Grants & Scholarships

The Royal University Hospital (RUH) Foundation provides grants for ongoing education, research, and items for patient care and comfort at RUH. These grants are available to staff at Royal University Hospital and the SHA, and are reviewed and approved by the Board.

Through generous donor support, RUH Foundation has granted over $10.5 million since 2006 through HUG Grants, Community Mental Health Endowment Grants, Research Grants, Women Leading Philanthropy Grants, Scholarships, Fellowship Funding and support for SHA Professional Development Funding.

All Royal University Hospital Foundation grants will only be accepted from applicants who reside in the former Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) and area. Please check to see what granting opportunities are available from the Hospital Foundations in your area.

RUH Foundation HUG Grants

The HUG Fund—Helping, Understanding, Giving—was introduced in 2006, and provides the “softer” side of care. HUG Fund Grant applications should improve the quality of care for patients during a hospital stay or support staff morale initiatives. The HUG Fund is supported through generous donations to the Royal University Hospital Foundation by individual and corporate donors including Orano’s Wish Fund and other designated funds.

HUG Grant Applications are now being accepted. Please review the Criteria prior to submitting your application. The next deadline is February 3, 2025. Only Royal University Hospital programs and departments are eligible to apply.

Applications are typically reviewed twice per year (August and February) and are accepted anytime throughout the year. To inquire about upcoming HUG Grant application periods, contact Mia Cavanagh by email or call 306.655.1984.

RUH Foundation Scholarships

RUH Foundation is committed to supporting RUH medical teams including front line staff, nurses (NP, RN, RPN, and LPN), medical professionals or post-doctoral fellows to upgrade their skills or further their education, thus enabling them to assume leadership positions in the provision of health care at RUH. Funding comes from donors to the RUH Foundation including individuals, organizations, and corporations. Awards will be made annually in June or until all scholarship funding is depleted.

The application period for RUH Foundation 2025–2026 Scholarships has now passed. For information purposes only, you can review the 2025–2026 Criteria, Application and Manager’s Referral Form to help prepare for the 2026—2027 granting cycle. Applications for 2026–2027 should be available in January, 2026.

To inquire about upcoming Scholarship application periods, contact Mia Cavanagh by email or call 306.655.1984.

RUH Foundation Research Grants

RUH Foundation is currently reviewing and restructuring its annual research granting processes. There will be no call for applications in the Fall of 2024. Alternatively, a call for applications will take place in the Spring of 2025 and information will be shared with all SHA departments at that time.

Please contact Mia Cavanagh by email or call 306.655.1984 with any questions.

RUH Foundation Community Mental Health Endowment Granting Program

Thanks to the generosity of donors the Royal University Hospital Foundation is able to offer Community Mental Health Endowment (CMHE) grants.

CMHE Grants provide funding that help develop new and innovative programming for patients/consumers and their families as well as enhances and/or bridges services provided by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, University of Saskatchewan and Community Based Organizations. CMHE Grants are for pilot projects or programs that have no other funding and have a proven record of impact and typically would not receive funding from capital or operating budgets.

The deadline to apply 2024–2025 CMHE Grants has now passed. For information purposes only, you can review the 2024–2025 Criteria and Application to help you prepare for the 2025–2026 granting cycle. Applications for 2025–2026 should be available in August, 2025.

Please note that RUH Foundation funds only research and closely related components of projects; specifically, RUH Foundation does not pay for overhead or administration of research funding for any other agency.

To inquire about upcoming CMHE Grant application periods, contact Mia Cavanagh by email or call 306.655.1984.

Woman Leading Philanthropy Grant

The Women Leading Philanthropy Grant is designed to fund innovative health-care initiatives led by female physicians, practitioners and researchers at Royal University Hospital with a goal to inspire transformative advancements in health care, while furthering women’s leadership in health.

Applications for the 2025–2026 Women Leading Philanthropy $100,000 Grant are now being accepted. Please carefully review the Guidelines and complete and submit Part A & Part B of the application by May 15, 2025.

To read more about WLP or become a donor, click here.

To inquire about upcoming WLP Grant application periods, contact Mia Cavanagh by email or call 306.655.1984.

Leadership Saskatoon Program

Both the St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH) Foundation and the RUH Foundation’s Donna and Tony Dagnone Inspiration Award Endowment sponsors an SHA employee from RUH and SPH to participate in the Leadership Saskatoon Program. Leadership Saskatoon is a community leadership development program.

Full-time, permanent employees from RUH or SPH who are interested and willing to commit to the following should apply:

Developing their leadership skills;
Learning collaboratively with leaders from other sectors in and around Saskatoon;
Demonstrating leadership behaviours and inspiring others to lead;
Able to volunteer in some capacity with the Foundation following their completion of the program.

The application period for 2024–2025 has now passed.

For more information, contact Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership at 306.655.3966 or SHAorgdevelopment@saskhealthauthority.ca.

For further information on any of RUH Foundation’s scholarships or grants, contact the RUH Foundation office at 306.655.1984 or by email.