Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Fondation Rosemère

Fondation Rosemère is a community foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life of Rosemère residents living with physical or mental health problems. Active for more than 30 years, it has distributed over $500,000 to families and individuals in the municipality. Its support takes the form of targeted grants that complement services offered by the public health and social services network.

The foundation focuses on three main groups: children, adults and seniors. Grants may cover respite for families, specialized care, purchase of special medications, acquisition of specialized equipment, one‑time health‑related assistance, and adaptations to housing that allow people with degenerative diseases or disabilities to remain safely at home.

Applications for funding are not sent directly by beneficiaries, but are prepared and submitted by professionals from the public system, such as social workers, occupational therapists and other clinicians responsible for the client’s file. These professionals first ensure that all services available from the public network are in place, then turn to Fondation Rosemère to finance more specialized or private services and technical expenses that are not covered.

Each year, the foundation responds to roughly twenty grant requests from Rosemère citizens. Some beneficiaries may receive support over several years, with distinct services funded at each request, for example evolving needs of children who become adults or seniors requiring increased support.

Historically, the main annual fundraising activity was a golf tournament held at the Rosemère Golf Club. Since 2019, the foundation has been diversifying its financing through new events and partnerships with community stakeholders. Recognized by both federal and provincial governments as a registered charity, it can issue tax receipts for donations above a stated threshold, encouraging individual and corporate contributions that are then redistributed in the form of grants every year.

Through this model, Fondation Rosemère plays a niche but important role in the local funding ecosystem, filling gaps between public services and the real, day‑to‑day needs of vulnerable residents, and occasionally supporting projects such as specialized pedagogical equipment for local schools.