University Hospital Foundation

What University Hospital Foundation does

The University Hospital Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization founded in 1962 and headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It operates as one of Canada's leading hospital fundraising organizations, raising philanthropic capital to advance patient care, medical research, and healthcare innovation at three named facilities: the University of Alberta Hospital, the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, and the Kaye Edmonton Clinic. The foundation has raised $217 million over the past 10 years and distributed $9.4 million to medical research in the most recent fiscal year, funding more than 265 research projects across twelve years and supporting 397 researchers with an average of 15 grants awarded annually.

The foundation generates revenue through individual donations (monthly, major, and planned gifts), lottery programs (Split the Pot and Full House), corporate partnerships, and event-driven fundraising such as the annual Festival of Trees. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer digital engagement — including a donation website at givetouhf.ca, email newsletters, and a presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube — with high-touch event-driven donor cultivation. Strategic grant-making is delivered via named programs including the Kaye Competition (established with a $30 million donation from Donald Kaye in 2012) and the UHF Medical Research Competition, which was paused in 2022 for review under the Ignite 2030 strategic plan.

The foundation deploys capital into facility investments, clinical equipment, research grants, and provincial health initiatives. Recent program launches include the $2.7 million Neuro Rehabilitation Innovation Centre, the province-wide 'Caring for Our Hearts' cardiac strategy, and the Dementia Care Pathways Project. Operational beneficiaries include 880,780 outpatient visits and 119,308 emergency department visits annually at the University of Alberta Hospital, which serves a catchment of more than 2.6 million people across Northern Alberta as the region's only Level One Trauma Centre.

Name

University Hospital Foundation

Legal name

University Hospital Foundation

Website

https://givetouhf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The University Hospital Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization founded in 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta, that raises philanthropic funds to advance patient care, medical research, and innovation at the University of Alberta Hospital, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, and Kaye Edmonton Clinic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including monthly giving programs, major gifts, and planned gifts through wills.
2. Lottery Programs: Split the Pot Lottery and Full House Lottery provide fundraising revenue through ticket sales.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsorships and partnerships with businesses for fundraising events and initiatives.
4. Research Funding: The foundation distributes research funding through competitions like the Kaye Competition and Medical Research Competition, funded by donor contributions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The University Hospital Foundation raises philanthropic funds to advance patient care, medical research, and innovation at the University of Alberta Hospital, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, and Kaye Edmonton Clinic. It delivers this through research funding competitions, signature fundraising lotteries and events, corporate and strategic partnerships, and major/planned giving programs that distribute donor dollars to specialized healthcare areas.

Product overview

The University Hospital Foundation is a hospital fundraising organization (not a technology product company) that raises funds to advance patient care and innovation at the University of Alberta Hospital, the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, and the Kaye Edmonton Clinic. Its core offerings include research funding programs such as the Kaye Competition and Medical Research Competition (UHFMRC), signature fundraising lotteries (Split the Pot and Full House), and the Festival of Trees event. The Foundation also funds healthcare facilities including the Neuro Rehabilitation Innovation Centre and West Edmonton Kidney Care Centre. Healthcare initiatives include the 'Caring for Our Hearts' provincial cardiac strategy and the Dementia Care Pathways Project. Strategic Partnerships bring together industry and public sector to translate innovations into health solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kaye Competition: Annual research competition supporting individuals or collaborative teams pursuing research, innovation or quality improvement programs, made possible through a $30 million donation from Mr. Donald Kaye.
• UHF Medical Research Competition (UHFMRC)

