Tivy-Harris Foundation — a Canadian private foundation

Tivy-Harris Foundation — Established 2025 — Canada

Directed giving for
a more humane world.

A Canadian private foundation committed to targeted, principled grantmaking across six program areas — from neglected health conditions and biodiversity protection to humanitarian relief and cultural vitality.

6
Program objectives
14+
Grantee organizations
CA
CRA registration underway
About the Foundation

A small foundation with a deliberate hand.

The Tivy-Harris Foundation is a Canadian private foundation based in Puslinch, Ontario. We make principled, targeted grants — choosing a focused set of organizations and supporting them with consistency rather than spreading thin.

Humanitarian work in the field: a doctor examining a child in a medical tent, a relief rider carrying medical supplies, and families arriving at a refugee camp.
Our humanitarian giving supports frontline medical care and relief for displaced populations — from field clinics and emergency medical transport to shelter and support in refugee camps. Grantees in this area include MSF Canada (Doctors Without Borders), UNHCR Canada, and IDRF.

The Foundation was established in 2025 and gives across six program areas. Much of our work is quiet and ongoing: recurring support for a handful of trusted organizations, alongside named project grants where a defined contribution can do specific, visible good.

Investment management is provided by RBC Wealth Management. Our charitable registration with the Canada Revenue Agency is currently in preparation.

We favour organizations whose model we understand and trust — those that are needs-driven, accountable, and close to the people they serve. We track each commitment by its purpose, keeping distinct grants distinct.

Our aim is not breadth but care: to give well, to a few, over time.

Robert Harris
Founder & Director
Mary Tivy
Director
Alastair Tivy-Harris
Director
Our Mission
The Tivy-Harris Foundation exists to support people, communities, and ecosystems that are structurally overlooked, underfunded, or insufficiently prioritized, through focused initiatives that improve lived experience.

Six program objectives guide our grantmaking — each a domain of need and a way of working within it.

01

Targeted Project Funding

Focused grants for specific, well-defined projects where support can make a measurable difference.

02

Neglected Health Conditions

Care, treatment, and research for conditions that receive too little attention or funding.

03

Housing and Human Dignity

Shelter, housing stability, and the conditions that let people live with dignity.

04

Cultural and Artistic Vitality

The music, performance, and artistic life that enriches community, including concert series and the arts.

05

Biodiversity and Species Protection

Protecting habitats, ecosystems, and the species that depend on them.

06

Humanitarian Relief for Displaced Populations

Emergency medical care, shelter, and relief for refugees and people displaced by conflict and disaster.

Our Grantees

The organizations we support.

We commit to a focused group of grantees and support them consistently across our program areas.

Community grantees: Humane Society volunteers with animals, children sharing a meal through a Food4Kids-style program, and a live jazz performance at an arts venue.
Three of our giving priorities in a single frame — care for animals, food security for children, and the sustaining power of live music and the arts.
Health & Humanitarian Relief
MSF Canada / Doctors Without Borders
Emergency medical care in conflict and disaster zones; privately funded, needs-driven.
UNHCR Canada
The UN Refugee Agency — protection and assistance for people forced to flee.
IDRF
Canadian relief charity, including operations in Gaza and Palestine.
Canadian Nurses for Africa
Nursing and medical support for rural communities in Kenya.
Stephen Lewis Foundation
Supports community-led responses to HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, with a particular focus on women, girls, and grandmothers.
Culture & the Arts
Silence (Guelph)
Experimental music and performance space — ongoing giving plus named concert-series grants.
Shaw Festival
One of Canada’s leading theatre festivals.
Community, Children & Animal Welfare
Food4Kids
Food for children facing hunger over weekends and breaks.
KidsAbility
Therapy and support for children with developmental needs.
The Children’s Foundation
Support for children and families facing barriers.
Send’em Smiling
Helping children and families in need.
KW Humane Society
Animal care, shelter, and adoption in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Guelph Humane Society
Animal care, adoption, and community programs in Guelph and Wellington County.
News & Notes

From the Foundation.

2026

Cello series at Silence, Guelph

A named grant supports a seven-concert cello series at Silence in Guelph this fall — part of our ongoing commitment to cultural and artistic vitality.

2026

Reviewing humanitarian priorities

We continue to align our humanitarian giving with current need, drawing on annual emergency assessments to guide support for displaced populations.

2025

Foundation established

The Tivy-Harris Foundation was formed as a Canadian private foundation, with charitable registration now in preparation.

Contact

Get in touch.

The Tivy-Harris Foundation is a private foundation and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. For correspondence:

Email
Location
Puslinch, Ontario, Canada
Foundation
Tivy-Harris Foundation
Canadian Private Foundation
Established 2025