Role of the Miriam Foundation in the funding ecosystem
Created in 1973 and based in Mont-Royal (Montréal), the Miriam Foundation is a charitable, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities (ID) and other neurodevelopmental challenges. Rather than operating as a traditional grant program administrator, the foundation raises funds and reinvests them in a portfolio of services, programs and facilities delivered mainly through the Gold Learning & Research Centre and associated residential resources.
The foundation explicitly positions itself as the largest organization in Québec dedicated to funding comprehensive and personalized services for neurodiverse people of all ages. Its financial support covers clinical intervention, educational and leisure programs, as well as community housing and specialized assessment and follow-up services.
Funding orientations and main areas of support
The Miriam Foundation’s fundraising activities – including raffles, charity golf tournaments, art auctions and benefit evenings – provide the resources needed to sustain a wide range of initiatives. According to its achievements, the foundation has invested nearly $75 million in the community since 1973, including major envelopes for access to specialized care, the continuum of services and qualified teams, real estate and equipment acquisitions, and medical research and innovation.
Its funding priorities include:
- Comprehensive clinical and behavioral intervention services for children, adolescents and adults (e.g., ABA, ESDM, verbal behavior).
- Educational, recreational and creative arts programs that foster autonomy, social participation and quality of life.
- Fifteen community-based residential homes for neurodiverse adults, in partnership with Miriam Home & Services, including infrastructure maintenance and acquisitions.
- Training and knowledge transfer activities for families, educators, clinicians and other professionals.
- Applied research and evaluation projects aimed at validating and improving intervention models, and at influencing public systems.
Supported audiences and overall impact
The foundation targets individuals with ASD and ID and their families across the life course, from early childhood to adulthood. By subsidizing the Gold Centre and related services, it helps reduce wait times, bridge gaps in publicly funded services and maintain a continuum of support that includes assessment, counseling, behavior management, social inclusion, vocational preparation and housing.
The foundation’s investments also extend to infrastructure development and equipment acquisition for clinical, educational, recreational and residential programs. This integrated approach allows it to address both direct service delivery and the structural conditions that enable sustainable, high-quality support for neurodivergent people in Québec.
Research, partnerships and innovation
Research is described as central to the Miriam Foundation’s mission. It supports evaluative and applied research, often co-constructed with clinicians and academic partners, to refine intervention models and facilitate their scaling within the public health and social services network. The foundation’s staff publish in peer-reviewed journals, contribute to books and present at national and international conferences on autism and intellectual disability.
Through these activities, the Miriam Foundation acts as a driver of innovation, testing and disseminating best practices and supporting policy-relevant knowledge. Its role in the funding ecosystem is therefore both operational—through the services it finances—and strategic, by helping to shape more accessible, evidence-based systems of care for people with ASD and ID in Québec and beyond.