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Help make change today. Join our Dollar A Day Community.

The Dollar A Day Foundation has a simple mission: to provide adequate funding to frontline mental health and addictions programs across Canada. With proper supports, despair can be replaced by hope, dignity, and the opportunity to give back.

We all give a dollar a day – no more, no less. When mental health and addictions are treated in a timely manner, the human and financial costs are far less, proving it to be an investment worth making. Sign up today and help us send a stronger message for social change, and feel confident that you’re making a difference every single day.

Mental health issues are growing, and we must rise to the occasion.

Many people facing mental health and addiction challenges do not have the supports they need to get on the road to recovery. Dollar A Day exists to raise funds to close the gap between the availability of frontline mental health and addictions programs and the growing need.

Make a Difference

We believe in the value of each and every person, and so do the programs we fund.

Thrive CYN

St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador

Meeting youth where they are, helping youth where they need to go, and supporting youth to be who they want to be. Thrive provides innovative programs and approaches to support young individuals struggling with mental health.

Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third highest in relation to the rest of the industrialized world, but we believe Thrive’s work is making efforts to change that. Part of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Community Youth Networks (CYNs), Thrive is seen as a leading social serving organization and has created some of our province’s most innovative services.

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No Time For That

Halifax, Nova Scotia

No Time for That Anti-Bullying Society works with performers and motivational speakers to develop and deliver powerful presentations to school-aged children and youth about bullying prevention, mental health awareness, and youth empowerment.

These presentations are part of the “No Time for That” Tour, a live production comprised of guest speakers, live music, videos, Q&A, meet & greet, and volunteer activities. To date, as part of the No Time for That” Tour, over 600 presentations have been delivered to schools across Canada, at no cost to the schools.

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Covenant House

Toronto, Ontario

Recognized as the largest agency in Canada that serves homeless, trafficked, or at-risk youth, Covenant House is dedicated to helping youth find their path. They offer a range of health and mental well-being services, housing opportunities, awareness initiatives, and more.

By combining frontline experience with research to ensure the solutions they offer make a noticeable impact, Covenant House was able to support 465 youth struggling with mental health in 2018. With support, they can continue to meet the needs of youth and stoke the flames of potential in the next generation.

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Landing Strong

Windsor, Nova Scotia

“Finding Growth Together Following Trauma.” That’s the motto of Landing Strong – an innovative non-profit organization based in Nova Scotia dedicated to promoting resilience and assisting recovery from PTSD and operational stress injuries (OSI).

With a wide range of services, from initial engagement and treatment to aftercare and community reengagement support, Landing Strong is more than an organization. It’s a community of dedicated survivors and aides, providing those who are struggling with the help they need to recover.

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Living Life to the Full

Ontario

Living Life to the Full (LLTTF) believes that 12 hours is all it takes to change your life for the better. Their eight-session courses have proven to significantly reduce depression and anxiety symptoms in participants across Canada, as well as improve mental well-being and mood.

Delivered by trained facilitators to small groups in community settings, LLTTF is designed to help people deal with everyday challenges and stressors by teaching better self-management skills, and equipping participants with the necessary tools to tackle life’s challenges head-on!

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Langs Youth Wellness Hub

Cambridge, Ontario

Established in 1978 in Cambridge, Ontario, Langs is committed to ensuring every person in their neighbourhoods has a place to call home for health, wellness, and support.

At a provincial level, 77% of children referred to children’s mental health services were from Cambridge, with 157 children on the waiting list and an estimated wait time of 7 months. With this in mind, Langs aims to decrease barriers and enable greater access to help, serving children with mild to moderate mental health challenges and providing both mental health and family assistance.

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MHEART Program

Woodstock, Ontario

The Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (MHEART) aims to decrease emergency room visits by providing citizens with the help they need at the time of their call. They do this by pairing on-duty police officers with a crisis worker to respond to mental health or addiction-based emergency calls.

Since the program was launched in 2018, it has made 545 connections, over 400 referrals to community services, and saw 75 fewer people taken to emergency rooms. With your support, MHEART can continue to provide mental health treatments both promptly and professionally.

HEADSTRONG

Canada-wide

Mental health problems and related stigma can severely harm a young person’s success in most areas of their life. HEADSTRONG, a Young Mental Health Initiative, aims to change the way youth think about mental health forever.

As Canada’s only evidence-based national initiative, this program arms youth with the tools to Be Brave, Reach Out, and Speak Up for mental health in their schools and communities. After over 70 youth Summits across the country and more than 10,000 surveys, it’s clear that HEADSTRONG is making a difference.

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Harbour Light

Vancouver, British Columbia

The Salvation Army Harbour Light has been restoring hope and providing support to vulnerable people in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for over 65 years.

