Founded in 1998, McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHCF) raises funds for capital projects and equipment, patient care, and research at McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and related institutions. In 1997, the MUHC was officially created through the merger of 5 hospitals: Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal Chest Institute, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital, and Royal Victoria Hospital. MUHCF funds MUHC, Research Institute of the MUHC (RI-MUHC) – the research institutions of these hospitals and the research arm of MUHC, the Glen site of the MUHC, and the sites that joined MUHC in 2008 – Lachine Hospital and Camille Lefebvre Pavilion. After Royal Victoria Hospital moved to the Glen site of MUHC in 2015, Royal Victoria Hospital Foundation (RVHF) started partnering with MUHCF and distributing grants to MUHC. In April 2018, RVHF changed its name to MUHCF.

In F2017, McGill University Health Centre Foundation granted $5.3m to MUHC. The foundation spent 87% on capital projects and equipment, 9% on patient care and education, and 4% on research. Capital funding went toward equipment, including a new tomosynthesis mammography unit for the hospital’s breast clinic, new beds for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and a ZONE Ultrasonography system for the Cardiovascular Surgery Department. In its F2017 annual report, the foundation reports that MUHC has 609,368 ambulatory visits, 179,778 emergency department visits, 36,730 admissions, and 30,373 surgeries annually. RI-MUHC has over 400 researchers, 1,190 research students, and 1,800 ongoing research projects and clinical trials.

Results and Impact: McGill University Health Centre Foundation reports that after ten years of research, one of its funded researchers has developed a phone application that facilitates HIV self-testing. The app uses a non-invasive screening test that can detect HIV antibodies within 20 minutes. Resources on the application are available to assist those who receive positive results.

The cervical routine Pap test has significantly reduced cervical cancer deaths, but is unable to detect endometrial or ovarian cancers, which are the most common gynecologic malignant tumours in countries where the Pap test are done routinely. Researchers from RI-MUHC and Johns Hopkins together have developed a test that provides a safe and minimally invasive way for earlier diagnosis of ovarian and endometrial cancers. Through this test, PapSEEK, researchers were able to detect 81% of endometrial cancers (78% of which were early stage) and 33% of ovarian cancers (34% of which were early-stage).

McGill University Health Centre Foundation is a Large charity with donations of $11.1m in F2017. Total administrative and fundraising costs together were 19% of total revenues in F2017, up from 9% in F2015. For every dollar donated, 81 cents go to the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. MUHCF has funding reserves of $15.6m that can cover program costs for 2.9 years. Excluding donor-endowed funds of $2.7m, funding reserves can cover program costs for 2.5 years.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to McGill University Health Centre Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 3, 2018 by Joeyanne Cheung.