Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care

What Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care does

Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation founded in 2007 and headquartered in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The organization produces an annual series of benefit concerts featuring Canadian and international musical artists, with flagship events at venues such as the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines (which drew over 4,000 attendees in 2015) and additional shows held across Niagara Falls, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax, Kingston, and London. Proceeds are directed to Parkinson's disease research and patient-care programs, with a recipient portfolio that includes Parkinson Canada, Hotel Dieu Shaver's Parkinson's Rehab Clinic, the Steve Ludzik Foundation, London Health Sciences Movement Disorder Centre, Queen's Centre for Neuroscience Studies, the Walker Family Cancer Centre, and the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Research.

The underlying operating model is event-driven fundraising combined with diversified donations and corporate sponsorship. Revenue is generated through three primary streams: ticket sales for benefit concerts, individual donations collected via the organization's website (with preset tiers of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $75, $50 or custom amounts, optionally earmarked for specific recipient funds), and corporate sponsorships (Performance Chrysler, Sandman Hotel Group, JB Print, Canalside Restaurant, Universus, 101.1 More FM, DANIMA Creative Group, CogecoTv). Hosting, design, photography, and site-maintenance services are donated in-kind by Skycomp Solutions and DANIMA Creative Group, materially lowering operating costs. There is no proprietary technology platform; the website functions as a content and donation-collection surface, and event tickets for major shows are sold through Ticketmaster.

Operationally, the foundation is volunteer-led under President Dave Rotella, with a 2026 committee of roughly 12 members distributed across the served regions. The organization is affiliated with but legally distinct from the original Light of Day Foundation in New Jersey (founded by Bob Benjamin), maintaining a mutual brand and donor relationship since inception. Since 2007, the foundation has raised over $500,000 cumulatively for Parkinson's research and care, and remains active with the next major arena event scheduled for November 7, 2026.

Name

Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care

Legal name

Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care

Website

https://lightofdaycanada.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Light of Day Canada Foundation is a Canadian not-for-profit founded in 2007 that organizes benefit concerts across seven Canadian cities to raise funds for Parkinson's disease research and patient-care programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Fundraising Services

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Parkinson's research funding
• Benefit concert events
• Charitable foundation services
• Disease research grants
• Community fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Niagara Falls

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for benefit concerts and live music events. The main annual event is the Light of Day Canada concert featuring various musical artists.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses sponsor events through monetary and in-kind contributions. Sponsors include Performance Chrysler, Sandman Hotel Group, JB Print, Canalside Restaurant, Universus, 101.1 More FM, DANIMA Creative Group, and CogecoTv.
3. Donations: Individual donations collected through the website. Donors can direct funds to General Donation, Steve Ludzik Foundation, Walker Cancer Clinic, London Health Sciences, Queens Centre for Neuroscience Studies, or Gord Downie Fund for Brain Research. Donation amounts offered: $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $75, $50, or custom amounts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Light of Day Canada Foundation organizes an annual benefit concert series featuring Canadian and international musical artists to raise funds for Parkinson's disease research and patient care. Concert proceeds are distributed to partner healthcare and research institutions including Hotel Dieu Shaver Parkinson's Rehab Clinic, Walker Family Cancer Centre, Parkinson's Canada, London Health Sciences Movement Disorder Centre, and Queen's University Neuroscience Studies. The foundation also accepts individual donations through its website, allowing donors to direct funds to specific beneficiary programs.

