Health is foundational to all else.

Long before the unprecedented, global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our lives, Calgary Health Foundation supporters invested in community wellness and resilience. As a result, the past 25 years of support have resulted in philanthropic investments of $528 million, making extraordinary impacts on the lives of not only Calgarians but all Albertans.

Sooner or later, and often unexpectedly, we all depend on the health care system. And when we do, only the best possible outcome is acceptable. That’s why Calgary Health Foundation and our supporters quickly pivoted during the public health crisis to advance breakthroughs in care, wellness and research. We supported Alberta Health Services by nearly doubling COVID-19 lab testing capacity with generous community contributions, providing tablet computers to isolated long-term care residents to ensure they were communicating with loved ones and bolstering our stakeholder’s emotional health through the “Text 4 Hope” initiative.

Together, we recognized thousands of southern Alberta frontline health care workers with gratitude meals and invested in urgent research to improve COVID-19 treatments. Expectant and new moms received critical mental health supports as they confronted fear and an isolating parenting experience. Further, we leveraged previous investments to provide life-saving interventions for critically ill patients.

Last year’s unprecedented lottery ticket sales resulted in an unexpected and significant contribution to our operating results. Both hospital lotteries exceeded previous sales records, raising over $13.8 million for health priorities such as mental health and perinatal research.

We also achieved a significant milestone in our Newborns Need campaign to advance maternal and newborn care, wellness and research by surpassing $137.5 million of our $152 million investment commitment for the campaign, including securing a $38 million commitment from the

Government of Alberta towards the Foothills Medical Centre neonatal intensive care unit development. We are grateful for our many campaign donors, AHS support and the Government of Alberta’s collaboration to ensure every newborn in our community has a fighting chance. Read more about the Newborns Need campaign impact.

Our organization continues to benefit from the leadership of an extraordinary Calgarian, outgoing board chair, Bill Sembo. Last year, when the global COVID-19 pandemic consumed our health care system, Bill was instrumental in galvanizing philanthropic funding to expand Alberta’s COVID-19 lab testing capacity by 45 percent. Before the pandemic, Bill was the catalyst behind several significant capital investments in health and health research that continue to transform care in our community. While we miss Bill’s expertise on our board, we are grateful for his continued stewardship of our Newborns Need campaign.

It’s a privilege for us to amplify the extraordinary work of our local health care heroes, steward your capital and enhance health outcomes for the community. Thank you for entrusting the Calgary Health Foundation.

MIKE MELDRUM
President & CEO, Calgary Health Foundation
SANDY EDMONSTONE
Board Chair, Calgary Health Foundation
Philanthropy drives health care excellence by improving patient experiences, delivering higher than average outcomes, expanding system capacity and preventing injury and illness.

Sandy Edmonstone, Board Chair, Calgary Health Foundation

Fundraising costs

Our three-year average cost to raise a dollar is 25%

Given our strategic aspirations to increase fundraising revenue from approximately $23.2 million to $60 million by 2028, we anticipate fundraising costs will remain competitive during this aggressive growth period.

Governance

Over the past year, we added more rigour to our fund disbursement process by mobilizing a funding oversight committee of the board to govern investment decisions. We fund projects that:

  • Impact patient experiences
  • Enhance capacity
  • Advance new technology, ideas or techniques to improve outcomes
  • Improve the standard of care
  • Address gaps between acute and community care
  • Reduce the long-term cost of health care

Financial strength

The Foundation maintains a strong financial position. Over the last several years, in addition to endowed funds, we have accumulated investments that will fund the cost of the expansion and renovation of the Foothills Medical Centre neonatal intensive care unit over the next five years. Our financial strength also provides us with the ability to fund new or unexpected needs such as the urgent expansion of COVID-19 testing.

2020 / 2021 Financials

$14.1M DISBURSEMENTS
$8.4M
Capital projects & equipment
$2.2M
Programs & education
$3.4M
Research*
$150K
Other health institutions
* includes disbursements to the University of Calgary

Newborns Need Campaign

$51.5M
raised to date As of March 31, 2021

Stories of Impact

Your support of Calgary Health Foundation has funded breakthroughs that are transforming lives. See how!

STORY

COVID-19 Care

A team of champions: Dean’s unexpected battle with COVID-19

STORY

Enhancing Wellness in the Community

New experiences enhance quality of life: Virtual Reality provides both recreation and cognitive therapy

STORY

Advancing Critical Research

From HELLP to hope: Maternal clinical research that is saving lives

INVESTMENT SPOTLIGHT

Maternal & Newborn Health

Newborns Need and women's health investments are advancing care for the whole family

INVESTMENT SPOTLIGHT

Mental Health

Ensuring the right care at the right time as demand for mental health and addiction resources is increasing

INVESTMENT SPOTLIGHT

Lotteries

A win-win for Albertans and Calgary hospitals