Our History
The Change Foundation owes its existence to The Ontario Hospital Association, which endowed the Foundation with $50 million in 1996 from part of the proceeds of the sale of Blue Cross insurance. The CEO of the OHA sits as an ex-officio member of the Foundation's 12-member Board of Directors. The independent Foundation operates largely on the investment returns of the endowment.
Previous Research Projects
During its first decade, the Foundation provided grants to health-care organizations and investigators for a diverse array of topics and developed projects, including applied research, analysis and knowledge transfer, focused on 'capturing innovative ideas and approaches' in health care. (This work is archived on a CD which is available upon request by contacting research manager Hasmik Beglaryan at hbeglaryan@changefoundation.com.)
Nursing Awards
In 2004, the Foundation partnered with the Nursing Secretariat of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on an open competition for innovative nursing projects to improve nursing practice. That collaboration continued in 2006 with another two-tier peer-reviewed competition, this time with a focus on innovations in nursing human resources. The awards were announced in March 2007 and are funded through to 2009. For more on the awards and the projects they fund, click here.
OHAfrica
OHAfrica was founded as a joint initiative of the Ontario Hospital Association and The Change Foundation, in close partnership with the Government of Lesotho. OHAfrica was created in 2004 in response to the challenge made to Ontario hospitals by Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, to play a leadership role in helping to treat and prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa.
OHAfrica was officially incorporated as an independent agency in October 2006; throughout 2007/08, The Change Foundation will continue to support OHAfrica as it completes its strategic plan and board recruitment. The Change Foundation is proud to have supported this initiative that provides hope to so many people living with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho. For more information, visit www.ohafrica.ca.
New directions
In 2006, the Board decided to take a close look at whether the Foundation was doing the right things and if so, was it doing them right. It conducted a review of 20 foundations, research institutes and think tanks and brought together forty senior health leaders — policy and decision-makers from government and LHINs, board trustees, service providers from all sectors, researchers, educators, officials from The Commonwealth Fund, etc. — to provide input into the future role and strategic priorities of the Foundation.
The consultations confirmed a strong desire by stakeholders for a credible source of information on health system change and a need for a deeper understanding of health system integration, especially with the advent of the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). The Foundation was viewed as an organization well positioned to gather and share insights to inform Ontario's change agenda, to help identify and explore future trends likely to affect health and health delivery in Ontario, and to create a forum for informed dialogue and debate related to these trends.
2007-2010 Strategic Plan
For more on the Foundation's previous strategic directions, read the 2007-2010 strategic plan.
2010-2013 Strategic Plan
On June 23, 2010, The Change Foundation released its 2010-2013 strategic plan, Hearing the stories, changing the story, and announced its new goal -- to improve the experience of individuals and caregivers as they move in, out of, and across the
health-care system over time as their health changes.
Read more about our current strategic plan.
