Our response to the situation
Updated: April 2022
In response to the urgency of the COVID-19 situation, our organization took immediate action to participate in the wave of solidarity across Québec, focusing particularly on the most vulnerable members of society. The Foundation's intention has been to be present when needed, but also once the crisis has abated, when Québec society will need a fresh stimulus to launch its recovery.
On September 21, 2020, in addition to the many support measures we had implemented since the beginning of the pandemic, and in response to the current crisis, we announced an exceptional philanthropic commitment: a potential $150 million increase in our donations over the following five years (2021-2025). Depending on the grantees’ needs and capacities, the total financial support provided by our organization could increase from its previously earmarked $350 million to $500 million during the targeted five-year period.
What we have been doing to help the initiatives we support
During the week of March 16, 2020, we contacted over 100 of the organizations and initiatives that we support to provide reassurance and to work with them to identify the solutions that were most appropriate for their situation. We took steps to give them the possibility to redirect millions of dollars in response to the emergency. These measures also helped to ensure that many people were able to keep their jobs, especially in community organizations. We have also stayed in contact with government authorities and philanthropic associations to ensure our ongoing participation in any pertinent, useful and complementary collaborations.
We have remained committed to:
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respecting all of our agreements
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making all disbursements as planned, even if resources are allocated to other activities dictated by the emergency
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accepting, if necessary, the postponement of certain activities, delays in submitting certain reports or the need to provide additional financial support.
Additional financial support
Our emergency fund has enabled us to contribute $23,851,000.
Regroupement des auberges du cœur du Québec (April 14, 2022)
$236,900
Tyndale St-Georges (April 14, 2022)
$50,000
Fondation Le Terrier (April 14, 2022)
$30,000
Spectre de rue (March 9, 2022)
$30,300
Mission de l'Ouest de l'Île (March 9, 2022)
$30,000
Doctors of the World - Interventions culturellement adaptées à la réalité des personnes migrantes au statut précaire (March 9, 2022)
$365,026
Ballons intensifs (March 9, 2022)
$50,000
Hiboux des jeunes (March 9, 2022)
$15,000
Solidarité sans frontières (November 2, 2021)
$240,000 $
Vers le Pacifique (October 27, 2021)
$50,000
Doc Toc-Toc (October 12, 2021)
$400,000
Doctors of the World (October 12, 2021)
$80,000
Fondation Petits bonheurs d’école (October 12, 2021)
$10,000
Fondation Métropolis bleu (October 1, 2021)
$7,592
UQAM - La Relance jeunes et familles and soutien éducatif pour les élèves à risque des quartiers Pointe-Saint-Charles et Saint-Laurent (September 29, 2021)
$88,808
Partageons l'Espoir (September 20, 2021)
$35,000
International Rwanda Youth for Development Local Food Support Program (September 13, 2021)
$138,978
Femmes en emploi (August 9, 2021)
$95,083
Projet LÉO – Phase 2 (August 2, 2021)
$232,171
Micro-Recyc-Coopération (July 30, 2021)
$45,000
Afrique au féminin (July 28, 2021)
$30,000
Maison des Parents du Québec (July 21, 2021)
$100,000
Centre International de l'Espoir (July 13, 2021)
$217,800
LigneParents (July 12, 2021)
$400,000
MTL-Nord Travail de rue (June 21, 2021)
$180,000
Centraide (May 27, 2021)
$6,500,000
Community Health & Social Services Network (CHSSN) - (May 27, 2021)
$1,500,000
Regroupement des centres d'amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ) - (May 27, 2021)
$2,300,000
Carte Proximité (May 26, 2021)
$150,000
Programme des Travailleuses de Soutien Autochtones - PTSA (May 21, 2021)
$60,000
Service LÉO (May 20, 2021)
$28,760
Association des enseignants immigrants du Québec - A.E.I.Q (May 3, 2021)
$122,006
Réseau québécois de l’action communautaire autonome - RQ-ACA (May 3, 2021)
$130,000
Agglomération de Longueuil (April 19, 2021)
$550,000
Ripostes (March 29, 2021)
$115,000
Les Barbaparents (March 11, 2021)
$30,000
Table nationale des Corporations de développement communautaire - TNCDC (March 10, 2021)
$280,000
Option Protection (March 8, 2021)
$362,660
Espace de la diversité (March 4, 2021)
$250,000
La Maison des Enfants de la Montérégie (March 2, 2021)
$80,000
Aidants Scolaires (February 24, 2021)
$5,000
Maison Caracol (February 16, 2021)
$40,000
Centre de Pédiatrie sociale de Québec (February 8, 2021)
$50,000
Frigo Communautaire Mashteuiatsh (January 22, 2021)
$11,000
Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal - OMHM (January 18, 2021)
$75,000
Table nationale des Corporations de développement communautaire -TNCDC (January 7, 2021)
$464,000
Recherche Action en Jamésie (December 15, 2020)
$83,000
Information alimentaire populaire de Centre-Sud (December 3, 2020)
$30,000
Information alimentaire populaire de Centre-Sud provides food aid to several hundred disadvantaged people living in Montréal’s Centre-Sud neighbourhood. The Foundation’s support will be used to restructure the organization in response to insufficient funding and a growing demand from the population.
