Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation is a 3-star charity. It has above average disclosure with an A- results reporting grade. It holds reserves outside Ci’s reasonable range. For every dollar donated to the charity, 80 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 1957, Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation (ACHF) serves as the primary charitable fundraiser for the Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH) and Child Health & Wellness Research at the University of Calgary. Its mission is to fund research, clinical care, and family support for children and families across Alberta, southeastern British Columbia, and southwestern Saskatchewan.  

According to researchers at ACH’s Vi Riddell Research Centre, 1 in 5 children live with chronic pain. Children with medical complexities make up less than 1% of all kids yet drive more than 30% of pediatric healthcare costs. The burden falls hardest on marginalized children, including those with neurodevelopmental disabilities, who face the greatest barriers to care. 

In the fiscal year ending March 2025 (F2025), ACHF distributed $43.2m in grants. Grants were directed across four areas: Research; Clinical Child Health Funding; Patient and Family Centered Care; and Education and Training. 

Research accounted for 54% in F2025. This funding supported the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI), a partnership between the University of Calgary and ACH. ACHRI's work focuses on refining treatments, identifying new cures, and improving health outcomes for children. In 2025, ACHRI had 400 members and ran 68 active clinical trials. The institute published 1,709 papers and attracted $105m in external funding. 

Clinical Child Health Funding accounted for 30% of grants in F2025. These grants equip hospital staff with the skills, treatments, and tools needed to deliver quality care. In F2025, grants enabled 22 new equipment purchases for ACH valued at $3.0m. This funding also supports five key subprograms: the Pediatric Critical Care Transport (PCCT) Team, Rotary Flames House, The Summit, the Hospital at Home program, and the Emerging Adult Mental Health initiative. 

The Pediatric Critical Care Transport (PCCT) Team is a mobile ICU that travels to bring critically ill or injured children from rural communities to ACH. In F2025, the team completed 278 emergency transports. 

Rotary Flames House is Alberta's only pediatric hospice, offering 24/7 care for children and their families through respite, end-of-life, and bereavement support. In F2025, it recorded 1,206 nights of stay and delivered 1,184 grief counselling sessions. 

The Summit is a youth mental health centre providing walk-in services, intensive therapy, and a day hospital for children and teens. In F2025, it delivered 4,097 walk-in sessions. 

The Hospital at Home program sends specially trained nurses to administer medications and therapies to young patients in their own homes. In F2025, the program completed 1,892 home visits and cared for 93 patients. 

The Emerging Adult Mental Health initiative delivers redesigned mental health services for young people aged 16-29. In F2025, the program served 681 patients.  

Patient and Family Centred Care accounted for 10% of grants in F2025. These grants ensure children and families have the emotional, practical, and recreational support they need during a hospital stay. This funding supports three key subprograms: the Family and Community Resource Centre, Family Supports, and Therapeutic Programs. 

The Family and Community Resource Centre provides families with credible health information, peer support, translation services, and recreational resources. It also runs the Child and Youth Interactive Media Program (CHIMP), which connects children in hospital with adaptive technology. In F2025, the centre loaned 9,396 books and Kindles and recorded 4,693 CHIMP patient contacts. 

Family Supports provides practical and emotional assistance to families navigating complex medical situations. Programs include the Special Children's Fund and Emily's Backyard, a free child-minding service at the hospital. In F2025, 6,465 financial relief requests were answered and Emily's Backyard recorded 5,201 visits. 

Therapeutic Programs support the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of children during hospital stays through music therapy, art therapy, horticultural therapy, and the Beads of Courage program. In F2025, the programs recorded 1,993 music therapy interactions and 2,310 art therapy interactions. 

Education and Training accounted for 6% of grants in F2025. These grants fund training and education opportunities for hospital staff, families, and community stakeholders. This funding supports two key subprograms: KidSIM and KidSONO. 

KidSIM is a pediatric simulation program that trains medical professionals, families, and caregivers using real-life emergency scenarios. In F2025, the program delivered 716 simulation training sessions totalling 2,780 hours and reached 5,025 learners. 

KidSONO is a training program that teaches hospital staff to use point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) to make faster and more accurate diagnoses at the bedside. In F2025, the program trained 419 frontline staff. 

Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means the charity provides a breakdown between programming, administrative, and fundraising costs. 

In F2025, ACHF generated $87.9m in revenue. It earned $54.5m in donations (62% of revenue) and $31.9m in investment income (36% of revenue). The charity distributed $43.2m in grants and recorded a surplus of $32.6m (37% of revenue) in F2025. 

ACHF spent $7.3m on fundraising costs, which is 13% of donations. It spent $3.8m on administrative costs, which is 7% of revenue. ACHF has a total overhead spending of 20%. For every dollar donated to ACHF, 80 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range. 

ACHF has $355.2m in reserve funds (cash and investments). It has donor endowments of $80.6m. Excluding donor-endowed funds, ACHF’s reserve funds can cover 702% or just over seven years of its annual grant costs. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of three years or less. 

In F2025, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation had investment returns of 9%. It is 55% invested in equities and 34% in fixed income. Its investment returns have averaged 8% over the last five years. 

For the next fiscal year (F2026), ACHF is committed to granting $41.1m. This includes $23.8m for Research, $12.0m for Clinical Child Health, $3.9m for Family Centred Care, and $1.4m for Education and Training.  

This charity update has been sent to Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. Updated by Nick Reszetnik on June 3rd, 2026.