Product overview

Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care is a non-profit organization that operates as a single unified offering centered on benefit concerts and fundraising events. The organization's core activity is hosting annual benefit concerts featuring musical artists to raise money for Parkinson's research and cancer care. The product portfolio consists primarily of live event production (benefit concerts) and associated donation/fundraising services. No separate modules, add-ons, or technology products are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Light of Day Benefit Concert Series Annual benefit concerts featuring Canadian and international musical artists held at venues across Canada (Niagara Falls, Toronto, Hamilton, Halifax, Kingston, London, and St. Catharines) to raise funds for Parkinson's disease research and patient care. Tickets for major arena shows are sold through Ticketmaster.
• Online Donation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised over $500,000 for Parkinson's research and care since 2007
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Light of Day Foundation (New Jersey)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Light of Day Canada was born from a grassroots movement in New Jersey founded by Bob Benjamin, who was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's disease. Since inception, LOD Canada has donated a percentage of profits to aid in Parkinson's Research and Care. The organizations work closely with Executive Director Tony Pallagrosi, Director Joe D'Urso, and founder Bob Benjamin through the years.
• Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre (Parkinson's Rehab Clinic)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Parkinson's Rehab Program at Hotel Dieu Shaver provides specialized, interprofessional care for people living with Parkinson's disease, helping individuals work toward meaningful goals that support mobility, independence and quality of life. The program is 100% donor funded and relies entirely on community generosity. LOD Canada directs proceeds to support this clinic.
• Niagara Health Foundation - Walker Family Cancer CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLight of Day Canada directs proceeds from shows to the Walker Family Cancer Centre in support of the Niagara Health Foundation. This partnership supports cancer research and care in the Niagara region alongside the Parkinson's focus.
• Parkinson CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistributes funds to Parkinson's Canada, one of the national organizations working on Parkinson's research and support. LOD Canada has partnered with Parkinson's Canada since its founding in 2007.
• London Health Sciences Movement Disorder CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceives funding from Light of Day Canada for movement disorder research and treatment. Part of LOD Canada's expanded funding strategy to support research institutions across Canada.
• Queen's University Neuroscience Studies (Kingston)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceives funding from Light of Day Canada for neuroscience research. LOD Canada expanded its funding reach to include Queen's University neuroscience studies in Kingston as part of its national research support.
• Steve Ludzik Foundation / Steve Ludzik Parkinson's Rehab ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed after former NHL hockey player Steve Ludzik who has Parkinson's disease. The foundation supports specialized Parkinson's rehabilitation care at Hotel Dieu Shaver Hospital. LOD Canada has partnered with this foundation to support the rehab clinic.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Davis Phinney Foundation: U.S.-based Parkinson's foundation focused on living well with Parkinson's, also leveraging events and community fundraising. Comparable as a mid-sized Parkinson's nonprofit using events-driven fundraising.
• Team Fox (Michael J. Fox Foundation Community Fundraising): Community fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation that enables grassroots events for Parkinson's research. Comparable as an event-driven community fundraising model supporting Parkinson's research.
• Shake It Off Foundation: Grassroots Parkinson's nonprofit hosting concerts and community events to fund research. Comparable as a small-scale Parkinson's charity using live music and community events as its primary fundraising vehicle.
• Brian Grant Foundation: Parkinson's foundation established by former NBA player Brian Grant, combining high-profile celebrity backing with events and community programs. Comparable as a celebrity-anchored Parkinson's nonprofit using events for fundraising.
• Light of Day Foundation: The U.S.-based parent affiliate founded by Bob Benjamin that operates the same benefit-concert fundraising model for Parkinson's research. Most directly comparable as the originating organization of which Light of Day Canada is the Canadian chapter.

Broad incumbents

• Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research: The largest Parkinson's disease research funder globally, with extensive community fundraising programs. Comparable as a Parkinson's-focused grantmaking entity but operates at vastly greater scale and primarily through medical research grants rather than concerts.
• Parkinson Canada: National Parkinson's research and support organization in Canada that is itself a beneficiary of Light of Day Canada fundraising. Comparable as a Parkinson's-focused Canadian nonprofit, though it operates a much broader program portfolio beyond benefit concerts.
• American Parkinson Disease Association: National U.S. Parkinson's nonprofit providing research funding and patient services. Comparable as a Parkinson's-focused nonprofit operating at greater scale with a broader programmatic mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lightofdaycanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/lodcanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Light of Day Canada Foundation for Parkinson's Research and Care