Role of WaterStone Foundation in the funding ecosystem
WaterStone Foundation is a Canadian charitable foundation founded in 2014 to address critical gaps in awareness, treatment, and support for individuals living with eating disorders. Based in Etobicoke, Ontario, the foundation mobilizes philanthropy from individual donors, families, and corporate partners to fund evidence-informed services across the continuum of care. Its goal is to help create healthy lives free from eating disorders by investing where the need is greatest and outcomes are most profound.
WaterStone’s funding focuses on expanding access to specialized treatment and support. The foundation has supported hospitals, community mental health organizations, and higher education institutions to pilot or grow programs that reduce wait times, improve transitions between levels of care, and reach people who might otherwise go untreated.
Key grant and financial support activities
Through its Public Program Grants (2017–2020), WaterStone Foundation provided seven grants to publicly funded institutions. These grants helped expand capacity in programs such as multi-family group therapy at Southlake Regional Health Centre, PTSD treatment components at Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals, an extended day program at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), and step-down supportive housing delivered with CMHA Middlesex in London, Ontario. Funding often covered staffing, program expansion, or pilot initiatives that improved outcomes for patients and families.
From 2014 to 2022, the foundation operated a Financial Aid Program for individuals unable to access adequate public services and lacking the means for private treatment. Working with private clinics and specialized therapists, WaterStone provided grants that subsidized therapy costs, enabling dozens of individuals to receive otherwise inaccessible care.
In 2022, WaterStone launched the Student Support Program, which provides funding to universities and colleges to hire dedicated eating disorder therapists. These funded positions offer free, specialized counselling, support groups, and campus-wide health promotion for students. The program has been implemented at institutions such as Toronto Metropolitan University, George Brown College, Carleton University, and Durham College, delivering thousands of hours of free counselling with minimal wait times.
Publics served and overall impact
WaterStone Foundation’s funding primarily serves youth, young adults, and families affected by eating disorders, with a strong emphasis on early intervention and continuity of care. Impact indicators shared by the foundation include thousands of youth reached through education, hundreds of health professionals trained, millions of dollars raised, and dozens of individuals receiving direct financial aid alongside thousands of hours of free counselling.
In addition to direct funding, WaterStone curates and highlights community resources and treatment providers across Canada, helping individuals and families navigate available services. Its audited financial statements and community impact reporting demonstrate a commitment to transparent stewardship of donor funds and to sustaining a portfolio of grants and programs that strengthen Canada’s eating disorder treatment system.