Grants Reflect Employee Commitment to Canadian Communities
Fifteen HDR Canada Fund grants totaling CA$72,000 demonstrate the impact of HDR employees in communities across Canada.
The grants include support of 11 food banks as part of a special incentive for offices that reached donation goals as part of the annual Day of Giving employee fundraiser for the HDR Foundation and global philanthropic funds in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
“Every year, I’m moved — not just by the impact we’re making — but by the growing commitment of our staff to be part of that change,” said Kim Gosteli, HDR's national business development director in Canada and member of the committee approving grants. “Compassion drives our people to give, to volunteer, to advocate. Compassion turns a workplace into a community. And compassion fuels the HDR Foundation Canada Fund every single year.”
The other four grants are sponsored by employees who volunteer with the organizations receiving funds. Two grants support sustainable mobility for low-income individuals through community bicycle programs.
“In my four years volunteering with the Rescue Bike project, I’ve seen how the repair of a bike, or the gift of a refurbished one, has given individuals much-needed mobility,” said Peter Duckworth-Pilkington, sustainable design leader and HDR sponsor of a grant to East Toronto Family Community Centre. “This simple service is transformation — mobility to get to work or school, access services like food banks, take on food delivery jobs, or get a kid on a bike for the first time.”
Ryan Pendleton, associate design principal at HDR, sponsored a grant to the Pedal Foundation in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“As an avid cyclist, I know how rare and meaningful it is to have a place where parts are accessible and affordable, knowledge is readily shared, and community is created through empowerment and engagement,” he said.
Additional grants include critical kitchen infrastructure upgrades for Made by Momma, a charity supporting families in crisis, and new musical instruments and band equipment for the Air Cadet League of Canada.
“Every year, the HDR Foundation Canada Fund makes tremendous strides in supporting people who are not always as lucky as we are,” Gosteli said. “It reaches into communities where hope is needed most, where opportunity is scarce, and where a helping hand can change a life.”
Read full descriptions of our latest grants.
About the HDR Canada Fund
Funded and driven by HDR employees, the HDR Canada Fund is a charitable fund held with the Vancouver Foundation, dedicated to serving communities across Canada in which our employees live and work. Modeled after the U.S.-based HDR Foundation, the HDR Canada Fund gives preference to organizations with strong employee involvement that align with HDR’s areas of expertise: education, healthy communities and environmental stewardship. Since its inception in 2021, the HDR Canada Fund has funded over CA$250,000 in grants.
About HDR
HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients’ and communities’ most complex challenges.
