Breakthrough Fund^TM

Breakthrough Fund^TM

Breakthrough Fund^TM is the fusion of investing and charitable giving, known as venture philanthropy, with the goal of moving the most promising, most innovative science and research into clinicians’ hands and children’s health care, faster. A well-documented challenge to child health care innovation is the funding gap in the early discovery stage. With Breakthrough Fund^TM, you’ll provide seed funding that helps researchers take bold ideas from possibility to proof, validating concepts, building prototypes, reducing risk, and accelerating their path to market.

We’re seeking members to fuel the power of collective impact and increase the likelihood of commercial success for early-stage SickKids breakthroughs — from diagnostic tools and medical devices to the precision therapies of the future.

WHY BREAKTHROUGH FUND^TM MATTERS

SickKids is recognized as the number one children’s hospital in the world — and we’re a powerhouse of research and discovery. Despite remarkable advances in child health over the past few decades — some of them developed at SickKids — major challenges remain. Although the effects of childhood illness and treatment often reverberate into adulthood, paediatric health research is significantly underfunded. Many ideas with great potential fail because research dollars are among the most challenging funds to raise. The road from discovery in the lab to clinical and commercial success is often long, with innovations typically taking 7 to 12 years to reach the market. Breakthrough Fund^TM is facing this challenge head on and encouraging a culture of entrepreneurship backed by the boldness of venture philanthropists.

HOW IT WORKS

Each Breakthrough Fund^TM member commits to an investment of $20,000 a year over five years, totaling $100,000. As a member, you gain an exclusive first look at the most groundbreaking, commercially promising ideas at SickKids, connect with fellow members in child health, and help decide which early-stage research to fund. You’ll also receive updates from scientists on the impact of the work you’re supporting and, when an innovation is successfully commercialized, a portion of the returns will be re-invested into the fund. Breakthrough Fund^TM is designed to reduce the time for discoveries to make it from bench to bedside, and you will play a vital role in accelerating breakthrough ideas to clinical and commercial successes — transforming lives here in Canada and globally.

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