Who’s giving? Canada’s biggest charitable donations of the past year

This article is the second in our February Special Report on Philanthropy in Canada. To see all the articles so far, click here.

The number of Canadians making charitable donations, particularly small and medium-size gifts, has declined in recent years. But wealthy philanthropists are stepping up to fill the giving gap.

It helps that the stock market has been booming, says Celeste Bannon Waterman, Toronto-based partner at KCI, a fundraising consultancy with offices across Canada.

“If you have assets, you’ve done pretty well. So we’re seeing a lot of support coming from those people, whether they’re using DAFs [donor-advised funds] or foundations or gifts,” Waterman says.

And it’s not just the high-profile billionaire families like the Westons and Thomsons handing over big cheques. KCI’s tally of large donations for 2025 shows a broad spectrum of donors and causes.

Among the gifts were large donations from people who may not be considered traditional philanthropists. Some were bequests by individuals securing their legacies, says Waterman’s colleague, Shannon Moon, KCI’s vice-president of research and analytics.

She cites two in particular: the John Thomas Fancsy gift of $40 million to the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation, and $12 million given by Calgarian Alex Osten to the city’s Arts Commons theatre on behalf of the late Buddy Victor.

“We’re looking at a handful of those examples of people who had very quiet wealth who really wanted to give back toward the end of life, or as part of their estate plans,” says Moon.

A few large donations came from groups of donors acting together. Last year ended with a consortium of nine families and family foundations donating more than $400 million to the Clean Economy Fund, for instance, including $150 million from the Trottier Family Foundation, $100 million from the Peter Gilgan Foundation, $18 million from the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, and $15 million from the Chisholm Thomson Family Foundation.

A handful of other group donations popped up, including a $20-million matching-donation pledge to a hospital foundation in Huntsville, Ont., involving more than 15 individuals and families, Moon says. Sometimes these group donations may be more about the charity bringing donations, both old and new, together for a public announcement to raise the profile of the cause, Waterman says.

Wealthy donors often want their names associated with concrete, well-known institutions and charities. Healthcare and education, for instance, are still the major beneficiaries of big donations.

But Waterman says social service agencies are beginning to see large gifts, too. And Moon says “truth and reconciliation” causes, addressing the harms of Canada’s residential school system and the broader legacy of colonialism, are also attracting donations.

Culture and historical-preservation causes are also drawing donors. The Weston pledge of $50 million to improve Queen’s Park, the seat of Ontario’s provincial government, fit well with the late Hilary Weston’s role as lieutenant governor of Ontario, says Moon. And the joint Weston-Thomson purchase of the Hudson’s Bay Charter with a plan to donate it jointly to four museums is another legacy-building gift.

Here is a sampling of some of the largest donations, pledges and bequests made by Canadians in the past year.

Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman

Toronto billionaire businessman Hal Jackman gave the University of Toronto law school $80 million in September, the largest donation to a Canadian law school ever, with $35 million of that going directly to student support in bursaries and aid.

Jackman, 93, said the gift will ensure opportunity for “the brightest and most promising students from every conceivable background, regardless of their financial means.” He previously gave more than $25 million to U of T’s law and humanities faculties and various gifts to arts and culture organizations such as the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The Jackman fortune was built through investment and insurance. Jackman served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1991 to 1997 and is a prominent Conservative. He ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament three times.

Peter Gilgan

Peter Gilgan donated $60 million in June to St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, the hospital where he and his six siblings were born.

The gift will help fund a new patient care tower, increasing surgical and emergency and mental health capacity at the facility. Gilgan had previously donated $10 million to St. Joseph’s and $40 million to the healthcare network Unity Health Toronto.

In November, Gilgan’s foundation donated $50 million to create the Peter Gilgan Centre for Early Cancer Detection Research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. The money will fund advanced research.

Gilgan, 74, one of Canada’s wealthiest businessmen, founded Mattamy Homes. His private foundation donates to many causes, including various Canadian health centres, climate change action and international aid.

Dilawri family

The Dilawri Foundation made a $60-million donation to Vancouver General Hospital and the University of British Columbia Hospital Foundation in June to establish the Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute.

The gift from the Dilawri Automotive Group’s charitable foundation recognizes care that family patriarch Ram Dilawri received from VGH’s cardiology department. Of the total gift, $35 million will go to a new multi-use hospital tower and $25 million will be available to establish a national cardiovascular research and clinical care network with international partner sites.

The Dilawris came to Canada in the 1980s and built the country’s largest chain of auto dealerships, with 4,000 employees. Their company’s foundation donates to charities including the Vancouver Public Library and the Sarah McLachlan School of Music as well as other healthcare facilities across Canada.

