St. Paul's Foundation of Vancouver

About St. Paul's Foundation of Vancouver:

Founded in 1980, St. Paul’s Foundation of Vancouver (SPFV) raises money to improve patient care and fund innovation at St. Paul’s Hospital and eight other healthcare centres in British Columbia. St. Paul’s Hospital has 500,000 patient visits each year and specializes in heart and lung health, kidney (renal) care, HIV/AIDS, and care of the elderly. The foundation was previously named St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation of Vancouver until merging with Tapestry Foundation in April 2017.

In F2018, St. Paul’s Foundation allocated 42% of grant spending to research. There were 169 new researchers who may receive funding over many years to sustain research. Of the 499 active multi-year studies, 258 involve heart or lung health, 60 mental health or addiction, 48 HIV, and 35 kidney health. The research works to improve quality of life and access to care, discover new treatments, and ultimately eliminate chronic illnesses.

St. Paul’s Foundation distributed 39% of grant funding to capital projects, 16% to education, 2% to enhancing patient care, and 1% to equipment purchases.

A new St. Paul’s Hospital site is planned for construction. The $1.9 billion project is set for completion in 2026. The new hospital building will have 548 beds, an increase of 115 from the existing building. The site will provide general care and host specialized centres for heart and lung care, renal care, eating disorders, and specialty surgeries and transplants.

Results and Impact:

St. Paul’s Foundation of Vancouver provides funding to the SALOME study (Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness). The study found that hydromorphone, a licensed pain medication, can be used in long-term treatment of opioid-dependent patients. This finding was published in a 2016 psychiatric edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Financial Review:

St. Paul’s Foundation of Vancouver is one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations, a Major 100 charity, with donations of $23.5m in F2018. Administrative costs are 3% of revenues less investment income, and fundraising costs are 24% of donations. For every dollar donated, 74 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

In April 2017, SPFV received $11.5m in net assets through amalgamating with Tapestry Foundation. SPFV has $108.9m in funding reserves, of which $22.7m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the foundation could grant at the F2018 level for 3.5 years using reserves.

This charity profile is an update to be sent to St. Paul’s Foundation of Vancouver for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 5, 2019 by Madison Kerr.