Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Health and Social Services Foundation of Énergie

The Health and Social Services Foundation of Énergie is a non‑profit charitable foundation dedicated to improving health and social services for the population served by the CIUSSS de la Mauricie‑et‑du‑Centre‑du‑Québec, Énergie sector. Based in Shawinigan, it mobilizes donations from individuals, businesses and partners, then reinvests these funds in priority projects identified with the local health network. These investments cover equipment purchases, improvements to care environments, therapeutic programs and community‑based initiatives.

The mission of the foundation is to solicit financial participation from the community in order to invest in key projects that enhance the quality and accessibility of care. Its vision is to be a philanthropic leader in health, financially supporting the CIUSSS‑MCQ (Énergie sector) in its major priority issues. The annual reports and news items show recurring investments of several hundred thousand dollars each year within the facilities served.

The foundation’s investments span a wide range of sectors: mental health, physical health, public health, children, youth and families, as well as support for seniors and people with loss of autonomy. Examples highlighted on the site include therapeutic clown visits in long‑term care centres, neonatal resuscitation equipment, recycling solutions for medical masks, specialized equipment for people living with obesity, rocking chairs for new mothers, early hearing‑loss detection devices, art therapy and music programs, zootherapy projects, and improvements to living environments in residential centres.

Funding may take the form of one‑time investments in equipment, support for recurring therapeutic activities, or larger modernization projects in hospital and residential units. Certain dedicated funds reflect donors’ interests, such as funds for seniors, youth, palliative care at home or in hospital, mental health, and hematology‑oncology.

The foundation structures its funding through official tools such as a “Funding request form” and a “Funding request schedule”, which guide internal stakeholders and partners wishing to submit projects. Selection and oversight are carried out within a clear governance framework that includes a board of directors and an executive team, whose members are presented on the site. Decisions align with the CIUSSS‑MCQ’s priority issues and the foundation’s mission and values (engagement, integrity, recognition and proximity).

Through its programs and investments, the foundation benefits many groups: newborns and young families, people living with chronic diseases, users with mental health problems or developmental disabilities, seniors in long‑term care, and patients receiving hematology‑oncology or palliative care services. By financing equipment, environments and therapeutic activities that would not always be covered by regular budgets, the Foundation of Énergie enhances comfort, dignity and quality of life, while helping to keep specialized services close to home for the regional population.