Lawson family

Toronto-based Brian and Joannah Lawson and their family foundation announced a $60-million donation last April for new climate initiatives at the University of Toronto.

In addition to creating the Lawson Climate Institute, which will focus on environmental policy and technology, the gift will create three endowment chairs and fund scholarships. The Lawson gift builds on a commitment made in 2024 by a consortium of donors to create the Clean Economy Fund, designed to increase climate philanthropy in Canada.

Brian Lawson is vice-chair of investment giant Brookfield Corp. Joannah Lawson is a businesswoman and nutritionist. Some of the Lawsons’ past philanthropy has centred on sustainable food and environmental causes.

Pierre Lassonde

Mining billionaire Pierre Lassonde gave Polytechnique Montréal $50 million in March to establish a new technological innovation institute.

Lassonde told the Canadian Press that the timing of the investment in disruptive innovation is apt given Canada’s move to grow more independent from the eonomic influence of the United States. “Never waste a good crisis. This is a good crisis, so let’s do something about it,” Lassonde said in an interview. “This hopefully will kick-start something even bigger. Every single moment matters, and this one matters a great deal.”

The donation will go to research and creating intellectual property, not bricks and mortar, Lassonde added.

Lassonde, who made his money in mining and mining investment, is a graduate of Polytechnique Montréal and pursued graduate studies at the University of Utah. He also donated US$25 million to the University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute last year.

Cortellucci family

The Cortellucci family, which owns the Ontario development firm Cortel Group, pledged $50 million to the William Osler Health System for a second hospital in Brampton, Ont. The project’s total cost will be $2.4 billion.

The Cortelluccis aren’t new to hospital donations, having given $40 million previously to a hospital in Vaughn, Ont., now named in their honour.

The family immigrated from Italy in the 1960s, and they are well-known developers in the Toronto and Vaughn areas.

Weston family

Last March, the City of Toronto announced it was discussing a proposed $50-million donation from the Weston family to improve Queen’s Park North, the green space next to the Ontario legislature. The family is also offering an unannounced amount for continued maintenance of the park and its facilities. City council is expected to make decisions regarding the renewal plan this year.

The late Hilary Weston served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. The family has also donated to other nearby institutions, including the Royal Ontario Museum, the University of Ontario and the Gardiner Museum.

This donation is only one of the high-profile donations that members of the grocery store dynasty and their foundations announced in 2025. The Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation, along with Earle and Janice O’Born, are donating $25 million to the Sinai Health Foundation for the Centre for Mature Women’s Health. And the Weston Family Foundation is contributing $10 million to McGill University for Alzheimer’s research, and $10 million to the University of Alberta and University of Ottawa for joint research into inflammatory bowel disease.

John Thomas Fancsy

A $40-million donation announced in August from the late John Thomas Fancsy will help build a new hospital in Windsor, Ont.

Fancsy died suddenly in 2024 of a heart attack at age 65. He had already decided to provide the gift, which will fund hospital equipment for a planned new healthcare facility for his community. Fancsy lived his life in Windsor and nearby Harrow. The new hospital, expected to begin construction this year, will be named the Fancsy Family Hospital.

Fancsy had been an engineer at the family auto parts firm Narmco and founded the Viewpointe Estate Winery in Harrow with his brother Stephen.

Bruce McKean and the Waverley House Foundation

A $35-million donation from Bruce McKean’s Waverley House Foundation to Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa was announced in November.

The donation will be split between the hospitals for the Precision Child and Youth Mental Health fund, which uses precision medicine for early diagnosis and targeted treatment of mental health conditions.

McKean created Waverley House in 2017 to donate to mental illness research and treatment in Canada. He made his money as a founding investor in the global e-commerce giant Shopify.

Temerty family

The Temerty family’s foundation gave $30 million to the Royal Ontario Museum in May for community engagement and programming.

The Temerty Community Access and Engagement Fund will be used to provide free public access to the museum on certain occasions and to provide free programming.

James and Louise Temerty created their family foundation in 1997. It has donated to many causes, including a landmark $250-million gift to the University of Toronto’s medical school. The Temertys made their money with a chain of ComputerLand stores and the renewable energy firm Northland Power.

Kathy Kerr is a veteran online and print journalist who, as a newspaper reporter, editor, and now freelance writer has covered the Canadian business and financial scene for more than three decades. Kathy has contributed to Canadian Family Offices for four years and has also written for The Globe and Mail, the Real Estate News Exchange and various commercial business publications. She also comments on Alberta politics for TV, radio and online publications.

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