London Health Sciences Foundation

What London Health Sciences Foundation does

London Health Sciences Foundation (LHSF), established in 1996 and based in London, Ontario, is the registered charitable fundraising arm of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), one of Canada's largest acute-care teaching hospitals serving Southwestern Ontario. LHSF mobilizes philanthropic capital — individual donations, major gifts, corporate sponsorships and grants, legacy bequests, and proceeds from signature fundraising events (Country Classic Auction, Dream Lottery, Payday Plus 50/50 LHSC Staff Lottery) — and directs it toward LHSC's clinical, research, equipment, and training priorities across Cancer Care, Women's Care, Mental Health, Cardiac Care, Critical Needs, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Neurosciences, Surgical Care, Transplant, and Trauma programs. Notable donor-enabled outcomes include the Verspeeten Family-funded $8.2M investment (matched by Western University) for endowed cancer research chairs, the Renishaw neuromate robot supporting the first robot-assisted DBS surgery in Canada, RBC Foundation's $750,000 frontline-education grant, and Shoppers Foundation's $100,000 support for women's care.

LHSF runs a hybrid event-driven and community-led go-to-market motion spanning digital (Blackbaud-hosted donation forms, DonorDrive event pages, the lhsf.ca website, email newsletter), social (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo), direct (major-gift development officers, direct mail), and live channels (signature events, lottery programs). Corporate partners include RBC Foundation, Shoppers Foundation, Verspeeten Family, Western University, Windsor Organ Transplant-Cardiac Care Group, Killam Apartment REIT, and long-time presenting sponsor Siskinds LLP. The foundation is governed by a Board of Directors under President & CEO John H. MacFarlane, holds Charitable Registration No. 89478 1475 RR0001, and complies with PIPEDA, AODA, and CRA receipting rules.

The revenue model is diversified philanthropic income with five material streams: individual donations (one-time and monthly), major gifts, lottery and event revenue, corporate sponsorships and grants, and legacy/bequest giving. Pricing is voluntary for donations; minimum official charitable tax receipt issuance is $20 per CRA guidelines; lottery tickets carry discrete price points. Operational scale spans 11–50 employees, and the foundation is publicly marking its 30th anniversary in 2026 with a dedicated "Celebrating 30 Years of Impact" campaign.

Name

London Health Sciences Foundation

Legal name

London Health Sciences Foundation

Website

https://lhsf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

London Health Sciences Foundation is the registered charitable fundraising arm of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in Ontario, raising individual, corporate, lottery, and legacy donations to fund medical research, equipment, patient care, and clinician training across Southwestern Ontario.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Healthcare philanthropy services
• Hospital fundraising programs
• Charitable donation services
• Medical research funding
• Community healthcare support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors supporting specific hospital programs, equipment, research, and highest priority needs. Donors can give online, by mail, or through scheduled monthly contributions.
2. Major Gifts: Significant donations from major donors, often directed to specific initiatives like the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, surgical equipment, or endowed research chairs.
3. Lotteries and Fundraising Events: Revenue generated from lottery programs (Dream Lottery, Payday Plus 50/50 LHSC Staff Lottery) and signature events (Country Classic Auction, community events).
4. Corporate Sponsorships and Grants: Support from corporations (RBC Foundation $750,000, Shoppers Foundation $100,000) and community organizations directed toward specific hospital programs and equipment.
5. Legacy Giving: Bequests, estate gifts, and planned giving arrangements that provide long-term funding for the foundation's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

London Health Sciences Foundation is a registered charitable nonprofit that serves as the official fundraising arm of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). It raises philanthropic funds through individual donations, recurring monthly giving, legacy/planned giving, major gifts, signature lottery programs (Dream Lottery, Payday Plus 50/50 Staff Lottery), the Country Classic Auction, and corporate/foundation sponsorships. Funds are directed to specific clinical areas including cancer care, women's care, mental health, cardiac care, neurosciences, surgical care, transplant, and trauma, and used to acquire advanced medical equipment, fund medical research and endowed research chairs, and support physician/staff training.

