Laidlaw Foundation

The Laidlaw Foundation is a Canadian charitable foundation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1949 by Robert A. Laidlaw, it was created to distribute charitable funding to organizations working in areas including conservation, education, culture, and community welfare, initially with a strong geographic emphasis on Ontario. The foundation was financed by Robert A. Laidlaw and his sons, Nicholas and Roderick, using more than C$11 million from the family fortune associated with the R. Laidlaw Lumber Company. During its earlier decades, the foundation became known for supporting prominent Canadian institutions. Its beneficiaries included the Hospital for Sick Children, the National Ballet of Canada, the National Ballet School, Upper Canada College, and the Royal Ontario Museum. This institutional philanthropy reflected a traditional foundation model centered on substantial grants to established cultural, educational, health, and civic organizations. The foundation's operating approach evolved over time. In 1961, it appointed Mary Claire Thomas as its first full-time staff member. Although her formal title was Secretary, she effectively managed the organization and helped develop its policies and programs. Thomas remained in leadership until her retirement in 1982. Nathan Gilbert then became Foundation Secretary and later Executive Director, serving from 1982 until his retirement in 2013. Under Gilbert, the foundation retained interests in environmental and cultural work while moving toward smaller organizations, community-based initiatives, public policy, and advocacy. Support expanded to social infrastructure for at-risk youth, efforts addressing child poverty, and projects intended to challenge structural inequities. This shift was also visible in the foundation's cultural grantmaking. Rather than concentrating primarily on large legacy institutions, it supported smaller and more experimental organizations, including Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and Ballet Creole. The change positioned the foundation less as a conventional sponsor of major institutions and more as a funder of community capacity, civic participation, and systemic reform. Since 2014, the foundation has been led by Executive Director Jehad Aliweiwi. Following the 2015 publication of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report, the foundation committed to supporting implementation of the commission's 94 Calls to Action. Indigenous issues subsequently became a central priority. Its contemporary work also emphasizes youth organizing and youth-led systems change, particularly involving underserved young people affected by the justice, education, and child-welfare systems. The foundation's 2019–2024 strategic plan formalized this direction by calling for a deeper emphasis on youth-led systems change, elevating the experiences of affected young people, and amplifying their voices in public and institutional decision-making. As a grantmaking institution rather than a commercial operating business, the Laidlaw Foundation's principal offerings are charitable grants, partnerships, convening, and support for community and advocacy organizations. Its current identity combines the resources of a longstanding family foundation with a more participatory and justice-oriented approach to philanthropy.

The Laidlaw Foundation was created in 1949 in Toronto by Robert A. Laidlaw, whose family wealth came from the R. Laidlaw Lumber Company. Robert and his sons, Nicholas and Roderick, contributed more than C$11 million to establish the foundation's charitable resources. Its original purpose was to provide financial support to charitable, conservation, educational, and cultural organizations, particularly in Ontario. For much of its early history, the foundation followed a conventional institutional-grantmaking model. It supported recognizable Canadian organizations in health, education, culture, and public life, including the Hospital for Sick Children, the National Ballet of Canada, the National Ballet School, Upper Canada College, and the Royal Ontario Museum. These grants helped sustain established institutions and reflected the foundation's role as a major family-backed philanthropic supporter. A more formal operating structure emerged in 1961, when Mary Claire Thomas became the foundation's first full-time staff member. Hired as Secretary, Thomas in practice ran the organization and worked with its board to formulate policies and programs. She led the foundation until 1982. Nathan Gilbert succeeded her and served as Foundation Secretary and later Executive Director until his retirement in 2013. During Gilbert's tenure, the foundation broadened and redirected its grantmaking. It continued to support environmental initiatives and cultural activity, but increasingly favored smaller, community-based, and innovative organizations over large legacy institutions. Cultural beneficiaries included Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and Ballet Creole. At the same time, the foundation developed interests in civic engagement, youth at risk, social infrastructure, child poverty, and policy or advocacy work designed to address the causes of inequality rather than only its effects. Jehad Aliweiwi became Executive Director in 2014. His tenure coincided with a further shift toward Indigenous priorities and youth participation. After the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report was released in 2015, the foundation pledged to support the implementation of the commission's 94 Calls to Action. Indigenous issues became a more prominent part of its philanthropic identity, alongside community change led by young people. The foundation's 2019–2024 strategic plan articulated a particularly strong commitment to youth-led systems change. It identified underserved youth affected by the justice, education, and child-welfare systems as a central constituency and called for their needs and voices to be elevated in policy and institutional processes. The foundation therefore moved from a primarily institution-centered grantmaker toward a more participatory model supporting organizing, advocacy, community capacity, and systemic reform. Its historical trajectory combines continuity as a Toronto-based family foundation with substantial change in the people, communities, and methods it prioritizes.

