What Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation does

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1975 that serves as the primary philanthropic fundraising entity for the Hamilton Health Sciences hospital network. The foundation raises and disburses charitable donations in support of life-saving equipment, research, patient care spaces, and professional education across Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster Children's Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, St. Peter's Hospital, Ron Joyce Children's Health Centre, and the Regional Rehabilitation Centre. As of the most recent reporting period, the foundation disbursed $17.8 million across these categories and serves a regional catchment of approximately 3 million residents across south-central Ontario.

The foundation operates a diversified fundraising portfolio spanning individual one-time and recurring monthly donations, tribute giving, planned legacy gifts, corporate partnerships, employee payroll deduction, lottery programs, vehicle donations, and signature events such as Illuminight (cancer care night walk), BRIGHT Run (breast cancer research walk/run), and Hammer Plunge. The organization runs multi-channel donor engagement through its website, email newsletters, social media (Instagram @supporthhsfoundation), patient and donor storytelling, annual donor reports, and on-site and door-to-door campaigns conducted via third-party agencies. Sub-brands include MacKids for pediatric fundraising.

The foundation does not develop or sell technology products. Its revenue mechanics are entirely donation-driven: tax-deductible gifts support the foundation's charitable purpose, while lottery ticket revenue is split between prize pools and program funding under CRA guidelines. Revenue streams include individual donations, corporate partnerships, planned giving, employee giving, lottery programs, and vehicle donations. The foundation holds CRA charitable registration (No. 131159543 RR0001), operates from a head office at 1 King Street West in Hamilton, Ontario, employs 11–50 staff, and is led by CEO Anissa Hilborn with a board chaired by Holly Simmons.

Name

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation

Legal name

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation

Website

https://hamiltonhealth.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation is a registered Canadian charity that raises and disburses donations to fund equipment, research, patient spaces, and education across the Hamilton Health Sciences hospital network serving 3 million residents in south-central Ontario.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Charitable Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB), Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Healthcare fundraising
• Hospital foundation
• Charitable giving
• Donor philanthropy
• Community fundraising

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamilton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors supporting patient care, equipment, research, and education across Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals. Donors can give monthly, one-time, in tribute, or through workplace giving programs.
2. Planned Giving: Legacy gifts including charitable bequests in wills, beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts (RRSPs/RRIFs), and endowment funds. Donors can create named endowment funds or contribute to existing ones.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations, employee gift matching, sponsorships, and custom partnership opportunities. Companies can designate gifts to specific hospitals, programs, or areas of care aligned with their values.
4. Employee Giving: Payroll deduction and monthly donations from Hamilton Health Sciences employees. Staff can direct gifts to specific departments or hospitals and receive charitable contribution reporting on T4 slips.
5. Lottery Programs: Inspiration 50/50 Lottery, Split the Pot Lottery, and Staff 50/50 Lottery. Proceeds support patient care, equipment, and research. Half of lottery proceeds fund prizes; half supports healthcare.
6. Vehicle Donations: Partnership with Donate a Car Canada allows donors to contribute vehicles. Vehicles are recycled or resold, with proceeds benefiting the foundation.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation is a registered Canadian charitable foundation that raises and disburses funds for Hamilton Health Sciences' network of hospitals. It solicits donations from individuals, employees, and corporations; operates lottery programs and signature fundraising events (Illuminight, BRIGHT Run); and offers planned giving, tribute giving, and corporate partnership opportunities. Funds are directed toward life-saving medical equipment, research and fellowships, patient space redevelopment, and healthcare education.

Product overview

Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation is a charitable foundation that raises funds to support Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals. The foundation operates various fundraising programs and events rather than a unified technology product. Core giving programs include one-time and monthly donations, tribute giving, and planned legacy giving. Signature events include Illuminight (cancer care night walk), BRIGHT Run (breast cancer research), and Hammer Plunge. The foundation also manages lottery programs (Inspiration 50/50, Split the Pot, Staff Lottery), corporate partnership opportunities, employee giving through payroll deduction, and the MacKids branded program for McMaster Children's Hospital. The foundation does not offer a technology product, API, or SaaS platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MacKids: Brand name for McMaster Children's Hospital fundraising and awareness campaigns, supporting pediatric care.

