Role of Sappani Foundation in the funding ecosystem
The Sappani Foundation is a private family foundation created by Abi and Vijay Sappani to “be a voice for the voiceless”. Based on their immigrant experience in Canada, the founders channel their philanthropy into strategic funding that combines education, science and public policy to break cycles of poverty and exclusion. The foundation supports projects and organizations whose work directly benefits women and girls, disabled and special‑needs children, marginalized communities living in poverty, and initiatives that strengthen democracy, freedom and conflict resolution.
The foundation’s funding model is partnership‑oriented. It backs established charities, patient groups and policy institutes rather than running front‑line services itself. Sappani Foundation provides grants, fellowships and scholarships, and explicitly states that no portion of the funding it provides may be used for indirect or overhead costs, emphasizing transparency, sustainability and long‑term impact.
Main funding themes and instruments
- Education: Funding for projects that expand access to education for children, especially girls, from marginalized communities, low‑income families, BIPOC communities and children with disabilities. This includes scholarships such as the Ela Award, delivered with the CNIB Foundation, which supports BIPOC girls with sight loss pursuing post‑secondary education.
- Rare diseases: Support for collaborations between universities, patient organizations and companies focused on ultra‑rare genetic disorders. The foundation funds research and development projects as well as digital platforms that help rare‑disease groups coordinate and accelerate their work, with a particular interest in glycosylation disorders.
- Public policy: Grants and fellowships for governance and policy initiatives that advance research, dialogue and better public policy. Current efforts include the Sappani Fellows program at the Macdonald‑Laurier Institute to foster thought leadership on Canada–India relations and broader democratic issues.
Supported audiences and impact
Sappani Foundation’s portfolio spans Canadian and international partners such as Melanie’s Way, Asha for Education, CNIB Foundation, CDG Canada, the Macdonald‑Laurier Institute and the Mosaic Institute. Through these partners it sponsors wishes for young women with metastatic cancer, strengthens inclusive education in India, advances research on congenital disorders of glycosylation and supports high‑impact policy work.
Across all initiatives, the foundation seeks measurable, transparent outcomes and a strong alignment with its core values of empowerment, equality and community benefit. Rather than issuing broad public calls, it focuses on carefully selected, mission‑aligned collaborations where its financial support, advocacy and networks can unlock disproportionate social impact.