France Chrétien-Desmarais
Chair, Board of Directors

Danielle Pagé
Executive Director

Supporting Excellence for the last 30 years

Thirty years ago, Dr. Paul David had a leading-edge vision to propel the Montreal Heart Institute to new heights by founding the Montreal Heart Institute Research Fund with the assistance of his friend, philanthropist Jean-Louis Lévesque. The Research Fund was later renamed the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation. Now more than ever, the Foundation continues to pursue its mission of funding research and technological development at the MHI.

Supporting excellence - 2006-2007 Accomplishments
Year after year, the Foundation makes significant efforts to help the Institute meet its needs by providing financial support to its doctors and researchers, thereby enabling them to achieve great accomplishments. This year, the Foundation fully funded the establishment of a cohort of studies in cardiac genetics in the hospital environment, which  represents a significant achievement among the projects aimed at supporting excellence.

The project consists in taking DNA samples from a group of 30,000 MHI patients over a period of several years. These samples will serve to identify genomic health determinants, particularly those related to cardiovascular diseases, and will also help in evaluating the response to treatments and preventative measures. 

The Institute used these strategic investments to recruit five world-renowned researchers.  With its advances in the field of genetics (researchers, facilities, equipment) combined with the formation of a much-coveted cohort of patients, the MHI is well positioned to achieve worldwide prominence among cardiovascular genetics centers.

Investments for life
The Foundation allocated contributions to the purchase of specialized medical equipment at a cost of $1.1 million, which represents more than two-thirds of the MHI's total budget for equipment ($1.6 million). 

With respect to research, the Foundation allocated $2.8 million in grants and contributions, or 15% of the total research budget of the MHI's research centre.

Over and above these significant contributions, the Foundation allocated an additional sum of $1.7 million to various MHI growth projects.

In fiscal 2006-2007, the Foundation granted a total of $5.6 million to the MHI.

Please note that annual contributions are only recorded in the Foundation's books upon payment.

Thanks to people with heart
The Foundation's financial support is essential to the Institute's operations. This support is made possible through the generosity of its loyal partners and donors. The Foundation is also very grateful for the invaluable cooperation of its board members, as well as the experts who work on its committees- with the support of a team of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. Together, these men and women of heart contribute to the Foundation's sphere of success.

Toward new projects
At the Foundation, supporting excellence is a day-to-day matter.

This is the reason why a new organizational structure has been set up, in order to strengthen the deployment of our human resources. Its objectives: streamline operations, maximize efficiency and focus on versatility of the personnel. 

A new management team was formed to promote from within the development of its employees' skills as well as recruiting new staff from the philanthropic field and private sector.

- An energetic team working for the MHI and its donors.

Encouraging excellence
Let's dream a little. Let's work to help make possible the dreams and vision of the people who work at the Institute. Let's help them push back the limits of care, research and technological applications.

At the Foundation, innovative ideas are always at the heart of our concerns. Our traditional approach to philanthropy has evolved into a strategic philanthropreneur approach today. 

In this new spirit of philanthropic entrepreneurship, we will encourage excellence among the Montreal Heart Institute's doctors, researchers, nurses and professionals who are the "heart beat" for the future…