Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Pediatric Research Foundation (PRF)

The Pediatric Research Foundation is a Quebec-based charitable foundation dedicated to advancing pediatric health research. It mobilizes private and institutional donations and redistributes these funds to four major pediatric research centres — CHU Sainte-Justine, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, CHU de Sherbrooke and CHU de Québec–Université Laval — as well as to partner organizations such as the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) and the CMDO network. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $73–75 million to experienced and emerging researchers, supporting hundreds of innovative projects aimed at preventing and curing childhood diseases.

The Foundation finances large-scale excellence-based research projects across six main axes of pediatric health: perinatal, neonatal and obstetrics; rare and genetic diseases; inflammation and infections; neurodevelopment and mental health; cancer; and metabolic and cardiovascular health. It also funds projects in other emerging areas. In collaboration with FRQS and CMDO, it awards scholarships and fellowships each year to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and established investigators working in pediatric research in Quebec.

A flagship initiative is the National Competition for Young Researchers, which offers several competitive grants, including an Innovation Grant of $60,000 and multiple $30,000 grants over two years. This program targets early-career independent researchers (10 years or less of experience), providing pilot funding to strengthen their applications to major granting agencies.

Funding is open to researchers affiliated with recognized university research centres and health networks with a pediatric mission, as well as to graduate and postdoctoral students in pediatric research in Quebec. Projects are selected through a rigorous peer-review process led by a provincial scientific committee composed of experts from the main pediatric centres. Evaluation emphasizes scientific excellence, innovation, originality, multi-centre and multidisciplinary collaboration, direct impact on children’s health, and strong potential for leverage and long-term research growth.

Funded projects are expected to contribute to translational research that is close to patients and breaks down silos between disciplines. Recipients must submit annual reports, and the distribution of funds among the four centres follows guidelines set by their leadership, ensuring accountable and strategic use of donations.

By funding both basic and clinical research, as well as community and psychosocial projects, the Foundation supports a wide spectrum of stakeholders: pediatricians, clinician-scientists, neuroscientists, oncologists, psychologists, social scientists and other health professionals. Children and adolescents with conditions ranging from cancer and rare diseases to neurodevelopmental disorders, mental health challenges and cardiometabolic diseases benefit from advances generated by these projects.

The Foundation also emphasizes equity, diversity and inclusion and prioritizes vulnerable populations, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with disabilities and Indigenous communities. Through its leverage effect — where each donated dollar can attract five to twenty times more research funding — it plays a catalytic role in expanding pediatric research capacity in Quebec and contributing to international medical knowledge.

The Pediatric Research Foundation operates under a strict governance framework. An experienced scientific committee, including leading researchers from the four pediatric centres, oversees project selection and monitors results. Strategic partnerships with FRQS, CMDO and other institutions allow the Foundation to co-fund programs, support centres of excellence and multiply the impact of its resources while maintaining high standards of transparency and accountability.