The Chawkers Foundation’s objectives are to aid charities across Canada working in the fields of environmental research and protection, and of education. The foundation has also prioritized support for long-form non-fiction journalism.

The Chawkers Foundation was created in 1988 with a sole donation from Charles S. Alexander, a resident of Montreal and Les Cantons de l’Est.

The foundation suspended the normal process of awarding grants in the spring of 2020, and gave priority to front-line social services. Grants were awarded to food banks and shelters in Montreal, the GTA, Thunder Bay, Edmonton and Calgary. Food bank and shelter grants have been renewed again for 2023 for agencies in Iqaluit, Thunder Bay, Sorel-Tracy, Calgary, Edmonton, Montréal and Toronto.

We have reactivated our regular grant-making process at this time for project-based funds. Chawkers makes grants only to registered Canadian charities.

In 2003, Chawkers committed to providing the funding necessary for launching the Walrus Magazine, with a mandate to promote discourse about matters vital to Canadians. Chawkers continues to support the Walrus Foundation’s writers and artists, and fund training for its young journalists.

We are very pleased to pursue responsible investing: in order to actively align our capital with our mission, the foundation has invested in Solarshare Community Solar Bonds, the MaRS Catalyst Fund and the YMCA’s of Québec Alternative Suspension SIB. Through these investments, we will not only continue to fulfill our foundation’s mandate of charitable grants, but also support important new work in clean energy and in innovative educational and health enterprises.

The Foundation’s board of directors meets twice yearly.

CRA Registration # 119222040RR0001.