The Gairdner Foundation
Charitable organization · Toronto, Ontario · BN 119234433RR0002 · Support of Schools and Education · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-12-31. Split of total expenditures ($3,122,717) as filed with the CRA.
The Gairdner Foundation is a charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario, classified by the CRA under support of schools and education. In its fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, it reported $5M in revenue and $3.1M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 45% from donations, 18% from government. In 2024, 7 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $344K.
Compared with 632 education charities of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 12% of peers. Its highest-paid position fell in the $200,000–249,999 range. The charity reported 7 permanent full-time positions.
Revenue has grown substantially over its filings on record here, from $1.5M in 2020 to $5M in 2024. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 13 names.
In its own words
The purpose of The Gairdner Foundation is to encourage study and research into medical/health sciences. We provide awards to the world's best and brightest biomedical researchers in recognition of their outstanding discoveries and contributions to medical science. The Gairdner Foundation also hosts a series of lectures across Canada for scientists researchers medical graduates undergraduates and high school students. We also host a series of public lectures across the country to engage the public in areas of research that collectively impact society and human well-being.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $5M | $3.1M | $1.8M | $435K | — | $10.4M |
| 2023 | $2.5M | $3M | $1.7M | $339K | — | $9.3M |
| 2022 | $1.3M | $2.8M | $1.5M | $360K | — | $8.7M |
| 2021 | $2.5M | $2.1M | $1.3M | $149K | — | $9.1M |
| 2020 | $1.5M | $2.1M | $1.3M | $128K | — | $8M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $344K from 7 charities:
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
What it pays
Its ten highest-paid positions, by band:
- $200,000–249,9991 position
- $120,000–159,9993 positions
- $80,000–119,9991 position
- $40,000–79,9991 position
- $1–39,9991 position
- Permanent full-time positions7
- Total compensation, all staff$986K
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Heather Munroe-Blum (chair); Mark Lievonen (director); George Cooper (director); Elizabeth Cannon (director); Frank Gairdner (director); Stefanie Mortimer (director); Phillip Sharp (director); Gail O'Brien (director); Sherine Gabriel (director); Carol Naish (director); Lawrence Pentland (director); Stephen Lucas (director); Marie Josee Lamothe (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from The Gairdner Foundation’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 119234433RR0002), or read how we compute the receipt.