About Us
For more than twenty-five years, the Ralph M. Barford Foundation has worked quietly and purposefully to advance learning, discovery, and better health across Canada. What follows is a short account of where we came from, the man who started it all, and where we are headed.
The Founder (1929-2024)
Ralph Mackenzie Barford was born in Toronto in 1929. He received a scholarship to attend the University of Toronto, and then went on to Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA as a Baker Scholar. He began his career as a financial analyst at one of the first American venture capital firms before returning home to Canada as an entrepreneur in his own right. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of both his business acumen and his support of education and health.
How we began
Ralph established the foundation in 1997, and it has evolved considerably over the past three decades. What started as a broad-based approach to giving has narrowed and deepened into two primary areas where we believe we can make the greatest difference:
Education, largely through post-secondary scholarships, and newly, in the field of children's literacy.
Health, with a specific focus on Multiple Sclerosis.
By concentrating our support within these areas, we are able to go deeper rather than wider, and to help close real gaps in the system. Over the years we have partnered with and supported many organizations, working with a great many programs and people along the way.
The foundation carries his name, but more importantly it carries his values: careful judgment, a belief in the power of learning, and a conviction that private means carry a responsibility to the wider community.
How we think about impact
One of the ways we come to understand our impact is by meeting and talking with the people who have benefited from our support — hearing, in their own words, how it has helped advance their learning, their research, or their recovery.
We continue to seek out funding partnerships that meet genuine community needs and align with the foundation's values and goals.