TUBERCULOUS VETERANS' ASSOCIATION

What TUBERCULOUS VETERANS' ASSOCIATION does

TB Vets Charitable Foundation is a Vancouver-based, CRA-registered Canadian non-profit founded in 1926 to support veterans and their families suffering from respiratory ailments, particularly tuberculosis. The foundation's mission is to arm BC's medical frontline in respiratory care by funding critical equipment, research, and education across the province. Its core outputs are grants of state-of-the-art respiratory equipment — including jet ventilators for preterm babies, portable breathing units for emergency bedside treatment, ICU and transport ventilators, bronchoscopes, and pulmonary function testing systems — to BC hospitals and search-and-rescue organizations, with approximately 20 ventilators donated per year since 1980. It also sponsors tuberculosis and respiratory research at VGH/UBC and RCH/SFU, and funds Respiratory Therapy education through bursaries and patient simulators at Thompson Rivers University (the only specialized RT program in BC), BCIT, and UBC.

The organization's economic engine is community-led fundraising rather than government grants. The Key Tag Program (launched 1946) is the primary recurring donation mechanism: donors receive key tags that, if lost, can be dropped in any Canadian mailbox and are returned to owners via a partnership with Canada Post; over 550,000 sets of keys have been returned cumulatively. Supplementary revenue streams include an annual 50/50 raffle lottery (with guaranteed $5,000 minimum jackpot, ticketed $10–$100 via the Raffle Nexus platform), monthly giving, legacy/planned giving, corporate sponsorships (including WestJet, BC Lions, Vancouver Canadians, PNE, FlyOver Canada, The Old Spaghetti Factory, and Nellie's Clean), tribute giving, and Carter's Project (a BC Lung Foundation partnership for air-quality interventions). Digital channels include the tbvets.org website, Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, an email newsletter, free monthly webinars on Zoom, and the weekly 'Get Up and Breathe' fitness program.

TB Vets' operational footprint is intentionally narrow: a single Vancouver headquarters, 1–10 employees, and grantmaking restricted to British Columbia. Cumulative grantmaking by region totals approximately $15.9M (Vancouver Coast Mountains $9.7M, Thompson Okanagan $2.2M, Vancouver Island $2.4M, BC Rockies $861K, Northern Region $700K, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast $141K), with roughly $5M granted in the most recent six years serving approximately 219,000 patients. Leadership is led by Executive Director Joanne Walter Henderson, a decorated President and Board Chair of the Royal Canadian Legion's TVS Branch 44, who joined the Canadian Navy in 1969 and was herself a tuberculosis patient treated at Vancouver General Hospital.

Name

TUBERCULOUS VETERANS' ASSOCIATION

Legal name

TB Vets Charitable Foundation

Website

https://tbvets.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TB Vets Charitable Foundation is a Vancouver-based Canadian non-profit that funds respiratory equipment, research, and education for BC hospitals and universities, primarily through its Key Tag lost-and-found donation program, 50/50 raffles, and community giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation - Respiratory Health

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infectious Disease & Immunization Program Funding (HLAJALAH)

Keywords

• Respiratory health charity
• Medical equipment grants
• Charitable fundraising foundation
• Community health programs
• Veterans health support

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

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. Key Tag Program Donations: The Key Tag Program is the primary fundraising mechanism. Donors contribute and receive key tags in return; lost keys are returned via Canada Post. Program has returned over 550,000 keys since 1946.
2. 50/50 Raffle Lottery: TB Vets conducts 50/50 raffle lotteries with ticket sales funding respiratory equipment for BC hospitals. Sales open annually with guaranteed jackpot prizes.
3. Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donations from supporters, providing steady funding for respiratory equipment and programs.
4. Legacy Giving: Planned gifts through Wills, RRSPs/RRIFs, life insurance, and securities donations.
5. Corporate Sponsorships: Cash contributions, event sponsorships, in-kind donations, and in-store presence partnerships with businesses.
6. Tribute Giving: Donations made in memory or honor of loved ones, with optional acknowledgment cards sent to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TB Vets Charitable Foundation is a registered British Columbia charity that raises funds through donations, the Key Tag lost-and-found program, and a 50/50 raffle to provide respiratory medical equipment, research sponsorship, and education bursaries. It grants approximately 20 ventilators per year to BC hospitals and funds TB and respiratory research at VGH/UBC and RCH/SFU. It also offers community programs including free online fitness classes and educational webinars.

