The Desjardins Foundation is a charitable foundation within Desjardins Group dedicated to promoting educational success and school perseverance for young people up to age 30 in Quebec, Ontario and other parts of Canada. Active since 1970, it acts as a major grantmaker in the Canadian education and youth development ecosystem, investing several million dollars every year in individuals, schools and community organizations.
Role of the Desjardins Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The Foundation operates a diversified portfolio of financial support mechanisms. Its flagship scholarship program provides thousands of post‑secondary students with non‑repayable financial assistance each year, with fixed amounts by level of study and a clearly defined annual application window. Scholarships are awarded jointly by the Foundation and participating Desjardins caisses, significantly increasing the number of recipients across regions.
Complementing individual support, the Desjardins Foundation Prizes offer grants of up to $3,000 to teachers and community workers who lead motivating projects for kindergarten, elementary and high school students. These grants finance concrete initiatives that foster motivation, self‑esteem, social ties and overall well‑being, with a structured yearly call for projects every October.
Support for organizations and philanthropic funds
Beyond direct grants to students and schools, the Foundation provides multi‑year financial support to a network of recognized partner organizations that work on literacy, mental health, science education, social inclusion and school retention. Examples include Academos, Kids Help Phone, Pathways to Education, CFER Network and many others whose programs reach hundreds of thousands of young people.
The Foundation also administers Desjardins Philanthropic Funds, a donor‑advised fund platform that allows individuals, families and groups to create named funds. A percentage of each fund’s value is distributed annually to recommended beneficiary charities, providing stable, long‑term funding for their initiatives while simplifying the legal and administrative aspects for donors.
Governance, scale and impact
Governed by a board of directors drawn from Desjardins leadership and caisse representatives, the Foundation publishes audited financial statements and detailed annual reports. Recent reports show tens of millions of dollars in annual community support, including several million directly from the Foundation for scholarships, Desjardins Foundation Prizes and organizational partnerships. Each year, hundreds of thousands of young people benefit from this assistance, through both individual awards and programs delivered by partner organizations.
Through this combination of scholarships, project funding, institutional partnerships and philanthropic funds, the Desjardins Foundation plays a central role in financing initiatives that keep young people in school and help them build a stronger future.
