The Canadian Medical Foundation was established by the Canadian Medical Association in 1987 to help physicians realize their philanthropic goals.

Since our establishment we have partnered with physicians and communities in Canada and internationally to improve global health, as well as to provide assistance to physicians-in-training in Canada.

While the world has changed in the 35 years since our establishment, our mission and commitment have not, although our priority focus has.

Today, we are prioritizing two campaigns.

In response to the global pandemic that has swept through the globe, we are working alongside organizations in Canada and outside of Canada to stop the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 by addressing gaps in hygiene efforts through our Stop the Gaps campaign.

In response not just to the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Report but to inequities that have affected the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada for over 150 years, we have partnered with Indspire and their Building Brighter Futures Bursaries, Scholarships and Awards program to establish Indspire’s only bursary focused specifically for Indigenous physicians-to-be.

We’re all in this together as a global community.

• Improved Hygiene at Hopital Albert Schweitzer, Haiti (Project Completed) - In Haiti, a lack of handwashing resources (clean water, handwashing stations, sanitizer) and misinformation make an already impoverished nation most vulnerable to a coronavirus outbreak.
• Distributing Critical Hygiene Products (Project Completed) - Vulnerable people and those living in remote communities may have trouble obtaining critical hygiene products.
• Helping prevent infection of frontline healthcare workers - No decontamination kits to properly clean and disinfect reusable face shields are currently marketed in Canada.
• Reducing The Transmission of COVID-19 at University Hospital of Mirebalais (Completed) - Improving sanitation facilities in the hospital's COVID-19 patient areas to create a healthier hospital environment and reduced risk of COVID-19 transmission for both staff and patients.
• Hygiene Support to those Displaced by Conflict in Syria (completed) - As part of a special Close the Gaps initiative to help prevent, limit, and stop the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, CMF partnered with the Molham Volunteering Team to provide vital hygiene supplies and facemasks to households in Azaz area, located in northern Aleppo governorate, Northwest Syria
• CMF Bursaries for Indigenous Medical Students - Indigenous peoples face significant barriers to postsecondary education. Achieving a medical degree is an even steeper climb due to a variety of factors, one of which is financial.
• Oral Knowledge Transfer and COVID-19 Prevention - We are pleased to announce our partnership with the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre
• COVID-19 & Infection Prevention outside of Canada - Washing hands with soap and water, repeatedly throughout the day, is a critical basic step in the prevention of infection, but a large percentage of households in many developing countries lack the knowledge or basic facilities at home to properly wash their hands.
• COVID-19 & Infection Prevention in Canada - In Canada, vulnerable communities are more at risk of getting an infection and developing severe complications due to their health, social and economic circumstances. Especially in times of pandemics, cracks and holes in systems are magnified and more easily identified as gaps or barriers to infection prevention.
• Greatest Need - Support philanthropy and community building in Canada and around the world.
• Helping prevent the spread of illness and disease in Syria (Completed) - Through CMF’s Stop the Gaps Program, our project with GlobalMedic will support the needs of families living in camps in northwest Syria by providing them with Family Emergency Kits (FEKs) which have been developed as a holistic solution to serve multiple needs faced by families in crisis.
• Protecting Medical Staff in Syria (Completed) - We are proud to announce the completion of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Project in Northwest Syria, in partnership with the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations-Canada (UOSSM Canada)