Children’s Hospitals of Eastern Ontario Foundation is a 1-star, financially transparent charity. Its results reporting score is C- indicating poor reporting of its results. Its overhead spending is within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover nine years and five months of annual program costs.

Founded in Ottawa in 1974, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation (CHEO Foundation) aims to improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of children in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. It raises funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), including its main hospital building, the CHEO Research Institute, and the Roger Neilson House palliative care unit.

The charity grants to three main areas: Research, Programs and Services, and Equipment. Ci calculates that the charity gave $16.1m to the hospital in F2023 ($15.0m in new grants plus $1.1m from the prior year's granting).

Research was 64% of grants ($9.5m) in 2023. Grants to CHEO Research Institute is the largest area of CHEO Foundation's grants. in 2023 these grants created the first chair at CHEO Research Institute for pediatric intensive care research. CHEO Hospital and Ottawa Hospital are involved in the world's first clinical trial to use cell therapy from donated umbilical cords to see if this can help heal and prevent bronchopulmonary dysplasia in newborns. Very premature babies are put on ventilators and this extended hyperoxia interupts lung development. Each year, approximately 1,000 premature babies get bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The first patient was treated in March 2023 in Ottawa. This clinical trial will involve nine premature babies at Ottawa Hospital and Sunnybrook in Toronto. CHEO Foundation also grants to Dr. Jason Berman's research using zebrafish to study childhood cancer and rare inherited diseases. 

Equipment and Capital was 21% of grants ($3.1m) in F2023. CHEO Foundation grants funded a new simulation lab that opened in 2022. Using mannequins, medical staff can train in a low-risk setting and improve communication and debriefing. A new neuroIR serves critically ill patients at CHEO Hospital and eliminates the need to transfer these patients off-site for treatment. Four new single rooms were added to the mental health psychiatry unit.

Programs and Services was 13% of grants ($2.0m) in F2023. CHEO grants funded 24/7 youth mental health counsellors. A third of youth patients are evaluated over the night shift from 11 pm to 8 am. It provides families with financial support to cover costs associated with hospital care. CHEO grants expanded the eating disorder program. CHEO grants provided 229 massage sessions to youth in cancer treatment to alleviate their pain and anxiety. In F2022, it reimbursed seven families for funeral expenses, three families for palliative support expenses, and 13 families for gas and food expenses. 

In 2023, CHEO granted $916,823 to the Roger Neilson House, a hospice for children.

In 2023, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation received $29.6m in donations. Administrative costs were 5% of revenues, less investment income. Fundraising costs were 27% of donations. Together, this makes CHEO Foundation's overhead spending 32%. For every dollar donated, 68 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. 

In 2023 CHEO Foundation's grants of $16.1 million are 30% of its total revenues of $53.3 million. Its surplus of $26.9 million was added to its reserve funds.

At the end of 2023, CHEO Foundation's reserve funds were $168.9m (cash and investments). Included in its funding reserves are $31.7m in donor endowments. Excluding these donor-endowed funds, CHEO Foundations' reserve funds can cover nine years and five months of grants at current levels. 

CHEO Foundation has made grant commitments of $20.9 million to be paid out of its reserve funds and future revenues. In 2022, CHEO Foundation had grant commitments of $22.8 million. CHEO Foundation's board of directors has approved a capital campaign for CHEO Hospital's infrastructure redevelopment over the 12 years 2023-2035. 

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

Updated on August 13, 2024 by Stellar Zhang.  Updated August 29, 2024 with the 2024 annual report by Kate Bahen. 

The previous report of August 13, 2024 did not exclude CHEO Foundation's lottery expenses of $7.4m and parking expenses of $0.9m from fundraising costs. Our error overstated CHEO Foundation's overhead spending.