head-shave/hair-dye fundraiser with Pink in the City and The Beat 92.5), two podcasts (Doctors Unscripted and Intensive Caring), an Annual Report series, and donor governance programs (Donor Bill of Rights, Privacy Policy). All donations are processed through the Akaraisin giving platform integration, with event registration, podcast hosting, and photo hosting powered by third-party services (Race Roster, Buzzsprout, Memento). Together, these campaigns, programs, and events form the foundation's product surface — translating donor dollars into specific research, equipment, and patient care outcomes at the MUHC and its Research Institute (RI-MUHC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The SDR Project: DNA and RNA Sequencing for Rare Disease Diagnosis initiative, launched May 2021 with a $3.1M goal.
• Fix Broken Hearts
• End Cancer
• Breathe Easier
• The Forward Fund: For Women's Health
• Palliative Care: Embracing Life at Every Moment
• Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive
• DOvEE (Stop Ovarian Cancer)
• Breakthrough Run
• Doctors Unscripted
• Intensive Caring: Voices from the ICU
• Le Bal Rouge

Products and services

• Dream Big Campaign Overarching multi-year capital campaign supporting research, breakthroughs and patient care at the MUHC and RI-MUHC; closed in 2024-2025 after raising over $203M total.
• Fix Broken Hearts $50M cardiology campaign funding patient care, genetic/molecular mapping, heart imaging, lifestyle research and equipment at the MUHC; raised $19,634,123 (39% of goal).
• End Cancer $35M precision oncology campaign building a cancer biobank, supporting liquid biopsy and lab-grown tumour platforms to personalize treatment; raised $16,537,758 (47% of goal).
• Breathe Easier $10M respiratory campaign supporting the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) for respiratory research, personalized medicine, wearable home monitoring and clinical trials; raised $6,470,677 (65% of goal).
• The Forward Fund: For Women's Health $5M women's health initiative funding targeted grants for DOvEEgene ovarian/endometrial cancer early detection, heart health innovation, Quebec's first centre for complex endometriosis, and cervical cancer screening in Indigenous communities; raised $1,198,148 (24% of goal).
• The SDR Project: Understanding Genetic Diseases $3.1M initiative (including $1.8M for equipment) to create the Centre of Excellence for Genetic Research in Infection and Immunity at the MUHC, funding advanced DNA/RNA sequencing capable of analyzing up to 25,000 genes; raised $2.26M and identified the DDX58 gene linked to Kaposi's sarcoma.
• Stop Ovarian Cancer (DOvEE Project) Funds Dr. Lucy Gilbert's DOvEEgene genomic screening test detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers at Stage I (vs. Stage III/IV conventionally); approximately 70% accuracy, 5,000+ women enrolled in trials, 85+ cancers identified; raised $6,389,142 (105% of $6.1M goal).
• Help Breast Cancer Patients Thrive $10M campaign supporting the MUHC Breast Clinic Wellness Program (physiotherapy, nutrition, mental health) and breast cancer research led by Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, Dr. Peter Metrakos, Dr. Anthoula Lazaris and Dr. Patricia Tonin; raised $2,243,153 (22% of goal).
• New Therapies for Brain Cancer (Glioblastoma) $700,000 campaign supporting Dr. Bassam Abdulkarim's Cancer Therapeutics Research Team at the RI-MUHC developing ZR2002 for glioblastoma multiforme; raised $102,969 (15% of goal).
• Treating Stiff Heart Syndrome (Cardiac Amyloidosis) $140,000 program led by Dr. Michael Chetrit (recruited from Cleveland Clinic) at the MUHC Cardiac Amyloidosis Program to improve care for cardiac amyloidosis patients; raised $77,125 (55% of goal).
• Electrophysiology Centre of Excellence Electrophysiology (EP) Lab at the MUHC Glen site, led by Dr. Vidal Essebag — a comprehensive treatment centre for arrhythmias with specialized imaging, pacemaker/defibrillator installation and electrical ablation surgeries; raised $4,378,473 (175% of $2.5M original goal).
• MyHeart Counts Canada mobile application Free AI-driven Android/iOS mobile application developed by Dr. Abhinav Sharma that tracks physical activity, delivers personalized cardiovascular risk assessments and transmits anonymized data to RI-MUHC researchers for the MyHeart Counts Canada national cardiovascular study.
• Palliative Care: Embracing Life at Every Moment $3M, three-year campaign supporting the MUHC Palliative Care program led by Dr. Justin Sanders, honouring Dr. Balfour Mount's legacy and including the Centre for Relationships in Serious Illness (CERES) and the inaugural Balfour Mount Grand Rounds lecture series; raised $1,782,467 (59% of goal).
• Le Bal Rouge signature gala Annual signature gala held since 2016 at Montreal venues (e.g., La Nesra in Griffintown) bringing together business leaders and philanthropists to support transformative innovation at the MUHC Glen site; cumulative total raised since 2016 exceeds $13M.
• Breakthrough Run Annual marathon team event at the Marathon Beneva de Montréal (held October 9–11, 2026) where participants commit to raising $500 for a cause at the MUHC or RI-MUHC and the Foundation covers registration; inaugural 2025 edition raised $170,000 with 196 participants across 22 teams.
• Raise Craze community fundraiser Annual October fundraiser with The Beat 92.5 and Pink in the City where supporters shave their heads or dye their hair pink in solidarity with breast cancer survivors; 2025 raised $162,160 for the MUHC Breast Clinic Wellness Program with la Vie en Rose matching donations up to $50,000.
• Doctors Unscripted podcast Podcast hosted by Dr. Nadia Giannetti featuring candid, unscripted conversations with MUHC physicians and experts about their lives inside and outside medicine; distributed via Buzzsprout.
• Intensive Caring: Voices from the ICU podcast Podcast hosted by Dr. David Hornstein bringing together patients, families and healthcare professionals to share stories of survival, recovery and resilience from critical illness; distributed via Buzzsprout.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered strategic partner, flagship sponsor, sponsor, campaign co-chair, strategic alliance, core institutional partner and strategic merger partner.

