Kindred News

2024:

• March 2024: IWK Health in Halifax, Nova Scotia launches their Treats & Treasures Cart - the 6th Cart in Canada.

• The 100% Fund Grant awardees are announced.  Thank you for helping us fund three grants focused on difficult to cure childhood cancers - pediatric leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma, and osteosarcoma.

2023:

• December 2023: The DECRYPT Research Grant for rare childhood brain tumours is announced!  Congratulations to Dr. Annie Huang from SickKids and her cross-Canada team!

• The Partners in Kindness fundraiser launches as a joint initiative between Kindred Foundation, Phoebe Rose Rocks, and Eli's Childhood Cancer Foundation.  Together, we are raising funds for two new 100% Fund grants in 2024 and for the Family Support Package program that provides $350 in gift cards to childhood cancer families and young adults with cancer.

• November 2023: Conquering Everest in the Alps means training never stops.  Follow and support Martin Bell and his team as they ski up the equivalent of Mount Everest over four days in March 2024.  All funds raised are going towards funding an international strategy for research into childhood and young adult glioma and DLGNT brain tumours.

• October 2023: Kindred Foundation and Eli's Childhood Cancer Foundation announce our partnership to fund childhood cancer research.  You can read more about the newly created Eli's Committee and in our information release (PDF).

• September 2023: The 2023 Kindred Cares grant opens to fund hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care projects and programs for children and adults.

• July 2023: The 2023 Kindred Foundation x Adventure4Change Scholarship recipients are announced! Congratulations to Abdulmajid Abdulmajid and Salma Elnady! 

• The 2023 Kindred Foundation Youth Mental Health Grant awardees are announced!

• The Treats & Treasures Cart is now at CancerCare Manitoba for children with cancer and their families!

• June 2023: The Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation becomes part of Kindred Foundation.  Over this year, the Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation will wind down their administration as a charity.  Together, we will create the Phoebe Rose Rocks Committee which will be under Kindred Foundation.  This committee will be a joint committee between members of Kindred Foundation and Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation.  The committee will be responsible for directing funds raised by Phoebe Rose Rocks to childhood cancer research and programs, supported and managed by Kindred Foundation.

• May 2023: Kindred Foundation began accepting applications for the Kindred Foundation x Adventure4Change Scholarship! The Kindred Foundation x Adventure4Change Scholarship was established in 2022 and is dedicated to supporting the achievement of academic excellence by Adventure4Change (A4C) Alumni. Kindred Foundation manages the scholarship, and a committee created by Kindred Foundation decides upon awardees. For more details, please visit our Scholarships page. 

• March 2023: Kindred Foundation began accepting applications for the Youth Mental Health Grant. 

• February 2023: DECRYPT (Defeating Embryonal Cancer in Young People Together) began accepting Letters of Intent! DECRYPT will fund research that will ideally lead to a significant change in understanding, diagnosis, and/or treatment of childhood embryonal brain tumours. Letters of Intent are due April 10th! 

• January 2023: Kindred Foundation is excited to announce that there is now a fourth Canadian Treats & Treasures Cart! Many thanks to B.C. Children's Hospital for joining in on the magic of the Cart! 

2022:

• December 2022: Kindred Foundation presents the 2022 Kindred Cares recipients!

• Kindred Foundation announces its role in DECRYPT (Defeating Embryonal Cancer in Young People Together). DECRYPT is funded by Kindred Foundation, Cancer Research Society (CRS), Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation, Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, The Miracle Marnie Foundation, Childhood Cancer Canada, and Tali’s Fund. DECRYPT will fund research that will ideally lead to a significant change in understanding, diagnosis, and/or treatment of childhood embryonal brain tumours. 

• October 2022: Kindred Foundation partners with The ACTION Consortium to help fund innovative approaches to accelerating clinical trials and the evaluation of novel therapies for relapsed and refractory neuroblastoma cancer.  Kindred Foundation commits to fund $450,000 USD of this $2 million USD research grant for the Canadian operations of this grant.

• September 2022: The annual Kindred Foundation x Adventure4Change Scholarship opens for applications.  This scholarship is dedicated to supporting the achievement of academic excellence by Adventure4Change (A4C) Alumni. The Scholarship is managed by Kindred Foundation and awardees are decided upon by a committee created by Kindred Foundation. 

• Awardees of the inaugural Kindred Foundation Youth Mental Health Grant are announced!

