Role of the Montreal Sacré-Cœur Hospital Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The Montreal Sacré-Cœur Hospital Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to improving care within the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, primarily at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur-de-Montréal and the affiliated Albert-Prévost and Rivière-des-Prairies mental health hospitals. Using donations from individuals, companies and community initiatives, the Foundation channels financial support into priority projects that public budgets alone cannot fully cover.
The Foundation invests in several major areas: acquisition of cutting-edge medical equipment, modernization and expansion of clinical facilities, and funding of ambitious research projects that advance diagnosis, treatment and patient follow-up. Since its creation, it reports having granted more than $100M to make life-changing projects a reality for patients and clinical teams.
Types of funding and supported projects
The organization does not operate like a classic open-call grant council; instead, it develops and supports hospital projects in close collaboration with medical and management teams. Donations are structured through major and thematic campaigns such as “I support research at Sacré-Cœur”, funds for child and youth psychiatry, and the creation of an academic chair in advanced monitoring in intensive care. These campaigns finance specific equipment, research platforms and improvements in care environments.
Concrete examples include a contribution of $10M to the Centre intégré de traumatologie (CIT) plus $2.4M for the mother-and-child unit relocation, and $3.4M for the purchase of a PET-CT scanner and the expansion of the nuclear medicine department. These investments support tertiary trauma care, high-risk obstetrics, endoscopy services and oncology diagnostics, among others.
Donor engagement and financial mechanisms
To sustain this funding, the Foundation operates numerous mechanisms: one-time and monthly donations, in memoriam gifts, gifts of publicly traded securities, planned giving such as bequests and life insurance, as well as community fundraising. It also organizes an extensive calendar of benefit events, including a golf tournament, sports and wellness activities, a wine tasting evening, lotteries and special centennial celebrations.
While formal grant application procedures are not detailed on the site, funding decisions clearly aim to maximize clinical impact, strengthen research capacity and enhance patient experience within the hospitals it supports. The Foundation acts as a key philanthropic partner to these institutions, mobilizing the community and reinvesting donations into high-impact health projects in Montréal’s north-end region.