• Pink in the Citystrategic partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025Pink in the City (Denise Vourtzoumis, President) has partnered with the MUHC Foundation since 2014 on Raise Craze, raising $162,160 in October 2025 and more than $300,000 cumulatively. Pink in the City also hosts the Magic of Hope Gala (held October 24, 2025).
• The Beat 92.5strategic partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025The Beat 92.5 morning announcers Lee Haberkorn, Claudia Marques and Natasha Gargiulo are co-hosts of Raise Craze, head-shaving and pink-hair-dyeing in solidarity with breast cancer survivors to raise funds for the MUHC Breast Clinic Wellness Program.
• Heritage MDflagship sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 September 2025Heritage MD (Ferron Campbell, President and Founder) was the presenting sponsor of the inaugural Breakthrough Run at the 2025 Montreal Marathon, which raised $164,800 across 22 teams and 196 participants. Heritage MD also hosts its own annual charity golf tournament benefiting the Foundation.
• AtkinsRéalisflagship sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2025Stéphanie Vaillancourt, President, Canada, AtkinsRéalis, served as 2025 Le Bal Rouge co-chair. AtkinsRéalis was also a generous sponsor of the 2025 edition.
• The Unscented CompanysponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 June 2025Anie Rouleau, Founder and CEO, The Unscented Company, served as 2025 Le Bal Rouge co-chair.
• McKinsey & Companycampaign co-chairImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 May 2025Laurie Lanoue, Montreal Office Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company, serves as Campaign Co-chair of the Forward Fund for Women's Health, providing strategic advisory and thought leadership.
• Jennifer Maccarone, MNA Westmount–Saint-Louiscampaign co-chairOthers · 28 May 2025Jennifer Maccarone, MNA for Westmount–Saint-Louis, serves as Campaign Co-chair of the Forward Fund for Women's Health and is a member of the National Assembly who presented the Medal of the Member of the National Assembly to three MUHC doctors in 2025.
• Women's Health Collective Canada (WHCC)strategic allianceStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2025The MUHC Foundation joined Women's Health Collective Canada (WHCC) as its newest member on March 18, 2025, bringing the alliance to Quebec for the first time and growing WHCC to five members. The partnership enables bilingual (EN/FR) national reach and supports the Foundation's Forward Fund for Women's Health.
• City of Montreal / Dunsky Énergie + Climatstrategic partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-development partnership supporting the MUHC's decarbonization roadmap (Blue Zone initiative) aimed at carbon neutrality by 2040. The MUHC is the first institution in Quebec's health and social services network to adopt such a roadmap, projecting a 25% energy reduction.
• McGill University / Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC)core institutional partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Core research and academic partner — the Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the MUHC and RI-MUHC. The MUHC and McGill integrate research, teaching and patient care, with 744 RI-MUHC researchers, 2,553 peer-reviewed publications in 2024-2025, and 85 research-collaboration countries.
• Montreal Chest Institute Foundation (MCIF)strategic merger partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The Montreal Chest Institute Foundation (MCIF) merged with the MUHC Foundation and helped launch the $10 million Breathe Easier respiratory campaign as part of the larger Dream Big campaign.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Cancer Society: National Canadian charity funding cancer research, support programs, and advocacy nationwide. Competes with the MUHC Foundation's End Cancer campaign and breast-cancer programs for corporate sponsors and event-driven donor dollars.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: National Canadian health charity funding cardiovascular and stroke research across multiple institutions. Competes with the MUHC Foundation's Fix Broken Hearts campaign for the same corporate sponsors and donor mindshare in the cardiovascular-disease vertical.

