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Decisions made easier. Lives made better.
Our Impact Agenda, guides how we put purpose into action. Rooted in our mission and values, it focuses on areas where we can create a meaningful difference and where progress in one area can spark positive change in others. It reflects the needs of the people we serve and communities in which we live and work.
At Manulife, our Impact Agenda is an always-on commitment to drive better outcomes from our customers, our communities, and the world we share. We believe collective action can accelerate change and, by collaborating with like-minded partners, we can make a meaningful impact.
Spotlight
Join our cooking class for better ways to manage diabetes.
Need some fresh dinner inspiration? In the Kitchen with Diabetes Canada, presented by Manulife, is a free virtual cooking series that makes healthy eating better. Join cookbook author Mairlyn Smith, PHEc and dietitian Katie Brunke, RD, CDE, PHEc, as they share delicious recipes and tips for better diabetes management.
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Making a difference in our communities
Our goal is to help Canadians live longer, healthier, better lives. To accomplish this, we invest primarily in programs, initiatives and organizations that research, promote and provide access to physical and mental health to historically underserved communities.
These are some of our key partnerships:
CAMH Foundation
Supporting research to improve mental health care for women.
Our funding supports the Women’s Health Research Cluster (WHRC), a part of CAMH’s womenmindTM initiative, which aims to close the gender gap in mental health.
Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) Foundation
Providing better cardiac care.
We’ve invested in the WRHN PREVENT Clinic powered by Manulife, a new and innovative program to help identify and modify cardiovascular risk factors to reduce the chances of an acute vascular event.
Diabetes Canada
Helping prevent and manage diabetes.
Our investment is improving the lives of individuals living with diabetes through education and community support, including programs to promote healthy living (e.g., food planning sessions).
CIFAR
Enabling groundbreaking health discoveries for our communities.
We support CIFAR’s research on the key issues that affect the health of populations at the individual and community levels. We do it through the Manulife CIFAR Population Health & Well-Being Grant Program, which supports catalyst grants focused on behavioural and social opportunities.
Douglas Mental Health Foundation
Advancing brain health through early intervention.
We’ve invested in Quebec’s first precision medicine clinic for dementia prevention, led by Dr. Simon Ducharme at the Douglas Institute. By intervening early, the clinic aims to delay or prevent dementia and improve long-term brain health outcomes for individuals and communities.
FitSpirit
Helping young girls stay active and maintain healthy habits.
We’re supporting extracurricular running clubs and events to create a running and fitness community for young women and girls. We’ve helped launch a pilot program that’s engaging and impacting Indigenous communities in Québec, where cultural nuances can create barriers to young Indigenous girls living a healthy and active lifestyle.
Trans Canada Trail
Connecting people to nature for better health.
As the National Health Partner, our funding helps enhance digital navigation tools, upgrade trail accessibility, and expand inclusive initiatives. We’re also proud to be the title sponsor of Trans Canada Trail’s annual Blahs to Ahhhs campaign. Together, we advance research, education, and partnerships that promote the physical and mental health benefits of nature.
Right to Food
Breaking down barriers to healthy living.
We support the FoodFit program, which helps individuals overcome challenges to healthy eating and regular exercise through practical tools, education, and community engagement. By addressing these barriers, we empower people to make sustainable lifestyle changes that improve overall health and well-being.
BC Parks Foundation
Fostering connection to better health through nature.
We’re supporting PaRX, an initiative of the BC Parks Foundation, to expand Canada’s first nature prescription program. Physicians prescribe ‘time in nature’ as a simple, fun and effective way to promote better health.
How do we invest in these organizations?
We invest in several different ways including direct funding, volunteering, and employee giving and matching programs. We will consider funding strategically aligned projects, program-specific grants or general operating support to organizations whose missions are highly aligned with our investment focus areas.
Measuring our impact in the community
We track and measure the social impact of our investments, so that we can make an even bigger difference in the future. That’s why we’re a member of Business for Societal Impact (B4SI), the global standard in measuring and managing corporate community investment.
We use this framework to assess, understand, report and communicate our social contributions and investments. Learn more about how we’re measuring social impact.
Want to partner with us to build stronger communities?
We always seek to find new ways to help Canadians live longer lives, and in good health.
If your program, organization or initiative aligns with our focus areas, we’d love to hear from you. For more information, read the most frequently asked questions about applying for funding.
Our prospective partners must meet the following criteria to be considered for support:
- Work is aligned with our key focus areas
- Organization is a registered charity or non-profit benefiting communities where Manulife operates
- Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and demonstrate it by hiring representative leaders and targeting their programming to historically underserved communities
- Work is collaborative across sectors to create innovative, scalable community-centered solutions
- Take (and demonstrate) a holistic approach to the many aspects of well-being, including mental health, to improve and sustain long-term positive outcomes
- Use data to measure their impact using key performance indicators, and commit to reporting on progress
Generally, funding is not considered for:
- For-profit organizations
- Political, labour, fraternal organizations, or social clubs
- Individuals, including those seeking scholarships/fellowship assistance or promoting individual pursuits/fundraising activities
- Travel-related events, including student trips or tours
- Private or corporate foundations
- Faith-based groups, unless the group’s work is clearly intended to support a social service need and does not restrict persons of other faiths from receiving the service
- Capital projects
We strive to provide funding to organizations that meet our values. For that reason, we would not provide funding to any organization that discriminates based on race, religion, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, veteran or disability status, or which espouses hate, nor would we support organizations whose stated missions or objectives go against our values.
Manulife accepts grant applications through our online Community Investment Grant Application form
We review every application received through our Community Investment Grant Application form. Review timelines can vary based on application volume and complexity, and we may contact you if additional information is needed.
No, we accept applications all year round. Due to limited funding, not all requests can be supported, even if they align with our priorities.
Interested in seeing our global impact last year?
Download the 2024 Environmental, Social and Governance report
Download the 2024 report