Harbour Light offers compassion and promotes recovery for adults moving forward from substance abuse. With a variety of programs and addiction treatments – such as one-on-one or group counselling and traditional 12-step programs – each client’s care plan is specifically tailored to their needs.

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Talk Today (CMHA)

Ontario

With a mission to promote the mental health of young athletes and spread awareness about the benefits of positive mental health across the country, the Talk Today program has become a valuable platform for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branches, teams, and individuals.

Originally launched in 2014, Talk Today encourages open discussions about mental health within the hockey community and the broader public. They also offer mental health training for players and staff, so that everyone can be a champion of mental health!

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2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations

Toronto, Ontario

2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations aim is to support the Two Spirit community due to the set of ongoing historical and modern challenges they face in society. Two Spirit is a term within the ancient teachings of the First Nations to describe men who marry men and women who marry women, as they are seen as a third gender; carrying both a male and female spirit. These members often experience alienation and are denied of their identity in society, while traditionally they were fundamental to their culture, being considered gifted healers and visionaries.

First Nations, metis and Inuit living with or at risk for HIV and related co-infections are offered prevention education and support based on Indigenous philosophies of holistic health and wellness, including mental health and counselling through this program to ensure Two Spirit people are living healthy and are able to remain openly proud in their heritage.

Become a Partner for Change and Discover the Impact a Dollar Can Make.

The Dollar A Day Foundation has a simple mission: to bridge the gap between the funding and the need for frontline mental health and addictions programs across Canada.

Raise awareness for mental health and addictions care within your organization and the communities you serve – help change the conversation and stigma around mental health in your organization by normalizing the conversation, taking action, and empowering your people to make a difference on the frontlines of mental health and addictions care in their communities.

Your workplace can become a Partner for Change by pledging that you and your colleagues will together donate $365. If your workplace has multiple sites, challenge each site to join in! Share your interest here and we’ll be in touch to get you all set up.

What We Look For

The programs that Dollar A Day seeks to fund are based, like the foundation itself, on a fundamental belief in the value of each and every person. We fund frontline programs that support professionals in diagnosing and treating persons with mental illness and addictions in a timely and respectful manner regardless of politics, religion, gender, race, or ability to pay. As we are not experts in mental health and addictions, we rely on the expertise of great partners (like the Canadian Mental Health Association) to identify specific needs and programs that are making a difference. Here is what we consider in funding programs on behalf of our donors:

  • Frontline Programs – Does the program have a positive impact on a person suffering today?
  • Demand/Need – Is there a compelling need for this program in this area/region?
  • Lasting Impact – Does the program have the potential to be life changing?
  • Measurable Results – How are these impacts measured?
  • Ability to Replicate – Could the program be successfully replicated elsewhere?
  • Innovative – Is there potential to be ground-breaking in terms of its overall impact?
  • Regional Impact – There is a desire to fund programs in every province and territory in Canada.

How to Apply for Funding

Although the Dollar A Day Foundation works primarily through its partners to identify programs in need of funding, if your organization delivers frontline programs in support of persons with mental health and addictions, we encourage you to submit a two-page summary of your project.  Ensure it outlines how your program fits with our mission and includes the criteria we have outlined above in “What We Look For”, contact information, and any relevant links to information online.

Any further questions, please email info@adollaraday.ca

Please note: We do not grant money to individuals. The Dollar A Day Foundation only makes grants to organizations that meet the criteria specified above.

These are issues that belong to all of us.
So, let’s fix them together.

Our Principles

Equality Among Donors

We ask everyone for a Dollar A Day – no more, no less – to establish a fundamental equity among donors. Your voice for social change is needed – your dollar will go far and will count the same as everyone else’s in sending a louder message.

Lean and Efficient

The Dollar A Day Foundation will be kept simple, lean, and efficient. No grand fundraising events or costly ad campaigns. More dollars to the frontline! By looking to corporate partners to support a separate endowment to cover operating and administration costs, more and more of your dollars go directly to the frontlines. Our goal is simple. You give a dollar and every cent of it goes directly to help with Mental Health and Addictions. 100%.

Transparency Through Exemplary Communications

Through cost-effective online communications, we will share the change you are making possible and provide donors with a voice and a vehicle for sharing the change with others.

Regional Investment

The goal is to fund programs where donors can see and hear about the impact – one in every region of the country and more as we grow.

No Duplication

We do not deliver programs or profess to be experts in mental health. With the help of organizations such as the Canadian Mental Health Association, we identify needs and fund proven programs that are succeeding, but just need more financial resources.

Impact Today

Good people are suffering today, and effective programs and program partners exist. Through partnerships with credible organizations your investment will hit the ground running.

Our Leadership Team

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