Products and services

• Kaye Competition Annual research competition supporting individuals or teams pursuing research, innovation, or quality improvement programs at the University of Alberta Hospital. Made possible through a $30 million donation from Mr. Donald Kaye in 2012.
• UHF Medical Research Competition (UHFMRC) Medical research competition providing funds to innovative, translational research for clinician scientists in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.
• Split the Pot Lottery Lottery program that serves as a fundraising initiative for the University Hospital Foundation.
• Full House Lottery Lottery program that serves as a fundraising initiative for the University Hospital Foundation.
• Festival of Trees Annual signature fundraising event organized by the University Hospital Foundation.
• Strategic Partnerships Program bringing together industry, public sector, and philanthropic investments to advance and translate Alberta's healthcare innovations into solutions impacting Albertans' health.
• Corporate Partnerships Corporate partnership program enabling businesses to support the University Hospital Foundation's healthcare missions through sponsorships and cause marketing.
• Caring for Our Hearts Province-wide cardiac strategy initiative to transform cardiovascular disease prevention, detection, and management in Alberta.
• Dementia Care Pathways Project Initiative aimed at transforming dementia diagnosis and support for Albertans living with dementia in communities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 880,780 outpatient visits supported in 2023/24
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Alberta Health ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlberta Health Services is the provincial health authority that operates the University of Alberta Hospital. The foundation works closely with AHS to advance patient care and innovation at these facilities.
• University of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Alberta is the academic partner. The foundation supports research through the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and helps fund innovative projects that advance both research and patient care.
• Industry PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough Strategic Partnerships, the foundation brings together industry, public sector, and philanthropic investments to advance and translate Alberta's innovations into solutions that impact health.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BC Cancer Foundation: Provincial BC charity funding cancer research, treatment, and patient care. Comparable as a Canadian health charity funding both research and clinical programs, with lottery programs and signature fundraising events — competes with UHF in the broader Canadian hospital/health foundation market.
• Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation: Calgary-based foundation supporting Alberta Children's Hospital. Same province, same AHS hospital ecosystem, same lottery/event-driven fundraising model — directly competes for Alberta-wide major gifts and corporate partnerships.
• Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation: Edmonton-based hospital foundation raising philanthropic funds for the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Lois Hole Hospital for Women. Directly comparable: same city, same hospital foundation model, similar lottery/event fundraising, and shares the same AHS-governed hospital ecosystem.
• SickKids Foundation: Major Canadian hospital foundation supporting Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Comparable as a research-funding, event-driven, lottery-active hospital foundation with Imagine Canada accreditation; provides a benchmark for mature Canadian hospital foundation operations and scale.
• Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation: Edmonton-based foundation raising funds for the Stollery Children's Hospital, co-located on the University of Alberta campus with UHF's beneficiary hospitals. Highly comparable: same catchment, overlapping corporate donor pool, signature event-driven fundraising model, and Imagine Canada accredited nonprofit.
• Calgary Health Foundation: Calgary's hospital fundraising organization supporting Foothills Medical Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, and Peter Lougheed Centre. Same Alberta footprint, same model of funding equipment, research, and patient care through donor dollars — direct competitor for provincial-level major gifts.
• University Health Network Foundation: Foundation supporting Toronto's University Health Network, including Toronto General, Toronto Western, and Princess Margaret hospitals. Comparable as a multi-hospital academic health sciences foundation with large-scale research funding programs, major-gift campaigns, and event-driven fundraising.
• Alberta Cancer Foundation: Provincial Alberta charity funding cancer research and care across Alberta Health Services sites. Comparable funding model (lotteries, major gifts, events), identical provincial catchment, and overlapping research funding programs including peer-reviewed competitions — competes for the same donor pool.
• Vancouver General Hospital & UBC Hospital Foundation: BC's largest hospital foundation, supporting Vancouver General and UBC Hospital with research, equipment, and patient care funding. Directly comparable in mission, structure (Board-governed nonprofit), and reliance on major gifts and signature events in a single metropolitan catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: National Canadian health charity funding cardiovascular and stroke research. Broader national scope than UHF, but overlapping mandate around cardiac and brain care — UHF's 'Caring for Our Hearts' initiative and stroke research compete for the same donor mindshare and research funding pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/givetouhf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBQhAoTaS7aJ9ltRrCCrlFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityHospitalFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-hospital-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/givetouhf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University Hospital Foundation