Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Héma-Québec Foundation

Héma-Québec Foundation is the philanthropic arm that supports Héma-Québec, the provincial organization responsible for collecting, processing and supplying blood products, plasma derivatives, stem cells, human tissues and donor milk across Québec. Created on 26 October 1999, the Foundation mobilizes individual donors, companies and private foundations to finance strategic and innovative projects that would be difficult to realize through operating budgets alone.

Its funding focuses on several complementary areas: education and recruitment of blood, plasma, stem cell, tissue and milk donors; acquisition of cutting-edge medical and laboratory equipment; and large-scale innovation and research projects that improve patient care and the safety and availability of biological products. The Foundation thus reinforces Héma-Québec’s capacity to meet the needs of patients throughout Québec’s health system.

The Foundation supports concrete initiatives with measurable impact. Examples include the creation and expansion of the Public Mother’s Milk Bank, which supplies pasteurized donor milk to very premature infants and was launched thanks to feasibility studies and start-up funding provided by the Foundation. It has also co-financed advanced specular microscopes for Québec’s eye banks, enabling more corneal grafts by improving evaluation of donor tissues.

Other supported projects include the fetal RhD testing project, which will allow thousands of pregnant women to avoid unnecessary treatments, and a population study on the genetic profile of First Nations in order to better represent them in stem cell donor registries. These projects are often co-funded with hospital foundations and other partners, with Héma-Québec Foundation contributing a defined share of the total budget.

The Foundation does not operate as an open call granting agency; instead, it identifies priority projects in close collaboration with Héma-Québec’s teams and institutional partners. Funds raised through benefit events, corporate campaigns and individual giving are earmarked for specific projects or families of projects, and communication materials regularly highlight “projects in progress” and “funded projects” to demonstrate the impact of donations.

By channeling private and corporate generosity toward donor recruitment programs, specialized training for blood bank technicians, advanced diagnostic tests and strategic research, Héma-Québec Foundation plays a key role in strengthening Québec’s donation and transplantation ecosystem and in offering better chances of recovery to thousands of recipients and their families.