Products and services

• One-Time and Monthly Donations Individual donation program allowing supporters to make one-time or recurring monthly gifts to fund hospital equipment, research, patient care, and education at Hamilton Health Sciences.
• Tribute Giving Donation program enabling donors to give in memory or in honour of a loved one, recognize a caregiver, or commemorate a special occasion in support of Hamilton Health Sciences.
• HHS Hero Honouree Program Recognition program that allows patients, families, and community members to honour exceptional Hamilton Health Sciences staff members with a donation in their name.
• Foundation Lotteries Lottery fundraising program offering the Inspiration 50/50 Lottery, Split the Pot Lottery, and Staff 50/50 Lottery, where ticket proceeds are split between prize pools and patient care, equipment, and research funding.
• Planned Giving (Legacy Giving) Legacy giving program that lets donors include Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation in wills and estate plans, designate retirement funds (RRSPs/RRIFs) or life insurance policies as beneficiaries, and contribute to or establish named endowment funds.
• Corporate Partnerships Business giving program offering corporate donations, employee engagement and matching gift programs, event sponsorships, and custom partnership opportunities aligned with company values.
• Employee Giving Program Workplace giving program enabling Hamilton Health Sciences staff to make payroll-deduction or monthly donations directed to specific departments or hospitals, with charitable contribution reporting on T4 slips.
• Illuminight Annual night-walk signature fundraising event supporting world-class cancer care and research at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, with hundreds of participants per year.
• BRIGHT Run Annual non-competitive walk/run signature event funding local breast cancer research at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, with 1,700+ participants and 200+ volunteers per year.
• Community-Hosted Fundraising Events DIY fundraising program where community members organize third-party events — including golf tournaments, fitness challenges, and galas — to support specific Hamilton Health Sciences hospitals or programs.
• MacKids Branded Fundraising Program Branded fundraising program supporting pediatric care, cancer care, mental health, and neonatology at McMaster Children's Hospital, run in partnership with Children's Miracle Network and Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations.
• Vehicle Donation Program Donation channel operated in partnership with Donate a Car Canada that accepts cars, trucks, RVs, boats, and motorcycles for recycling or resale, with proceeds benefiting Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $17.8M disbursed in funding period across equipment, research, patient spaces, and education
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Hammer PlungeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 July 2026Annual fundraising event supporting Hamilton Health Sciences. Event mentioned in event listings for 2026.
• CIBC Wood GundyflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Presenting sponsor of Illuminight 2026, the annual night walk supporting cancer care and research at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.
• Endo NetworkscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Sales and marketing agency conducting face-to-face fundraising at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre and McMaster Children's Hospital (April-December 2026). Fundraisers engage patients, families, and visitors to sign up for monthly donations.
• Global Faces DirectcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Canada's leading face-to-face fundraising organization conducting door-to-door campaigns in Hamilton, Burlington, and Niagara region (May-December 2026) for MacKids and Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.
• Children's Miracle Network (CMN)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026International nonprofit organization raising funds for children's hospitals. Supports MacKids at McMaster Children's Hospital year-round.
• Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations (CCHF)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026National organization supporting pediatric healthcare. Partner in raising funds for MacKids at McMaster Children's Hospital.
• Donate a Car CanadaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Vehicle donation program accepting cars, trucks, RVs, boats, and motorcycles. Provides free towing across Canada with proceeds benefiting Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.
• BRIGHT RuncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 September 2025Non-competitive 1km or 5km walk/run for breast cancer research. 2025 event welcomed 1,700 participants and 200 volunteers. Has funded 24 research projects.
• BRIGHT RuncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 May 2025Community fundraising event that has raised over $6.5 million for local breast cancer research since 2008. Held annually at Christie Lake Conservation Area with 1,700+ participants and 200+ volunteers. Every dollar raised goes entirely to local breast cancer research at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre.
• Ron Joyce Children's Health CentrecoreOthers · 15 May 2025Part of McMaster Children's Hospital serving as home to the National Centre for Autism Collaboration and specialized pediatric services.
• IlluminightcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018Annual night walk event raising funds for world-class cancer care and research at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre. Has raised over $1 million since 2018 with 700+ participants. Presented by CIBC Wood Gundy.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SickKids Foundation: The charitable foundation for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Most directly comparable as a Canadian pediatric hospital foundation raising funds through individual giving, events, corporate partnerships, lotteries, and planned giving, with similar national-level brand recognition.
• University Health Network Foundation: Foundation for Toronto's UHN (Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret). Highly comparable as a multi-hospital research-intensive teaching network foundation with major-gift campaigns and signature fundraising events.
• CHEO Foundation: Foundation for the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. Directly comparable pediatric hospital foundation with similar reliance on community events, lotteries, corporate partnerships, and individual giving within a defined regional catchment.
• Sinai Health Foundation: Foundation supporting Mount Sinai Hospital and Hennick Bridgepoint in Toronto. Comparable multi-site hospital foundation model with specialty care focus (cancer, complex care) and similar event-driven fundraising portfolio.
• Vancouver General Hospital Foundation: Foundation supporting Vancouver General Hospital, a major BC adult acute care and research centre. Comparable large teaching hospital foundation with similar specialty-care focus and signature fundraising events.
• Sunnybrook Foundation: Foundation supporting Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a major Toronto teaching hospital network. Comparable in scale, multi-site hospital fundraising model, and reliance on events, major gifts, and community campaigns.
• BC Children's Hospital Foundation: Provincial pediatric hospital foundation in British Columbia. Comparable as a Children's Miracle Network-affiliated foundation running signature events, major-gift campaigns, and broad community fundraising for a children's hospital.
• Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation: Foundation for the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton. Comparable pediatric hospital foundation with similar event-based, lottery, and major-gift revenue model in a regional Canadian catchment.

Others

• Children's Miracle Network: International nonprofit that supports children's hospitals including MacKids at McMaster Children's Hospital. Comparable as a strategic fundraising partner that channels corporate donations and media campaigns through member hospital foundations.
• Canada's Children's Hospital Foundations (CCHF): National collective of Canadian children's hospital foundations including MacKids/HHSF. Comparable as a peer-level partner organization that HHSF collaborates with on national pediatric fundraising campaigns and corporate partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/supporthhsfoundation
• Xx.com/hamhealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hamilton-health-sciences-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation