Embedded Files
Home / Community Support / Kindred Cares Grant / Kindred Cares Grant Recipients
Kindred Cares Grant Awardees
The Kindred Cares Grant is focused on funding programs, projects, research and operations in the area of hospice, palliative, and end-of-life care for adults and/or children with life-limiting conditions in Canada.
2024 Awardees
Project Title: Camp Skein at Camp Maple Leaf: A Healing Space for Grieving Children
Location: Ennismore, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Camp Maple Leaf gives children with unique life challenges a camp to call their own that supports and celebrates campers for who they are, while fostering friendships that follow them home. Camp Skein is a 6-day overnight camp designed for children aged 7 to 16 who are grieving the loss of a parent or sibling. It is located on Jacob Island, a 104-acre private island in the Ontario Kawartha Lakes. Guided by grief specialists and counsellors, campers engage in activities that blend support with fun. Campers participate in equine workshops, arts, music, nature exploration, sports, and waterfront activities, all while engaging with their emotions.
Project Title: Enhanced Community Care Program
Location: Vancouver, BC
Funding: $10,000
Canuck Place provides innovative, interdisciplinary clinical care and programming for children and their families in hospices, community hospitals, and at families’ homes throughout BC and Yukon. The Enhanced Community Care Program provides comprehensive in-home care. This includes home visits by expert nurses, 24/7 phone and video consultations, care coordination with healthcare providers, as well as grief and bereavement care. The unique needs of each child and family are addressed through tailored care, which allows children and families to stay at home, where they are comfortable and surrounded by familiarity.
Project Title: Emily’s House at Home
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Emily’s House, located in Toronto, operates at a 10-bed capacity; supporting an average of 350-400 admissions per year. It provides a family-friendly haven and temporary home away from home for children and their families requiring end-of-life palliative care and/or medical respite support. Emily’s House at Home offers care and programming in the patient's own homes, in person, in transition, in hospice, in virtual groups, and in accessible community spaces: accessible wherever a child may be located. New programming will include an away camp, community outings, craft events, and a grief group. A new initiative in development will enable broader access to expertise in geographical locations where access has been previously limited (i.e., rural, underserved areas).
Project Title: Music Therapy Program
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Based in Guelph, Ontario, Hospice Wellington offers hospice palliative care in their 10-bed residence, “Day Away” respite for caregivers, as well as one-to-one and group support through community programs. Hospices Wellington’s music therapy is an ongoing program where a music therapist actively supports the socio-emotional, physiological and spiritual well-being of individuals at end-of-life. This program allows palliative care patients and their loved ones to benefit from the opportunity to experience the aesthetic and uniquely humanizing effects of music in a clinical setting. They aim to keep music therapy as a five-day program, eliminate waitlists and increase the participation of clients in rural areas.
Project Title: Comfort Care Kits and "Day of Joy" Program
Location: Tiverton, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Huron Shores Hospice serves residents in the Municipalities of Saugeen Shores, Kincardine and Huron Kinloss and surrounding areas; offering a home-like setting that empowers individuals to live well until the end. Huron Shores Hospice seeks to enhance the comfort and joy of hospice residents through two new initiatives. They will distribute 50 personalized Comfort Care Kits containing soothing and comforting items such as blankets, slippers, aromatherapy products, memory books, and other thoughtfully chosen items. On-going and personalized "Day of Joy" events tailored to each resident’s interests will also be offered, such as themed celebrations, musical performances, or other enjoyable activities reflecting each resident’s personality and preferences.
McMaster Children's Hospital, Quality of Life and Advanced Care
Project Title: 3D Antenatal Ultrasounds for Legacy Creation in Perinatal Palliative Care
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
The Quality of Life and Advanced Care program (QoLA Care) at McMaster Children’s Hospital supports fetuses, infants, youth, and young adults at various stages of their life-limiting conditions. The QoLA Care Perinatal program supports families whose child faces serious health conditions during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Funding will provide antenatal 3D ultrasounds, or other legacy items, for 20 families who will be unable to create memories with their child after birth. This provides families with a compassionate and meaningful experience with their child that can also facilitate a healthier grief journey later on.
Dr. Joanna Humphreys, McMaster University
Project Title: Translating the Last Aid Kids and Teens (LAC-KT) Course: Enhancing Death and Grief Literacy for Children Across Canada
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Funding: $11,640
Dr. Joanna Humphreys is a pediatric palliative care physician with the Quality of Life and Advanced Care Team at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Dr. Joanna Humphreys’ project aims to enhance death and grief literacy for children across Canada. The Last Aid Kids and Teens (LAC-KT) course is a 4-hour innovative educational program designed to teach children and teens about death, dying, grief, and practical skills in end-of-life care. Originally developed and piloted in Germany, the LAC-KT course will be translated and culturally adapted for implementation in Canada. Facilitators (teachers, healthcare professionals, social workers) will then be trained to deliver the course in their respective communities.
Project Title: Co-Designing a Bilingual Sustainable Serious Illness Education Training Program in Pediatrics by Integrating Clinician Learner and Family Stakeholders
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Funding: $10,000
Dr. Naomi Goloff is a clinical expert and educator in Pediatric Palliative Care. She is the current Director of the Division of Pediatric Palliative Medicine at McGill University, practicing clinically at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, Santé Cannabis and Le Phare pediatric hospice. Naomi aims to improve the communication skills of pediatric clinicians, leading to enhanced care for children with serious illnesses and their families. A bilingual training program for serious illness communication in pediatrics will be developed and implemented, integrating clinician learners and family stakeholders. Workshop materials and implementation information will be shared nationally and internationally. The English component of this project was supported through a 2023 Kindred Cares grant, and we are pleased to provide funding through the 2024 Kindred Cares grant so the training program can also be offered in French.
The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO)
Project Title: Homeward Bound: Strengthening Pediatric Palliative Cancer Care Capacity in Northern Ontario
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) partners to achieve the best childhood cancer care system for children, youth, survivors, and their families in Ontario and beyond. They support families throughout the cancer journey—from diagnosis and treatment to survivorship, and, when necessary, through palliative care and end-of-life support. Homeward Bound: Strengthening Pediatric Palliative Cancer Care Capacity in Northern Ontario is a POGO initiative focused on educating current and future healthcare providers in Northern Ontario about pediatric palliative care. Families in the region often face long travel distances to access care and are unable to return home at their child's end of life due to a shortage of trained healthcare providers in their communities. This initiative will develop a curriculum and deliver training to healthcare providers in Northern Ontario, creating a sustainable network that ensures children and their families can access high-quality care closer to home.
Rose Cottage Visiting Volunteers
Project Title: Care Package & Wellness Check Program
Location: Beamsville, Ontario
Funding: $6,500
Rose Cottage Visiting Volunteers provides at-home hospice support services and caregiver relief to families in the West Niagara community living with a life-limiting or progressive illness. Through their Care Package & Wellness Check Program, 55 clients will receive a monthly hand-delivered care package containing soup, bread, personal items, community resources and activities to combat food insecurity and social isolation. While distributing the care packages, volunteers conduct wellness checks with clients to ensure their well-being and connect clients with Rose Cottage and other community resources. Clients have called the delivery a "warm hug" with the volunteer visit providing a bright spot to their day. Having patient partners with lived experience involved in offering this program enables them to engage with participants in a more meaningful way, creating stronger connections and enhanced support.
Project Title: Rumpus Room Upgrade
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Funding: $10,418.70
Rotary Flames House, the only free-standing pediatric hospice in Alberta, is home to the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Service, where children from birth to 18 years of age are referred when a life-limiting illness has been identified. Rotary Flames House was built in 2010 and the Rumpus Room is ready for an update. This is a multipurpose room that is used for school, child life, recreational therapy, arts and crafts, and as a “hub” for family parties. Upgrades will include painting, new furniture and new devices for patients. This refresh to the Rumpus Room will provide an inviting space that more fully meets the needs of children and families.
Kate Nelson, SickKids
Project Title: Validity of the Parental Perceptions of Clinical Conflict Scale in Pediatric Hospital Settings
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Dr. Kate Nelson is a paediatrician on the Paediatric Advanced Care Team at The Hospital for Sick Children and a scientist at the SickKids Research Institute. She leads the IDEA lab (Integrating Data, Experience and Advocacy) to support family decision-making for children with serious illness. Her newest study, “Validity of the Parental Perceptions of Clinical Conflict Scale in Pediatric Hospital Settings,” will develop a tool to assess how parents perceive their relationships with their child’s healthcare teams. Sometimes, especially in complex decision-making, there can be disagreements between parents and their child’s clinicians, which can lead to significant distress for both families and providers. There is currently a validated tool to measure clinician perceptions of conflict with parents; the tool to be evaluated in this study will allow us to measure the parental perspective. Being able to measure clinical conflict is the first step to development and testing of interventions to reduce or manage it.
Project Title: Five parking spots for Dream Families at the Children's Hospital in Winnipeg
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding: $10,000
The Dream Factory has a mission to bring comfort and joy to Manitoba kids battling life-threatening illnesses and their families by creating the brightest moments throughout their medical journey and beyond. They are best known for granting the “Big Dreams", but also work to provide a comprehensive and enduring community of support. Part of this programming includes providing supportive solutions: ongoing support to families that is available beyond a single Dream come true. Examples include financial support and resources to assist with the additional costs associated with having a sick child. Funding will provide 5 parking spaces for Dream Families at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital throughout 2025 – ensuring families have reliable, accessible and stress-free parking solutions when they need it most.
Project Title: Lending Equipment Program
Location: Madoc, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
The Heart of Hastings Hospice is a community-based, volunteer organization committed to supporting individuals and their families through the terminal phase of illness, grief, and bereavement. Their 3-bed hospice and community programming serves Madoc, Ontario and surrounding areas. Through their Lending Equipment Program, individuals can get medical and mobility equipment at no cost and with no time limit. The Heart of Hastings Hospice will acquire more equipment, as well as briefs and personal care items, to support the increasing needs of this program. The Volunteer Respite Program will also be expanded to support caregivers and help combat social isolation.
The Lighthouse for Grieving Children & Families
Project Title: Grief Support Program
Location: Oakville, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
At The Lighthouse for Grieving Children & Families, their mission is to help children, teens, young adults and their families who are grieving a death, find a sense of belonging, connection and understanding from others experiencing similar loss. Lighthouse offers free open-ended grief support in the Greater Toronto Area. Funding will help support a peer-to-peer grief support program for children 6-12 years old. Their grief professionals offer children and youth opportunities to come together to express their feelings and explore their experiences, such as through talk circles or visual and dramatic arts, in an environment of support and acceptance so that no child has to grieve alone.
In 2024, 39 eligible applications were submitted and 15 were funded.
In addition to these grants, donations were made to:
Keaton’s House - Paul Paletta Children’s Hospice: Family Lounge ($50,000)
A new 10-bed children’s hospice is currently being developed in Hamilton, Ontario, addressing a crucial need for support of children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Kindred Foundation is proud to support this initiative by sponsoring the Family Lounge, a dedicated space that brings comfort and connection.
Childhood Cancer Canada: Benevolent Fund ($50,000)
Childhood Cancer Canada’s (CCC) Benevolent Fund provides funding support to families to help pay for funeral costs if a child dies from cancer. Kindred Foundation is the lead charitable partner and provided funding for our third year in 2024. ($200,000 to date)
Nipissing Serenity Hospice: Second Phase of Gazebo Project ($9,011.75)
Initial funding for the construction of a Gazebo was provided through our Kindred Cares Grant in 2022. The gazebo offers an accessible outdoor space for residents and visitors. This donation will help complete the project by adding items such as railings, lights and landscaping. ($19,011.75 to date)
Provincial Pediatric Palliative Care Symposium ($8,000)
Kindred Foundation provided sponsorship for the biennial conference for pediatric palliative care as part of the Hospice Palliative Care Ontario conference.