• 2019

  2019–2024 strategic plan launched

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  The plan emphasized youth-led systems change and focused attention on underserved youth affected by justice, education, and child-welfare systems.

• 2015

  Indigenous priorities strengthened

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report, the foundation pledged support for the 94 Calls to Action and placed greater emphasis on Indigenous issues.

• 2014

  Jehad Aliweiwi becomes Executive Director

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Jehad Aliweiwi assumed executive leadership of the foundation.

• 2013

  Nathan Gilbert retires

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Gilbert concluded more than three decades of leadership during which the foundation expanded its support for environmental, cultural, youth, civic, and anti-poverty work.

• 1982

  Nathan Gilbert begins leadership

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Nathan Gilbert became Foundation Secretary, later serving as Executive Director through 2013.

• 1961

  First full-time staff member appointed

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Mary Claire Thomas became the foundation's first full-time employee and led its operations and policy development as Secretary.

• 1949

  Foundation established

  [1]Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org

  Robert A. Laidlaw established the Laidlaw Foundation in Toronto to support charitable, conservation, educational, and cultural organizations, initially with an Ontario focus.

A long-established Canadian family foundation that has shifted from traditional support for major cultural and civic institutions toward community-based philanthropy focused on Indigenous priorities, youth leadership, social justice, and systems change.

• Philanthropic funding · 1949

  Charitable grants

  The foundation's core activity is grantmaking to charitable and community organizations. Historically, this included major support for health, education, conservation, and established cultural institutions. Its later approach has placed greater emphasis on smaller organizations, advocacy, community capacity, and initiatives addressing structural social problems.

• Youth organizing and social justice · 2019

  Youth-led systems-change support

  A contemporary funding priority supporting young people as participants and leaders in efforts to change systems. The focus includes underserved youth affected by the justice, education, and child-welfare systems, with an emphasis on elevating their perspectives and strengthening their ability to influence institutions and public policy.

• Indigenous rights and reconciliation · 2015

  Indigenous-focused philanthropy

  The foundation's Indigenous-focused work grew after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report. It includes support aligned with the implementation of the commission's Calls to Action and gives greater priority to Indigenous communities and related justice and community-change initiatives.

• 2015Support for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action

  Canada

  The foundation pledged to support implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's 94 Calls to Action, contributing to a stronger emphasis on Indigenous issues in its funding priorities.

  Outcome. Indigenous priorities became a more prominent and enduring part of the foundation's philanthropic direction.

  Source

• 2019

  Adopt youth-led systems change as a strategic emphasisStrategy

  Background

  The foundation sought to deepen its work with underserved youth affected by the justice, education, and child-welfare systems.

  Action taken

  Its 2019–2024 strategic plan prioritized youth-led systems change and sought to amplify young people's needs and voices.

  Aftermath

  Youth organizing and youth participation became central elements of the foundation's stated contemporary positioning.

  Source

• 2015

  Make Indigenous issues a central philanthropic priorityStrategy

  Background

  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's final report called for action on 94 Calls to Action concerning reconciliation and Indigenous rights.

  Action taken

  The foundation pledged to support implementation of the Calls to Action and gave greater priority to Indigenous communities.

  Aftermath

  Indigenous issues became a defining part of the foundation's contemporary work.

  Source

• 1982

  Broaden grantmaking toward community-based and structural changeStrategy

  Background

  The foundation had a history of supporting major cultural, educational, and civic institutions, but its priorities increasingly addressed environmental initiatives, smaller arts organizations, at-risk youth, child poverty, and social inequity.

  Action taken

  Under Nathan Gilbert's leadership, the foundation increased support for smaller organizations, social infrastructure, civic engagement, policy, and advocacy.

  Aftermath

  The foundation became more oriented toward community organizations and systemic solutions while retaining support for environmental and cultural work.

  Source

1. 1Laidlaw Foundationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Laidlaw Foundation official websitelaidlawfdn.org