Direct peers

• CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation: Montreal-based pediatric hospital foundation operating in the same Quebec philanthropic market, supporting a sister academic health center (CHU Sainte-Justine / Université de Montréal). Closest geographic and mission peer, competing for the same Quebec corporate donors and HNW philanthropists.
• The Ottawa Hospital Foundation: Fundraising arm of The Ottawa Hospital, one of Canada's largest academic health centers. Comparable in running disease-specific campaigns (cancer, heart, research) and signature fundraising events for a multi-site teaching hospital network.
• VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation: Fundraising arm of Vancouver Coastal Health's largest hospital (Vancouver General) and UBC Hospital. Directly comparable Canadian academic-health-network foundation with major-gift and signature-event-driven fundraising model.
• Sunnybrook Foundation: Fundraising arm of Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada's largest hospitals. Peer running multi-vertical capital campaigns (cancer, heart, veterans, high-risk pregnancy) for an academic health sciences center.
• Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation: Fundraising arm of Hamilton Health Sciences, a multi-site academic health network in Ontario. Comparable in scale and model — large teaching-hospital foundation running signature events and major-gift campaigns across multiple disease verticals.
• BC Children's Hospital Foundation: Fundraising arm of BC Children's Hospital, the only pediatric tertiary care centre in British Columbia. Peer foundation running major capital campaigns and signature events (e.g., Miracle Weekend) for a specialty academic health center.
• University Health Network (UHN) Foundation: Fundraising arm of Toronto's University Health Network (Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret, Toronto Rehab). Directly comparable as a large Canadian academic health-sciences center foundation raising multi-million-dollar major gifts and running disease-specific capital campaigns.
• Sinai Health Foundation: Fundraising arm of Toronto's Sinai Health System (Mount Sinai Hospital, Bridgepoint Active Healthcare, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute). Direct peer running multi-million-dollar capital campaigns and signature galas to support an academic health network with comparable research output.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/MUHCFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/muhcfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/muhcfoundation

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about MUHC Foundation