Guelph Wish Fund: Granting wishes for children with life-altering conditions ($2,000)
Funding will help grant wishes for children in Guelph and Wellington County who have a life-limiting illness, providing joy and relief during difficult times.
Shaindy Alexander, SickKids: VR Program ($1,000)
Using virtual reality to provide seriously ill adolescents with an opportunity to interact with peers and address issues of loneliness and isolation. ($8,500 to date)
Kindred Foundation supported 21 hospices and palliative care programs – a total of $263,570.45 donated in 2024.
2023 Awardees
Project Title: Enhanced Community Care Program
Location: Vancouver, BC
Funding: $10,000
The Enhanced Community Care program offers out-patient care to children and families at Canuck Place through a 24/7 nursing line, video and telehealth consultations, coordination between services, and visits by their clinical team to a child’s home or community hospital. This program ensures that each family, anywhere in BC or Yukon, receives expert medical care for their child, and support for the whole family.
Project Title: Hospice Palliative Program
Location: Milton, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
Provides professional, holistic, high-quality, and personalized respite, residential, and hospice palliative care to children with medical complexities. Their Hospice Palliative Program supports children and families across the entire continuum, from the time a child is diagnosed through to end-of-life care, to ensure every child is given the chance to be supported.
Project Title: Emily’s House at Home
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
The Emily’s House at Home program offers care for children with complex care needs in their own homes, in person, in transition, in hospice, in virtual groups, and in accessible community spaces - accessible wherever a child may be located.
Project Title: Equipment Lending and Meals on Wheels
Location: Madoc, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Their Lending Equipment program provides the community with free access to medical and mobility equipment including nutritional and personal product support when available. The Heart of Hastings Hospice will also connect and collaborate with Meals on Wheels, offering meals to local caregivers caring for those with a life-limiting illness.
Project Title: Help us Understand Grief
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Funding: $6,750
Their HUUG Program (Help Us Understand Grief) helps children process their grief after a loved one has died. They will develop a new family workshop series as an addition to this program, focusing on anticipatory grief. By providing support as they transition in their grief journey, children will learn how to integrate their grief into their lives in a healthy way.
McMaster Children's Hospital, Quality of Life and Advanced Care
Project Title: 3D Antenatal Ultrasounds for Legacy Creation in Perinatal Palliative Care
Location: Hamilton, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
The Perinatal Palliative Care stream supports families whose baby is diagnosed with a serious health condition during pregnancy or shortly after birth. For those families whose child is unlikely to survive pregnancy and birth, and who will not have the time or opportunity for memory-making with their child, support is provided by funding antenatal 3D-ultrasounds. This is an extraordinary opportunity to create memories and long-lasting legacy items.
Project Title: Co-Designing a Sustainable Serious Illness Education Training Program in Pediatrics by Integrating Clinician Learner and Family Stakeholders
Location: Montreal, Quebec
Funding: $9,800
The design of a program to train senior pediatrics residents as facilitators in how to conduct conversations about serious illness with patients and families. This training program will be co-designed by parents with lived experience who care for a child with a serious illness. The goal is to improve communication skills and ultimately create a training program that can be shared nationally. This project will have a wide reach: with resident learners, clinicians, and ultimately, patients with serious illnesses and their families.
Project Title: Legacy Work, Music Therapy and Grief Workshops
Location: Port Perry, Ontario
Funding: $8,000
A community-based hospice organization that provides compassionate care and support out of the Morgan & Sidhu House. They aim to provide more meaningful end-of-life and grief support services for residents and their families. Oak Ridges Hospice will do this by increasing opportunities for legacy work, music therapy experiences, and post-loss workshops.
Project Title: Grief Services
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
To expand their grief services, a temporary consultant will prepare for the successful implementation of a new Grief Services Coordinator role. Roger Neilson House is committed to supporting children and families throughout their palliative care journey.
