Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada

What Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada does

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is a Canadian charitable non-profit organization headquartered in London, Ontario, founded in 1982 to support individuals and families affected by brain tumours. The foundation delivers a comprehensive suite of patient support services and educational resources, including handbooks in adult, pediatric, non-malignant, and caregiver versions; one-on-one support specialists; virtual and in-person support groups; 24/7 Facebook support groups; the pediatric BrainWAVE and GOcervo family programs; the Caregiver Corner; the SUPERKIDS teacher education program; webinars; educational videos; information sheets; and the Beyond Brain Tumours podcast. It also funds research through fellowships, studentships, the Taite Boomer studentship program, the Pam and Rolando Del Maestro Family Undergraduate Student Research Competition, and scholarships for brain tumour survivors.

The foundation operates two pieces of research infrastructure: the Brain Tumour Tissue Bank, located at London Health Sciences Centre and operating since 1991, which supplies human brain tumour samples to qualified researchers in Canada and internationally; and the Brain Tumour Registry of Canada, launched in 2019 as the only national database tracking incidence and mortality for both malignant and non-malignant brain tumours. The organization reaches beneficiaries and supporters across Canada through its website (available in English and French), an active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and community events anchored by the annual Brain Tumour Walk.

The business model is donor-funded: revenue derives from individual donations, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, the annual Brain Tumour Walk, and legacy/planned giving including wills, life insurance, securities, mutual funds, and RRSPs. Multiple named endowment funds (Northey, Del Maestro, Patterson, Bloom, King, Nash, Taite Boomer, Dunn) provide ongoing restricted-fund support. All services and resources are provided free of charge to patients, families, and caregivers; the foundation is a registered Canadian charity (BN118816339RR0001) with no parent company, no equity backing, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada

Legal name

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada

Website

https://braintumour.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is a Canadian charitable non-profit that provides free patient support, education, and research funding for people affected by brain tumours. It serves patients, caregivers, families, researchers, and health care professionals across Canada through support groups, handbooks, webinars, and the national Tissue Bank and Registry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Patient Advocacy Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Brain tumour support
• Patient advocacy services
• Cancer research funding
• Non-profit healthcare
• Peer support groups

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation generates revenue primarily through donations from individual donors, corporate partners, and sponsors. Major fundraising events include the annual Brain Tumour Walk. The foundation also receives donations through general giving pages, legacy/planned giving, and memorial funds.
2. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Corporate giving and sponsorship programs where companies support the foundation's research and programs. The foundation sponsors scientific conferences and events that bring together brain tumour community or health/medical professionals.
3. Legacy Giving: Planned giving through wills, life insurance, securities, mutual funds, and RRSPs. Multiple endowment funds established by families (Northey, Del Maestro, Patterson, Bloom, King, Nash, Taite Boomer, Dunn) generate ongoing support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is a national charitable non-profit organization that delivers free patient support, education, and information services to individuals affected by brain tumours, while funding Canadian brain tumour research through fellowships, studentships, and a national research tissue bank. The organization operates peer support groups, distributes patient handbooks, runs an annual nationwide fundraising walk, and maintains the Brain Tumour Registry of Canada to advance epidemiological understanding of the disease.

Product overview

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada is a charitable organization offering a comprehensive suite of patient support programs, educational resources, and research initiatives for the Canadian brain tumour community. The organization's core offerings include patient handbooks in multiple versions (adult, pediatric, non-malignant, caregiver), educational webinars and videos, one-on-one support services, virtual and Facebook-based peer support groups, and the pediatric BrainWAVE/GOcervo programs. Research infrastructure includes the Brain Tumour Registry of Canada and the Brain Tumour Tissue Bank. Annual events include the Brain Tumour Walk. The organization also funds student research competitions, scholarships (including the $2,000 Trevor Harrison Civic Engagement Scholarship), and research fellowships for early-career scientists. Content offerings include the Beyond Brain Tumours Podcast and Digital Stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brain Tumour Walk