Product overview

TB Vets Charitable Foundation is a charitable organization, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of charitable programs: the Key Tag Program (a lost-and-found service where donations fund respiratory care), the 50/50 Raffle (lottery fundraising), the Get Up and Breathe Fitness Program (free online fitness classes), Respiratory Grants (funding for hospitals to purchase respiratory equipment), Research Sponsorship (TB and respiratory research at BC hospitals), Respiratory Therapy Education (bursaries at Thompson Rivers University), and Carter's Project (air quality initiative with BC Lung Foundation). These are charitable programs, not commercial technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Key Tag Program Lost-and-found key tag service where donors receive key tags with their donation; lost keys found and dropped in any Canadian mailbox are returned to TB Vets via Canada Post and then returned to owners at no cost.
• 50/50 Raffle Charity raffle program where ticket sales fund neonatal transport ventilators for remote communities in British Columbia; the winner receives 50% of total ticket sales with a guaranteed minimum jackpot of $5,000.
• Get Up and Breathe Fitness Program Free online fitness program held weekly via Zoom focusing on better heart and lung health for all ages and fitness levels, taught by professional fitness instructor Nazim Hussain.
• Respiratory Grants Grant program providing funding for BC hospitals, universities, search and rescue organizations, and related institutions to purchase respiratory equipment, support research, training, and programs advancing respiratory health and care.
• Respiratory Equipment Provision Provision of state-of-the-art respiratory equipment including jet ventilators for preterm babies, portable breathing equipment for emergency bedside treatment, and ventilators for hospitals across British Columbia.
• Research Sponsorship Sponsorship of tuberculosis and respiratory research at Vancouver General Hospital/UBC and Royal Columbian Hospital/SFU, supporting groundbreaking studies of TB and ICU care.
• Respiratory Therapy Education Support Bursaries for Respiratory Therapy students at Thompson Rivers University (the only specialized RT program in BC) plus patient simulators and training equipment for UBC, BCIT, and TRU.
• Carter's Project Partnership initiative with BC Lung Foundation providing outdoor and indoor air quality monitors, HEPA-filtered devices, clean-air DIY kits, and lung health education workshops for underserved communities in BC.
• Free Educational Webinars Monthly free webinars on topics including health, lifestyle, finance, and estate planning presented by experts in various fields for donors and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.7 million lives helped over 75 years through ventilator provision
• +3 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

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TEAAM Aeromedical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Technical Evacuation Advanced Aero Medical Society partnership for wildfire preparedness webinars. TEAAM provides advanced life-support medical care and medically directed rescue services in BC's remote locations using hoist-equipped helicopters. Webinar on July 7, 2026 covers practical wildfire preparedness strategies and health considerations.
• Vancouver General Hospital / University of British ColumbiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB Vets sponsors groundbreaking Tuberculosis and Respiratory research at VGH/UBC. These institutions house some of the leading research laboratories in the world.
• Royal Columbian Hospital / Simon Fraser UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB Vets sponsors TB and respiratory research at RCH/SFU research facilities.
• Thompson Rivers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB Vets provides bursaries to students studying Respiratory Therapy at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops. The RT program is the only specialized Respiratory Therapy education program in BC. TB Vets also provides patient simulators and training equipment.
• BC Institute of Technology (BCIT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB Vets has provided patient simulators (Juno patient manikin) and training equipment to BCIT nursing and respiratory therapy programs.
• University of British Columbia (UBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTB Vets has provided training equipment and patient simulators to UBC for healthcare education.
• BC Lung FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarter's Project partnership for air quality monitors, HEPA-filtered devices, clean-air DIY kits, and lung health education workshops for underserved communities in BC.
• WestJetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for TB Vets initiatives.
• BC LionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for TB Vets fundraising initiatives.
• Vancouver CanadiansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMinor league baseball team event sponsor.
• PNE (Pacific National Exhibition)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPNE event sponsorship for TB Vets.
• FlyOver CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor partnership.
• The Old Spaghetti FactoryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for TB Vets initiatives.
• Nellie's CleanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for TB Vets initiatives.
• Canada PostcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanada Post delivers lost key tags found in mailboxes to TB Vets, enabling the Key Tag return service.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Lung Association: National respiratory health charity operating across Canada, with broader scope (asthma, COPD, lung cancer, tobacco control) than TB Vets. Directly comparable mission (respiratory health) and donation-supported model, but larger scale and national footprint.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: One of Canada's largest health charities, with a similar model of donor-funded research, equipment, and education. Comparable on fundraising mechanics (monthly giving, planned giving, corporate sponsorships) and grant-funded hospital programs, though focused on cardiovascular rather than respiratory disease.
• United Way British Columbia: BC-focused grantmaking and fundraising organization that distributes funds to local health and social programs. Comparable community-led fundraising model and BC geographic focus, with broader social-service scope than respiratory-specific giving.
• Canadian Red Cross: Large national humanitarian charity with a comparable diversified fundraising model (monthly giving, planned giving, corporate sponsorships, community programs). Adjacent rather than directly competing, but operates an overlapping donor demographic and fundraising infrastructure.

Regional players

• BC Children's Hospital Foundation: Major BC-focused health charity raising funds for pediatric hospital equipment, research, and education. Comparable in BC geographic focus and hospital-grant model, but serves pediatric rather than respiratory-specific patients.
• Vancouver General Hospital & UBC Hospital Foundation: BC hospital foundation that is itself a recipient of TB Vets grants. Comparable charitable fundraising model, donor base, and hospital equipment grant focus, but broader in scope than TB Vets.

Direct peers

• The Lung Health Foundation: Canadian respiratory health charity funding research, education, and advocacy for lung disease. Most directly comparable in mission and donor-supported grantmaking model, though with a broader respiratory mandate than TB Vets.
• BC Lung Foundation: BC Lung Foundation is a direct peer — also a BC-based health nonprofit focused on lung and respiratory health. TB Vets is itself a Carter's Project partner with BC Lung Foundation, and both target the same donor and community audience in BC.

Emerging players

• Asthma Canada: National respiratory health charity focused on asthma education, research, and support. Comparable donation-driven, mission-aligned model and respiratory focus, with smaller scale than TB Vets.
• Cystic Fibrosis Canada: National charity focused on cystic fibrosis, a respiratory disease. Comparable grant-making model (research funding, hospital/clinic grants, RT education support) and donor base, with a narrower disease focus than TB Vets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tbvets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPcbzlAz3_iUqQIAIBHgYkQ/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/tbvets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tb-vets-charitable-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/tbvets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 TUBERCULOUS VETERANS' ASSOCIATION