SickKids/University of Toronto, Bloomberg Nursing
Project Title: Pediatric Palliative Care in Canada in 2022: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Dr. Kimberley Widger will be conducting a study to describe access and delivery of specialized pediatric palliative care across Canada in 2022. The research will build upon and compare to the research on this topic that was completed in 2002 and 2012. This aims to generate awareness about children’s timely access to specialized pediatric palliative services across Canada as well as successes and potential ongoing gaps in delivery over the last 20 years.
In 2023, 22 eligible applications were submitted and 10 were funded.
In addition to these grants, donations were made to the Childhood Cancer Canada Benevolent Fund, Hospice Peterborough, Huron Shores Hospice, and Journey Home Hospice in 2023.
Kindred Foundation supported 14 different hospices and palliative care programs – a total of $149,550 donated in 2023.
2022 Awardees
Project Title: The Nancy Chan Enhanced Community Care Program
Location: Vancouver, BC
Funding: $10,000
Offers out-patient care to children and families at Canuck Place through a 24/7 nursing line, video consultations and visits by our clinical team to a child’s home or community hospital, throughout the province of BC.
Project Title: Gashkendamide’e x HUUG Pilot Program
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario
Funding: $9,680
Creating a culturally sensitive, relevant, and responsive bereavement program for Indigenous youth in Thunder Bay.
Project Title: Art Therapy Living Legacy Program
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Combining art therapy and legacy work to support reflection, emotion, and reconciliation for residents or families.
Project Title: Gazebo Project
Location: North Bay, Ontario
Funding: $10,000
Construction of a safe and accessible outdoor space for programming. The gazebo enables residents and their loved ones the ability to go outside together.
Project Title: Therapeutic Recreational Programming
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Funding: $10,000
Funding will provide additional recreational therapy opportunities for children with life-limiting conditions by adding to their recreational therapist team and making services more readily accessible.
In 2022, 10 eligible applications were submitted and 5 were funded.
In addition to these grants, donations were made to the Childhood Cancer Canada Benevolent Fund and the Darling Home for Kids in 2022.
Kindred Foundation supported 7 different hospices and palliative care programs – a total of $109,680 donated in 2022.
2021 Awardees
Project Title: Hospice Palliative Program
Location: Milton, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
Operational funding for supporting children and families accessing hospice palliative care services.
Project Title: Emily’s House at Home
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $7,500
Funding for "Emily's House at Home", a pilot program to help with providing hospice care in hospital, at home, in transition, virtually, and at Emily's House to ensure that families are supported no matter where they are.
Project Title: Grief, Bereavement and Wellness Programs
Location: North Bay, Ontario
Funding: $7,500
Expansion of the grief, bereavement and wellness program to provide comprehensive spiritual psychosocial and emotional care to caregivers, families and residents.
Project Title: Supportive Care Counselling
Location: Peterborough, Ontario
Funding: $5,000
Funding for a supportive care counselor to provide grief support to families.
Hospital for Sick Children Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT)
Project Title: Family Experiences with Clinical Team Meetings: A Scoping Review
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $7,500
Identifying the key components of family meetings for children with serious illness from the perspective of caregivers.
Hospital for Sick Children Child Life
Project Title: VR Social Intervention
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Funding: $7,500
Using social virtual environments and virtual reality for adolescents to connect and interact with others when in hospital or at home through personalized avatars.
Project Title: Bereaved Children and Teens Through Art Program
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
Funding: $7,500
Programming for bereaved children and teens to process grief through art and music.
Project Title: Art and Narrative Therapy Program
Location: Guelph, Ontario
Funding: $4,000
Support for the Art and Narrative Therapy research project utilizing art and storytelling to gain insight and personal perspectives through grief, working towards increased resiliency.
In 2021, 8 eligible applications were submitted and all were funded.
In addition to these grants, donations were made to the Childhood Cancer Canada Benevolent Fund, Huron Shores, and Hotel DieuShaver in 2021.
Kindred Foundation supported 11 different hospices and palliative care programs – a total of $111,500 donated in 2021.
Google Sites
Report abuse