• August 2022: Kindred Foundation partners with The Black Education Fund, providing funding for four multi-year scholarships for students studying in the area of mental health and/or health sciences.  Kindred Foundation also partners with The Black Business and Professional Association, providing funding for two multi-year scholarships for students studying in the area of mental health and/or health sciences.

• July 2022: Two new Kindred Foundation and The EVAN Foundation Treats & Treasures Carts are launched!  We are proud to welcome Jim Pattison Children's Hospital and Alberta Children's Hospital to the Treats & Treasures Cart program.

• June 2022: Launch of the Kindred Foundation Youth Mental Health Grant focused on providing financial support to Canadian organizations providing mental health services to Black and/or 2SLGBTQ+ youth across the country. The goal of the Youth Mental Health Grant is to ensure that organizations directly assisting Black and/or 2SLGBTQ+ youth communities with mental health challenges and illness have the funds they need to carry out their mission. 

• Kindred Foundation partnered with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada to co-fund two childhood blood cancer research innovation grants.  We are helping to fund projects led by Dr. Cynthia Guidos (SickKids) and Dr. Florian Kuchenbauer (BC Cancer).

2021:

• December 2021: Kindred Foundation announces two new childhood cancer partnerships.  The Foundation is funding one full-time position at SickKids (Toronto, Ontario) for the oncology Resource Navigator program that helps families throughout a childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Kindred Foundation is also the lead funder of the Childhood Cancer Canada Benevolent Fund that assists families with funeral costs if their child dies from cancer.

• November 1, 2021: Kindred Foundation partners with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) to co-fund two of five Pediatric Blood Cancer Research Innovation Grants.  Working together to push the understanding and treatment landscape of childhood leukemia forward.

• October 29, 2021: Kindred Foundation partners to fund a Canadian adolescent and young adult oncology (AYA) grant focused on the "Molecular Classification of Primary CNS Tumours in Adolescent and Young Adults."  The proposal from Dr. Uri Tabori, Dr. Julie Bennett and Dr. Cynthia Hawkins was selected by the C17 Research Network for funding in the Canadian AYA Oncology Grant Competition.  This study is funded by Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network (through collaboration and financial support from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer Corporation and Health Canada), Michael Kamin Hart Research Fund (AYA Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Center) and Kindred Foundation.   

• October 2021: The first Kindred Cares Grant launches to provide funding to Ontario residential hospice and pediatric palliative care research, projects and programs.

• September 29, 2021: The first Treats & Treasures Cart launches at Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. (PDF)

  • • Kindred Foundation and The EVAN Foundation are thrilled to announce that on the last day of September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the first Treats & Treasures Cart launched in Canada at Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton.  The Cart is filled with healthy snacks, candy, toys and lots of fun items for children with cancer and their families to enjoy.  The Treats & Treasures Cart brings beautiful moments of joy to children and their families as they navigate the challenges of childhood cancer.

• September 14, 2021: Kindred Foundation launches the U-Link Patient and Family Fund. (PDF)

  • • Kindred Foundation and the Phoebe Rose Rocks Foundation are pleased to announce a joint program to provide financial assistance to families who must travel to access Phase 1 or 2 clinical trials in Canada for children and adolescents with cancer.  The program launches in co-ordination with a nationwide initiative called U-Link.care, a new website providing information about early phase clinical trials to families who have a child with cancer.

• September 8, 2021: Kindred Foundation formally launches. (PDF)

  • • Kindred Foundation is a Canadian charity dedicated to funding health research and programs within three pillars; 1. Childhood cancer research and clinical trials, 2. Youth mental and physical health, and 3. Community support (e.g., food security, hospice/palliative care).  To ensure sustainable giving the Foundation is built on a solid financial endowment model with 100% of receipted donations directed towards the charitable purpose. 

• September 8, 2021: Brydon Cruise, Co-Founder of Kindred Foundation, is appointed as Chair of the CMLS Financial Advisory Committee.

  • • “CMLS is the perfect environment in which to grow a high-performance financial advisory platform,” says Brydon. “I look forward to expanding the business and creating enhanced value for our clients. I am also pleased that CMLS Financial will be a strong supporter of Kindred Foundation and our promise to make a difference for kids, families and communities across Canada.”  Read the CMLS Financial Press Release (PDF).

• September 12, 2021: Kindred Foundation, Tecasy Ranch and friends take part in the Hike for Hospice and fundraise for Hospice Peterborough.