Quantifiable outcome

• $680,000 invested in brain tumour research in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DECRYPT Research Partnership (Defeating Embryonal Cancer in Young People Together)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022Partnership with six organizations providing $600,000 grant for Canadian research on embryonal brain tumours in children. Partners include Kindred Foundation, Société de recherche sur le cancer (SRC), Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation, Miracle Marnie Foundation, Childhood Cancer Canada, and Tali's Fund.
• Brain Tumor Funders' CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Collaborative of five North American funding organizations including American Brain Tumor Association, James S. McDonnell Foundation, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, Sontag Foundation, and an anonymous donor. Jointly funded $3 million in immunotherapy research grants to four multi-institutional research teams.
• London Health Sciences CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brain Tumour Tissue Bank is located at London Health Sciences Centre, University Campus. The bank collects human brain tumour samples for research and has been operating since 1991.
• University of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaite Boomer was a student at the University of Alberta. The Taite Boomer Memorial Brain Tumour Foundation awards $10,000 studentships to research projects, with 13 studentships awarded to date.
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $750,000 grant as part of Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative to study 'Harnessing the brain tumour immune-microenvironment to enhance therapeutic efficacy'. Project manager: Daniela Quail.
• UCLA (David Geffen School of Medicine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $750,000 grant as part of Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative for research on 'Active vaccination and the timing of checkpoint blockade dictate effective immunotherapy for glioblastoma'.
• UCSF (University of California, San Francisco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $750,000 grant as part of Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative for research on 'Three dimensional immuno-genomics approach to personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapy'. Project manager: Joseph Costello.
• UPMC Children's Hospital of PittsburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived $750,000 grant as part of Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative for research on 'Interrogating anti-tumor T-cells To develop adoptive cell transfer (ACT) Immunotherapy for pediatric high-grade gliomas'. Project manager: Gary Kohanbash.
• WeSpark HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored 2022 Health Research Conference on November 11-12, 2022. Event for health students, trainees, researchers, and professionals to hear from experts and discuss health research projects.
• Canadian Neuro-Oncology MeetingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored the 19th Biennial Canadian Neuro-Oncology Meeting in Ottawa, ON, May 14-17, 2020.
• Canadian Cancer Research ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored 2019 Canadian Cancer Research Conference in Ottawa, ON, November 3-5, 2019.
• Brain Tumour Research Symposium (RIMUHC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsored Brain Tumour Research Symposium in Montreal, QC, October 23-24, 2019.
• Rock Your LocksminorOthersExternal organization that accepts hair donations for wig making. Referenced for community members interested in donating hair.
• Angel Hair for KidsminorOthersExternal organization that provides wigs to children with hair loss. Referenced as a resource for brain tumour patients experiencing treatment-related hair loss.
• CanDonate Hair FoundationminorOthersExternal organization for Quebec residents interested in hair donations for wig making.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SickKids Foundation: Major Canadian pediatric hospital foundation funding research and care at SickKids. Comparable research-funding model, national donor base, and pediatric focus that intersects with Brain Tumour Foundation's BrainWAVE program.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest national cancer charity with broader cancer scope. Not brain-tumour specific, but competes for the same donor dollars, runs national fundraising events, funds oncology research, and serves overlapping patient populations in Canada.
• MS Society of Canada: Canadian non-profit for multiple sclerosis providing research funding, support services, and advocacy. Comparable national infrastructure, multi-program offering, and donor base — though broader disease scope.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Large Canadian health-focused non-profit funding research and patient support across cardiovascular and stroke. Comparable scale, national mandate, endowment model, and walk/event fundraising — though disease focus differs.

Direct peers

• American Brain Tumor Association: Largest US-based non-profit dedicated to brain tumours; provides patient support, education, and research funding. Direct peer with overlapping mission, similar programs (support groups, research grants), and an existing partnership via the Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative.
• ALS Society of Canada: Canadian non-profit dedicated to a specific neurological disease (ALS). Similar disease-specific scope, patient support services, research funding model, and Canadian national footprint make it a structural peer despite different disease focus.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: US-based non-profit focused specifically on pediatric brain tumours; co-funds research with Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada via the Brain Tumor Funders' Collaborative. Comparable mission, similar research-grant programs, and pediatric support services akin to BrainWAVE.
• Brain Tumour Charity (UK): UK's largest dedicated brain tumour charity, funding research, providing support services, and operating a national helpline. Closest international structural equivalent; useful proxy for scaled brain-tumour non-profit operating model.
• National Brain Tumor Society: US non-profit focused on brain tumour research, policy, and patient support. Operates a national walk/race fundraising program (similar to Brain Tumour Walk), funds research grants, and advocates for federal funding — the closest US structural parallel to Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

Emerging players

• Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research: Smaller US non-profit focused on brain tumour research and clinical trial information. Comparable mission and patient-resource focus, but operates at significantly smaller scale; an emerging peer rather than direct scale competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BrainTumourFdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/BrainTumourFdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/BrainTumourFdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/braintumourfdn
• Instagraminstagram.com/braintumourfdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada