Women’s College Hospital Foundation receives $1 Million from The Slaight Family Foundation

Gift part of $15M commitment to organizations supporting women and girls 

TORONTO (February 8, 2022) – The Slaight Family Foundation today announced it will donate $15 million to 12 organizations across Canada focused on supporting some of the unique challenges faced by women and girls. This initiative will fund programs that reduce gender-based violence, support those in emergency situations and increase opportunities for education and jobs, with a special focus on Indigenous, Black, racialized, refugee and immigrant women and girls.  As part of this gift, Women’s College Hospital Foundation will receive $1M to advance the health and well-being of refugee women and girls at the Crossroads Clinic for Refugees at Women’s College Hospital.  

“The pandemic has added to the many challenges faced by women and girls across Canada, and particularly in Indigenous, racialized and refugee communities,” said Gary Slaight, President & CEO, The Slaight Family Foundation. “This initiative is about helping people escape difficult circumstances, providing support for mental and physical health, and overcoming barriers so that women and girls across Canada can live their lives unburdened by unfair, unhealthy or unsafe circumstances.”

 “We are so grateful to The Slaight Family Foundation for this gift, which will directly impact the lives of refugee women and girls in our community,” said Jennifer Bernard, President and CEO of Women’s College Hospital Foundation. “This donation will not only help to meet the current and emergent needs of refugee women and girls, but will help to put their needs and voices at the centre of healthcare transformation, in turn enhancing quality of care and health outcomes for refugee families in the long-term. The Slaight Family Foundation’s generous support will have a profound impact for Women’s College Hospital, The Crossroads Clinic, and the hundreds of refugees who access our programs each year.”

The other organizations receiving funding from this initiative are Canadian Women’s Foundation, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada, Covenant House, Girls E Mentorship (GEM), New Circles, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Ontario Native Women’s Association, University Health Network’s National Eating Disorder Information Centre, Women’s College Hospital Foundation, Women’s Shelter’s Canada, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands and the YWCA Canada. 

Funds will also support:

• Scholarships for BIPOC women in medicine
• Grants for programs working to end gender-based violence, including for Indigenous women
• Helping women facing homelessness and other socio-economic barriers to success 
• Career mentorship and leadership skills development
• Health programs tailored specifically to racialized women, new immigrants and refugees
• The expansion of the national eating disorder emergency chat line 

About Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Hospital Foundation

Women’s College Hospital is Canada’s leader in advancing health for women and a global leader in conducting groundbreaking women’s health research. As the first and only fully independent hospital focused on women, Women’s is building on its 100+ year history as a trailblazer in identifying and addressing women’s health gaps and delivering pioneering firsts for women, the vulnerable and the underserved.

Women’s is also the only fully ambulatory, academic healthcare institution in Canada, with a provincial mandate to lead the way in improving the health system for all people. Women’s achieves this by addressing the most pressing health system challenges facing Canadians today and proactively confronting the gender and social inequities that threaten people’s health.

Women’s College Hospital Foundation fuels the hospital’s excellence in research and health care by connecting donors, partners, advocates and volunteers to its mission. It works to bring healthcare equity to the diverse communities in which we all live and serve and, together, create a healthier and more equitable world for women and their loved ones.

About The Slaight Family Foundation

Since 2013, The Slaight Family Foundation has funded several strategic initiatives to multiple organizations. These initiatives started with gifts to five Toronto hospitals to support priority healthcare issues, followed by programs to address global humanitarianism, the healthy development of children and youth across Canada, support for Indigenous issues and a seniors’ initiative to help keep seniors in their homes and communities. Most recently, last year’s initiative prioritized supporting mental health due to challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Slaight Family Foundation was established in 2008 by John Allan Slaight. Allan Slaight is known as Canada’s broadcast pioneer, a leader in the music industry and a prominent Canadian philanthropist. Through his generosity, the Foundation proactively supports charitable initiatives in the areas of healthcare, at-risk youth international development, social services and culture. 

Media Contacts: 

Cathy Carter
Women’s College Hospital Foundation
cathy.carter@wchospital.ca
647-628-2702

Jeri Brown
Media Profile
jeri.brown@mediaprofile.com
416-455-7188