Role of the Hull Child and Family Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The Hull Child and Family Foundation is a dedicated charitable foundation established on May 6, 1993 to provide long-term financial support to Hull Services in Calgary, Alberta. Created when government funding cuts put pressure on social service agencies, the foundation was designed to leverage Hull’s land assets by developing residual property adjacent to the agency’s grounds. The proceeds from this development were placed into an endowment that forms the core of the foundation’s funding capacity.
Since its inception, the foundation has grown its original endowment of approximately $7 million into a fund of about $12 million, with all earnings directed to sustaining Hull Services. Its financial support underpins a wide range of child and youth mental health and family support services delivered by Hull, including ongoing staff training, infrastructure and facility needs, program development, and capital projects.
Funding provided through the foundation
The Hull Child and Family Foundation operates as a supporting foundation: it does not run programs directly, but instead grants funds to Hull Services as the primary beneficiary. Over three decades, it has granted more than $12 million to the agency. This funding helps ensure that critical services for vulnerable children, youth, and families remain available and can adapt as community needs evolve.
While the website does not describe open calls for proposals or competitive external grant streams, the foundation clearly functions as a structured financial backer of Hull Services. Its allocations contribute to program stability, the maintenance and renewal of facilities, the adoption of evidence-based practices, and larger capital improvements that enhance service capacity.
Governance and relationship with Hull Services
The wider Hull Services site presents the Hull Child and Family Foundation alongside the organization’s senior leadership and Board of Governors, indicating a formal governance link and a distinct board for the foundation. This structure helps ensure that investment decisions and grant allocations align with Hull’s mission to partner with young people and families and to support their mental health and well-being while maintaining appropriate oversight of endowed assets.
Through this long-standing partnership, the foundation plays a strategic role in Hull’s sustainability. Its guidance and financial contributions have helped shape Hull’s growth and its ability to deliver high-quality care to Calgary’s most vulnerable children and families.