Home / About Us / Reports / Making a Difference 2022

Making a Difference: 2022

Charities, non-profits, and foundations exist because we see a need, and we can’t sit back and wait for a solution.  We form because someone or something needs help and we want to do something, find answers, and be of service.  Often, the problems being faced are large, complex, and can feel unsolvable.  Sometimes, the problems faced are understood, direct, and can be answered with immediate help.  It is about working to make a difference now, in the short term, but also for future generations, in the long term.

When you start from a place of reacting to address a complex and immediate need, it is very difficult for charities to stabilize and weather unexpected impacts.  Even if these organizations can grow into more established entities, it can still be hard for them to invest in innovative programming and projects as they maintain existing operations.

At Kindred, we recognize that the charities we partner with will have differing levels of need; based on whether they are a grassroots organization, a well-established charity, or something in between.  We tailor our support accordingly to help our charity partners grow, strengthen and do more.

Our carefully and expertly managed endowment fund allows us to provide financial support, but if needed, we can also offer fundraising expertise, volunteer hours, access to an incredible venue called Tecasy Ranch in Peterborough, Ontario, connections through our corporate partners, introductions to other foundations, and more.  We focus on building meaningful partnerships with the charities we support, partnerships that can be more than just funding.

The ACTION Consortium Research Grant for Relapsed and Refractory Neuroblastoma 

The ACTION Consortium is a group of non-profits committed to: Advancing Clinical Trial Implementation and Optimization in Neuroblastoma.

Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Programs

Cancer treatment is extremely difficult. For children with cancer, it can mean years of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, immunotherapy, and other treatments to try and cure their disease.  The toll on the child and their family can be immense, with many families struggling emotionally, socially, financially, and in other numerous ways.

At Kindred, we fund childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer research because we need more and better treatments for these kids.  We also fund programs that support children and their families during treatment to help ease a small amount of the burden.  The charitable initiatives that we funded in 2022 in the area of cancer are:

U-Link Patient and Family Fund

The U-Link Patient and Family Fund is a financial program for families across Canada who must travel to access treatment through clinical trials for children and adolescents with cancer. 

Early phase clinical trials are critical for children with relapsed and hard-to-cure cancers.  They often allow access to innovative and cutting-edge therapies that may otherwise not be available to them.  Unfortunately, only a few pediatric hospitals in Canada offer these clinical trials, requiring families to travel long distances at great expense.

Having a child in cancer treatment is hard enough.  When a family must travel long distances to access an early phase clinical trial, this creates even more challenges. Families should not have to worry about the extra costs that come with travel so they can stay focused on what really matters, their child.

Fund Details: 

• For Canadian families who have a child with cancer and. must travel 150 km or more to access a treatment-based early-phase clinical trial. The fund covers costs such as accommodations, food, and other expenses

• The application to the U-Link Patient and Family fund is simple and the expense reimbursement process is streamlined to ensure that undue stress is not put on a family during an already difficult time 

• The fund is managed by a committee with membership from the two charities and a pediatric oncologist. All applications are reviewed in confidence and with guidance from the child's social worker. 

Youth Mental and Physical Health 

2022 saw constant reporting on the mental health challenges being faced by youth across Canada and the world.  Youth are struggling and health systems are challenged to keep up with the need and care they require.  Meaningful, elegant, and effective solutions are necessary to provide youth with effective mental health care.  In 2022, Kindred Foundation funded a number of initiatives focused on youth mental and physical health.  These were:

Youth Mental Health Grant 

The Kindred Foundation Youth Mental Health Grant aims to ensure that organizations directly assisting Black and/or 2SLGBTQ+ youth communities with mental health challenges and illnesses have the funds they need to carry out their mission. 

Started in 2022, the Kindred Foundation Youth Mental Health Grant is an annual grant that utilizes a streamlined submission process to reduce the application burden on grassroots organizations.

$188,500 donated | 6 projects funded in 2022:

"Kindred Foundation has brought me a step closer to achieving my goal of making a difference in my community!" 

- Recipient of a Kindred Foundation x Adventure4Change Scholarship

Community Support

Community is about relationships among people that are built on trust, belonging, and caring for one another.  Healthy communities can create connections and foster systems that nurture and heal individuals and families.  There are many aspects to what makes a community strong, with serious consequences to the health of the community when these are neglected.  At this time, Kindred is focused on two areas within community support – food insecurity and end-of-life care for adults and children.  We believe that these are two critical areas of focus in terms of the severity of the problem and the current level of unmet need.

Food Insecurity 

The pandemic brought so many changes.  In particular, rising food costs have created a cascade of challenges for individuals and families, also placing significant strain on food banks, meal programs, and other initiatives focused on addressing food insecurity within Canada.  Increased demand compounded with increased food costs has resulted in significant challenges when running food programs.  The following are the food insecurity programs that Kindred Foundation supported in 2022:

Hospice and End-of-Life Care for Adults and Children

There are very few Foundations that provide funding for hospice and palliative care, and we are proud that Kindred Foundation is one of them.  To date, Kindred has donated over $131,000 to impactful projects and programs in the area of hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care.  The following provides more information on our Kindred Cares Grant for pediatric and adult hospice and palliative care programs.

Some Examples of Work Funded by Kindred in the Pediatric Space:

• Hospice Northwest: A pilot program that supports bereaved Indigenous youth using cultural-based learning. 

• Hospice of Waterloo Region: A program for bereaved children to process grief using art and music. 

• Hospice Wellington: An Art and Narrative Therapy research project which utilizes art and storytelling to gain insight and personal perspectives through grief. 

• Hospital for Sick Children: Child Life is investigating the use of virtual reality for adolescents to connect and interact with others when in the hospital or at home. 

• Nipissing Serenity: is building a gazebo to offer a peaceful outdoor venue to run grief, bereavement, and wellness programs for all.  

• Rotary Flames: Launching a pilot program to provide additional therapeutic recreational activities for children with life-limiting conditions. 

With Immense Gratitude for Our Donors and Supporters

We are deeply grateful to Kindred Foundation donors and supporters.  You help to make all of our work possible – you are all part of helping to find solutions to complex problems.  Every dollar donated to Kindred Foundation is allocated to our charitable purpose.  All of your donated dollars go towards grants to charities and Foundation programs.

Our accomplishments and successes are your accomplishments and successes.  We are all in this together and are working to make a difference.  Thank you for being a part of Kindred Foundation.

To Close, With Kindness

As we enter 2023, everyone at Kindred Foundation wishes you good health and happiness.  We hope that you experience kindness that makes your heart swell.  We hope that you give kindness to others that creates beautiful moments you will never forget.

Take care of yourselves and each other.