Association des enseignants immigrants du Québec (AEIQ) – Saturday school (December 3, 2020)
$19,200
Encouraged by the success of their summer school in 2020, the teachers and professionals of the AEIQ (Québec association of immigrant teachers) are continuing to offer online activities for children in preschool, primary and secondary schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods during the 2020-21 school year. The association’s activities provide academic support for children in French, math and English.
“Les sacs réconfortants” project (“treasure bags”) (December 3, 2020)
$40,000
Coordinated by the Agir collectivement dans Bellechasse network, the Sacs réconfortants project was developed to provide support for children and their families by sharing a message of caring, encouraging them to take special care of themselves during this highly uncertain period. The project involves several organizations from the community, education, municipal and economic sectors, as well as the health and social services network in Bellechasse, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region.
Fondation Petits bonheur d'École (November 17, 2020)
$5,000
The Fondation Petits bonheurs d’école provides support for children in 126 primary schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the greater Québec City region. The foundation’s goal is to meet the basic needs of these children by supplying eyeglasses, clothing, school supplies, medication and services related to speech therapy, psychology, remedial teaching, etc. Our contribution will help the Fondation Petits bonheur d'école to continue its activities during the pandemic.
Missing Children’s Network (Réseau Enfants-Retour) (November 9, 2020)
$25,000
The Missing Children’s Network works with families in distress following the disappearance of a child. In collaboration with law enforcement, social services and the media, the network offers these families support, advice and referrals. It is our hope that our Foundation’s contribution will help the Missing Children’s Network to continue its work with the hundreds of families who have been calling on their services in spite of the pandemic.
Centre Notre-Dame de Fatima
$25,000
The Centre Notre-Dame-de-Fatima welcomes children and adults with hearing, language or intellectual disabilities or an autistic spectrum disorder. The outdoor centre provides respite for participants’ families by offering safe programs adapted to the needs of their clientele. Our support will enable the centre to continue providing services for young people with special needs at weekend camps during the fall of 2020 and the winter of 2021.
La Maison des jeunes La Marginale (October 22, 2020)
$7,000
The Maison des jeunes La Marginale provides a lively meeting place for youth between the ages of 11 and 17 in the Charlesbourg borough in Québec City, offering services of a preventive, educational and social nature. The pandemic has resulted in an increase in levels of distress among young people. Through our support, we hope to help La Maison des jeunes La Marginale maintain its services and make the necessary adaptations to respond to new needs (food aid, clothing assistance, support group for 18-20 year-olds, etc.).
Spectre de rue (October 23, 2020)
$16,000
Spectre de rue is a Montréal community organization based in the borough of Ville-Marie that provides support for marginalized individuals dealing with problems related to substance abuse, homelessness, prostitution and mental health. The Foundation’s contribution will enable Spectre de rue to maintain its activities during the second wave of the pandemic, continuing to distribute personal hygiene kits, lunches, water, sleeping bags and blankets to the youth, parents, women and men it serves.
Au Trait d'Union (October 8, 2020)
$50,000
The organization Au Trait d’Union provides services for youth and young adults between the ages of 12 and 30 who, because of serious problems, are living an alternative education experience. Its mission is to keep young people in school while helping them to develop their personal, social and academic skills. The Foundation’s contribution will enable the organization to continue its activities, which include academic support, vocational guidance, meals, workshops, athletic and artistic activities—all in the context of a living environment that is communal, positive and stimulating.
Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval (October 8, 2020)
$30,000
Confinement measures have led to developmental delays in some very young children living in Laval, and there is currently an urgent need for services. The Foundation’s contribution will enable the Centre de pédiatrie sociale Laval to reach close to 300 children, helping to prevent neglect and maltreatment and to carry out medical and psychosocial evaluations on those who need them.
Bureau de la communauté haïtienne de Montréal (BCHM) - Protection option (September 10, 2020)
$100,099
Confronted by an over-representation of Black children in youth protection services and the systemic challenges faced by those children and their families, the BCHM and the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal have decided to take action by offering additional support. As students return to class following a long period of confinement, the BCHM is anticipating an increase in situation reports to the DPJ. The organization will therefore be working to provide increased support for families, developing its cultural mediation tools in order to actively promote prevention and social transformation.
West Island Community Shares, #GotYourBack (August 6, 2020)
$22,244
#GotYourBack (#AssistAdos) is an innovative pilot project offering academic and psychological support to teens living in Montréal’s West Island. The program will run from September to December 2020. The project’s goals are to provide tools and services needed for academic success (such as access to technologies required for schoolwork, tutoring, dialogue with counsellors and peers, etc.) and to break young people’s isolation by offering access to a Teen Zone between noon and 8:00 pm on non-school days.
Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes – TCRI (July 31, 2020)
$8,964
With the support of several partners, the TCRI (round table for organizations working with refugees and immigrants) prepared a research report on asylum seekers who have been working in essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization requested the support of the Chagnon Foundation in order to be able to present their report data and recommendations and to inform the general public and decision-makers about the little-known realities of people and families who have applied for refugee status in Québec.
Indigenous People’s Resilience Fund (July 30, 2020)
$1,000,000
Description to come.
CERVO Foundation – Maslow project (July 30, 2020)
$68,000
The objective of the “Frigos de Maslow” (Maslow fridges) initiative, which will run until December 2020, is to meet the basic needs of mental health and addiction clients of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale in Quebec City by providing access to food, medication and personal hygiene products, as well as face coverings and clothing. These items will be distributed through the collaboration of various professionals and workers at the Direction santé mentale et dépendances with community organizations.
Anicinape de Kitcisakik Community (July 23, 2020)
$205,179
The Anicinape de Kitcisakik Community, located in Abitibi, benefits from very few services. In March 2020, the local school closed its doors until September. The support provided by the Chagnon Foundation aims to contribute to the well-being and educational success of the community’s children by:
- enabling the acquisition of iPads to facilitate communication with family and friends, continue online learning and develop the technological skills needed to obtain a high school education
- facilitating access to health facilities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
McGill University (July 16, 2020)
$25,000
In response to COVID-19, the pediatric clinic DocTocToc joined forces with the CIUSSS du Nord de l’île de Montréal and the community organization Parole d’ExcluEs to offer vaccinations and routine medical examinations on site to very young children in vulnerable families living in Montréal-Nord. In concrete terms, that involved organizing three days of pop-up clinics in the borough during the month of August, during which close to 120 children between the ages of 0 and 5 were seen. The purpose of the routine examination was to rapidly detect health problems with a view to prevention.
UQAM - Faculté des sciences de l’éducation
(Faculty of Educational Sciences)
$52,500
This summer, several professors in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal have joined forces to propose two projects—two responses to the possible effects of confinement on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Education support project for students at risk of experiencing a difficult transition to the neighbourhood high school in Pointe-St-Charles, in partnership with local organization Share the Warmth (Partageons l’espoir). (June 22, 2020)
- Remedial learning project to provide support for primary students going back to school in Montréal’s Centre-Sud neighbourhood, in collaboration with La Relance, focusing on basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills. (June 29, 2020)
Association des enseignants immigrants du Québec (June 22, 2020)
(Québec association of immigrant teachers)
$8,400
During the current confinement, access to online learning resources has become essential for students’ academic success. In response to this situation, the Québec association of immigrant teachers (Association des enseignants immigrants du Québec or AEIQ), in partnership with several other organizations, set up the Online Saturday school to provide additional support for children and teens in preschools, primary schools and high schools in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Many families expressed interest in the school staying “open” during the summer holidays. The Foundation’s contribution will enable some 100 students to benefit from the Online summer school review courses in French, math and English.
Fondation du Cégep de Trois-Rivières (June 18, 2020)
$40,000
The aim of this project is to facilitate online teaching in the context of COVID-19 in order to offer top-quality instruction to every student at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières. More specifically, the objective is to validate five technologies designed to optimize instruction offered and to reduce adaptation time for professors who are used to a more traditional approach. This solution will be applied to five courses to make the teaching process more comfortable, thus improving students’ overall learning experience.
Literacy Foundation (June 10, 2020)
$157,500
The Literacy Foundation will be using our support for the following purposes:
- Conduct an awareness and promotion campaign in the fall of 2020 focusing on the importance of continued efforts to become a fully literate society and, consequently, promoting the Foundation’s programs and services.
- Revise the various processes involved in the Gift of Reading program: how books are distributed to children, communications related to the program and delivery of virtual books online.
The Literacy Foundation website
Fondation de l’Office municipal d’habitation Montréal (OMHM Foundation) – June 10, 2020
$75,000
Every year, the OMHM Foundation works at encouraging students whose families live in subsidized housing to stay in school by funding homework assistance projects run by youth organizations that are active in low-rent housing developments. The Chagnon Foundation’s contribution will help to ensure that these activities continue to help vulnerable families that are already severely affected by the pandemic, encourage social inclusion and mobilize community resources.
Ensemble Caprice (May 28, 2020)
$100,000
Determined to help alleviate the negative effects of confinement on the social and mental health of families and children in Montréal and Laval, the baroque music ensemble Caprice has decided to create and organize some 3,000 outdoor “mini-concerts santé” in six disadvantaged neighbourhoods throughout Montréal and Laval. The concerts, which the ensemble hopes will reach up to 10,000 people, will feature instrumentalists and singers who perform regularly with 20 well-known classical music groups, including Ensemble Caprice, Ensemble vocal Arts-Québec, Orchestre classique de Montréal, I Musici, Festival Montréal Baroque, Orchestre symphonique de Laval and Orchestre de l’Agora.
Conseil du système alimentaire montréalais (May 25, 2020)
(Montréal food system council)
$125,000
The current health crisis has placed a great strain on Québec’s food system. During the coming economic recovery, the council recommends that the Montréal community seize the opportunity to build a food system that is socially, economically and ecologically resilient. This project proposes a way to learn from the crisis in order to rapidly develop sustainable solutions aimed at bridging the gaps in Montréal’s food system.
Community Health and Social Services Network - CHSSN (May 19, 2020)
$93,500
The arrival of the pandemic confronted the English-speaking community—already dealing with other issues—with an increased need for food security. The Foundation’s contribution will enable the CHSSN to provide support for nine organizations in its network and improve food security services in the Anglophone community. Some of these organizations already operate food banks, others have taken on their management in the absence of volunteers who are no longer able to work, and still others transfer funds directly to those in the first two categories in order to meet the growing need.
Réseau québécois de l’action communautaire autonome - RQ-ACA (May 11, 2020)
(Québec network for independent community action)
$25,000
The RQ-ACA has taken the initiative to launch the Observatoire de l’action communautaire autonome—an observatory on independent community action—in collaboration with the Table nationale des corporations de développement communautaire (provincial round table for Community Development Corporations – CDCs). The objective of this project is to document the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on organizations that promote independent community action. The Observatoire will document how the pandemic has affected these groups in terms of their organization, political actions, and ability to achieve their social transformation goals.
Observatoire estrien du développement des communautés (May 8, 2020)
(Eastern Townships community development watch)
$39,468
In response to a call from several actors in the region to analyze and learn from their handling of the crisis in order to better prepare for re-opening and transformation, the Observatoire estrien du développement des communautés will be doing a case study to:
- establish current responses to the crisis (strategies, mechanisms, best practices)
- identify factors for community resilience in the seven MRC territories in the Estrie region
- support decision-makers and actors involved in inter-sector activities in their efforts to strengthen the resilience of their communities.
Comité sectoriel de la main-d'œuvre - Économie sociale / Action Communautaire (May 8, 2020)
(Sectoral labour committee – Social economy / Community action)
$128,657
In response to the growing psychological distress in workers and volunteers in the community action and social economy sectors in Québec, the Comité sectoriel de la main-d'œuvre de l’Économie sociale et de l’Action communautaire has created a free listening and support service that will be available for a few months during the COVID-19 crisis.
Union des consommateurs (May 8, 2020)
(Québec consumer advocacy group)
$25,000
The Associations coopératives d’économie familiale (ACEF) continue to help people who use their services to better understand and manage their financial situation during the pandemic. The Foundation’s contribution will help to raise awareness of these services within the various ACEFs that are members of the Union des consommateurs.
The Lighthouse – Children and Families (May 4, 2020)
$30,000
Thanks to this exceptional contribution to its emergency fund, The Lighthouse organization will be able to continue providing services via telepresence to families whose children require palliative care and to offer them the support they need during this period of confinement.
Centraides of Quebec - Project to support youth (April 29, 2020)
$2,500,000
This funding will help youth agencies reach isolated and marginalized young people and give them educational and psychosocial support so that they can continue their studies and go back to school in 2020-2021 with the best chances of success. The ultimate goal of this project is to ensure that all young people can still develop their full potential. This funding will be allocated to agencies supported by the Centraides of Quebec and may go beyond this network depending on the specific realities and needs of each region.
Centraide of Greater Montréal – Radar, a collaborative digital tool (April 27, 2020)
$100,503
Radar is a collaborative digital tool that provides the public and local stakeholders with a map of all food assistance agencies in the Montreal Metropolitan Community that are open or closed during the crisis. This map can be used not only to align a neighbourhood’s needs with the agencies that can meet these needs but also to effectively share information about agencies with the public, funding partners and decision-makers. Sociodemographic variables and technical features will be added as the tool is developed in order to refine analyses of issues related to poverty and social exclusion.
Fondation Olo (April 22, 2020)
$150,000
Fondation Olo is extremely concerned about the possible effects of the current crisis on unborn babies and their families. The foundation is anticipating a rise in poverty among pregnant women and, consequently, an increase in requests for Olo’s personalized follow-up service and food vouchers. In order to reduce food insecurity, alleviate families’ stress and reinforce their social safety net, Olo has implemented some exceptional measures to upgrade its services.
Table nationale des corporations de développement communautaire (TNCDC) (April 22, 2020)
$255,500
Community development corporations have been particularly challenged during the current public health crisis. Several have spoken to the TNCDC about the difficulties they are experiencing in finding appropriate responses to emerging issues: declining funding revenues, longer working hours, projects terminated or suspended for lack of financing, the need to purchase the necessary technological equipment to allow employees to work from home, etc.
Socioeconomic Summit for the Development of Black Communities (April 16, 2020)
$284,035
In addition to facilitating Internet access and providing families of four or more in disadvantaged neighbourhoods with computer equipment, the Summit and its partners have developed online activities that focus on the heritage of various black communities.
Doctors of the World (April 16, 2020)
$20,000
Our contribution to this emergency fund will help Doctors of the World to continue providing medical care to migrants with precarious status. It will also support them in their ongoing efforts to raise awareness among various partners and coordinate the implementation of government measures aimed at helping this highly vulnerable population.
Fédération québécoise des organismes communautaires famille (FQOCF) and LigneParents (March 31, 2020)
$265,000
These two organizations will be working together to support parents who request assistance during the coming days and weeks.
Centraides of Quebec - COVID-19 Emergency Fund (March 27, 2020)
$1,000,000
This donation applies to all regions of Québec. We have asked Centraide to distribute funds to areas where the needs of vulnerable groups or communities are receiving the least financial support.
Contributions by Chagnon Foundation projects
Naître et grandir
For the hundreds of thousands of parents and organizations that regularly consult its website, newsletter and social media posts, Naître et grandir publishes news items, other content of interest and blogs related to the present situation (pregnancy follow-ups, childbirth, children, answers to questions, lists of activities available online, etc.).
L’Observatoire des tout-petits
The Observatoire des tout-petits has created a special section on its website to report on the impact of COVID-19 and social isolation on the well-being of young children, including an analysis of the effects that the current situation is having on child maltreatment.
Our communications
21 SEPTEMBRE 2020
APRIL 29, 2020
Newsletter: Notre contribution à l'effort collectif et notre rôle comme organisme philanthropique
MARCH 29, 2020
Press release: COVID-19 - La réponse immédiate de la Fondation Chagnon
MARCH 24, 2020
Email from the President of the Foundation sent to all our partners
WEEK OF MARCH 16, 2020
Newsletter - Maintien de nos opérations et télétravail
We contacted over 100 of the organizations and initiatives that we support to provide reassurance and work with them to identify the best solutions for their specific situation.
We also support the statement entitled We’re all in this together published by Philanthropic Foundations Canada, Environment Funders Canada, Community Foundations of Canada and The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.