Product overview

London Health Sciences Foundation operates as a charitable healthcare foundation supporting London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of fundraising products and services including one-time and recurring donation options (Monthly Giving, Legacy Giving, Major Giving), symbolic giving programs (Celebrate, Memorial Gifts), non-cash donation services (Shares & Gifts in Kind), and signature fundraising events (Dream Lottery, Payday Plus 50/50 Staff Lottery, Country Classic Auction). Donations are directed to specific clinical areas including Cancer Care, Women's Care, Mental Health, Orthopaedic Care, Cardiac Care, Critical Needs, Emergency Medicine, Clinical Neurosciences, Surgical Care, Transplant Program, and Trauma Program. The foundation also manages donor relations, volunteer programs, and community events to support patient care, medical research, and equipment needs at LHSC hospitals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-Time Gift
• Monthly Giving
• Legacy Giving
• Dream Lottery
• Payday Plus 50/50 LHSC Staff Lottery
• Country Classic Auction
• Celebrate (Give in Celebration)
• Memorial Gift (Give in Memory)
• Shares & Gifts in Kind
• Major Giving
• Corporate Telefundraising

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% reduction in seizure occurrences with Deep Brain Stimulation using Renishaw robot
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Western UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMatched LHSF's $8.2M donation for nearly $16.5 million in investments supporting pioneering research through scientific chairs and research initiatives at LHSC.
• BlackbaudcoreTechnology or IntegrationBlackbaud provides the donation processing platform used on LHSF's website for online giving, event registration, and fund management.
• DonorDrivecoreTechnology or IntegrationDonorDrive powers LHSF's event fundraising pages, monthly giving programs, and lottery/special event donation processing.
• RenishawcoreTechnology or IntegrationRenishaw supplied the neuromate robot for Deep Brain Stimulation surgery at LHSC. The first robot-assisted DBS surgery in Canada was performed using this equipment, reducing electrode placement time from hours to 45 minutes.
• Siskinds LLPcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of the Country Classic Auction for the past decade. The law firm provides ongoing support for this signature fundraising event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SickKids Foundation: The fundraising arm for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Directly comparable as a Canadian hospital foundation running similar multi-channel donor programs, lotteries, major gift cultivation, and research funding initiatives at scale.
• Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation: Fundraising foundation for a multi-site Ontario academic teaching hospital network. Closely comparable mandate — supporting equipment, research, and patient care across multiple hospital sites with similar donor programming.
• Vancouver General Hospital & UBC Hospital Foundation: Major Western Canadian hospital foundation supporting research, equipment, and patient care at a large academic teaching hospital. Comparable scale, programming, and community-led fundraising model.
• Trillium Health Partners Foundation: Foundation for one of Canada's largest community-academic hospital systems in Mississauga. Comparable multi-site mandate, signature events, and donor cultivation programs targeting a regional population.
• Sinai Health Foundation: Toronto-based hospital foundation supporting Sinai Health system with major gift programs, lotteries, and research funding — directly comparable as a Canadian urban academic hospital foundation.
• St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation (London): Another London, Ontario-based hospital foundation raising funds for a complementary care provider. Operates in the same donor pool and runs comparable signature events, lotteries, and grateful patient programs.
• Children's Health Foundation (London): Sibling foundation co-located in London, Ontario that also supports LHSC pediatric programs (referenced jointly in the RBC Foundation $750K gift). Operates the same regional fundraising ecosystem and shares donor relationships with LHSF.
• McGill University Health Centre Foundation: Foundation supporting a major Quebec academic health network with comparable research, equipment, and patient-care funding programs at an academic teaching hospital scale.
• Calgary Health Foundation: Calgary's consolidated hospital foundation supporting multiple acute-care sites. Comparable multi-site fundraising structure, lottery programs, and major-gift cultivation.

Regional players

• University Hospitals Kingston Foundation: Foundation supporting Kingston's academic hospital network. Operates the same Ontario hospital-foundation model with similar lottery, event, and major-gift programming but serves an eastern Ontario catchment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LHSFCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/lhsfcanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/london-health-sciences-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/LHSFCanada

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 London Health Sciences Foundation