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Philanthropy program guidelines

We believe it is our responsibility to be good corporate citizens. Our philanthropy program has supported many registered charities and their various causes over the years, helping to improve the lives of individuals and families in the communities where we live, work and do business.

We are proud to help people obtain healthier futures and rich cultural experiences. We selectively choose programs that represent our corporate values and strengthen our reputation among our employees, advisors and the communities we serve.

In Quebec, Sun Life Financial has created donation and sponsorship guidelines that are unique to its market there, to focus action and boost impact while complying with national philanthropy program guidelines. Our Quebec guidelines around donations and sponsorships are aligned with 3 philanthropic areas: Home economics/Financial education, prevention of diabetes and its complications, and access to local arts and culture through the national Making the Arts More AccessibleTM program.

Health is our number-1 priority. We have a large stake in health and wellness issues, since a major portion of our business is made up of life, health and disability insurance. And we believe that there's a direct correlation between helping people make healthier lifestyle choices and their future financial security. 

On World Diabetes Day 2012, we announced a new focus within our support of health for Canada – diabetes. Our funding in this area supports awareness, prevention, care and research. We give priority to:

  • Organizations discovering proactive ways to prevent diabetes and its related complications
  • Organizations that, through effective awareness, research and education programs, promote the responsibility of each of us as individuals to make lifestyle choices consistent with healthier futures
  • Innovative programs that focus on improving the health of communities; especially those that emphasize wellness, diabetes education and healthy lifestyles
  • Initiatives that are preventive in nature, actively moving from short-term remedies to long-term solutions 
  • Organizations that demonstrate they are adapting to opportunities and resource challenges in our healthcare environment and are proactively developing unique and effective ways to meet needs
  • Programs or initiatives with a national scope and impact, which benefit a wide segment of the population
  • Programs and services with long-term, measurable results

How to apply for the Sun Life Financial Team Up Against Diabetes grant program

Regional grant program

Sun Life has launched a North American wide regional grant program, which provides programmatic support up to a maximum of $100,000 to registered charities in the U.S. and Canada focused on diabetes awareness, prevention, education and care. Applications for the 2019 grant program are being accepted from March 1st until May 31st and the selected charities will be announced in September 2019. This program has been developed to meet the needs of grass roots organizations that are seeking funding for diabetes programming in their local communities.

Submit an application for funding from our Team Up Against Diabetes regional grant program.

National grant program (excluding Quebec)

Sun Life’s national grant program has been developed for Canadian registered charities that have a broader reach within Canada and are systematically looking at ways and programming that can benefit Canadians at large.

For grants over $50,000, submit an application for diabetes funding here.

In Quebec, all donation and sponsorship requests must be submitted through our dedicated site at sunlife.sponsor.com. This site is owned and operated by SPONSORIUM. All information is gathered on behalf of Sun Life Financial and is kept confidential.

Arts and culture make a tremendous contribution to our communities and our country. We're proud to help sustain and celebrate Canada's cultural institutions, which are among the world's finest. This is consistent with one of our foremost values – a commitment to excellence.

We also believe that the arts should be available for everyone to experience, regardless of means – a focus we formalized through our award-winning Making the Arts More Accessible™ program.

This program provides funding for:

  • Arts organizations that provide programs to enable individuals of limited financial means and their families to attend and enjoy arts performances
  • Music schools that provide lessons for at-risk children and youth and those from high-priority neighbourhoods

In Quebec, the focus for the Making the Arts More AccessibleTM program is on:

  • Cultural organizations (museums, theatres, visual arts, etc.) with free or reduced-price programming
  • Organizations developing special projects to foster access to activities that might otherwise have been out of reach for the less privileged

Submit an application for arts funding

In Quebec, all donation and sponsorship requests must be submitted through our dedicated site at sunlife.sponsor.com. This site is owned and operated by SPONSORIUM. All information is gathered on behalf of Sun Life Financial and is kept confidential.

The goal of the Quebec-specific Simplement Brillant program is to reinvent financial education. This is our social project: to help Quebecers develop lifestyle habits that make better use of their money.  We want to help Quebecers become more self-sufficient and less vulnerable to the financial challenges of everyday life. The home economics/financial education program addresses topics reflecting the various aspects of financial life, like health and money, which also includes topics like family, working life and retirement.

In terms of sponsorships, Sun Life Financial's goal is to be associated with popular family-friendly events that bring Quebecers together in a setting conducive to promotion and activation of its Simplement Brillant program. On the donations side, the program supports charitable organizations working to educate individuals and families on the topics of family, health, money, working life and retirement.

How to apply for home economics/financial education funding in Quebec

Submit an application for Home economics/financial education funding in Quebec through our dedicated site at sunlife.sponsor.com.

This site is owned and operated by SPONSORIUM. All information is gathered on behalf of Sun Life Financial and is kept confidential.

Sun Life Financial will not consider funding applications for the following: 

  • Organizations that do not qualify as a registered Canadian charity 
  • Religious organizations whose programs are limited to members of a specific religious denomination. However, non-denominational programs by religious groups intended for the general good of the community may be considered 
  • Individuals or individual pursuits 
  • Fraternities, lodges, Toastmaster societies, and other recreational or self-improvement organizations where participation is intended primarily for the personal advancement or benefit of the participants 
  • Service clubs such as the Rotary Club, Lions Club, etc. 
  • Operating expenses of United Way member agencies 
  • Advocacy or special-interest groups 
  • Capital campaigns, including the purchase of equipment for large-scale projects connected with construction and real estate
  • Debt-reduction campaigns 
  • Conferences, seminars and workshops
  • Fundraising events (including the purchase of tickets or tables)
  • Sports clubs, sports teams or sporting events such as golf tournaments (excluding national sports team sponsorships)
  • Local, regional or provincial campaigns or agencies affiliated with a national organization that is already receiving corporate support 
  • Professional and technical associations