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Turning generosity into lasting change for children and youth connected to care.
The Teddy Bear Fund is Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada’s cornerstone fund, helping meet urgent needs today while investing in stronger futures for children, youth, and families connected to the child welfare system.
Because being there can change everything.
It powers work across our four focus areas: Education, Employment, Mental Health & Well-being, and Strong Families & Lifelong Connections.
Why It Matters
Too many children and youth connected to the child welfare system experience instability, trauma, disconnection, and unmet needs while continuing to face disproportionately high barriers to education, mental health support, housing stability, and employment.
The Teddy Bear Fund helps ensure support is there when it matters most, from urgent essentials and mental health support to education, mentorship, and long-term opportunities that help young people thrive.
Timely when urgent needs arise. Dependable through life’s hardest moments. Dynamic enough to evolve as needs change.
With a primary focus on funding initiatives that strengthen families and prevent children from growing up in government care, the Teddy Bear Fund supports multiple programs and services impacting all three of our priority populations: children and families at risk, children and youth in care, and youth in transition.
How the Fund Creates Impact
Immediate Support
Helping address urgent and unmet needs not covered through government funding.
Long-Term Impact
Investing in programs, partnerships, and opportunities that improve outcomes over time.
Lasting Legacy
Growing endowment support to ensure future generations always have access to care and opportunity.
“The Teddy Bear Fund matters because childhood doesn’t happen in moments; it unfolds over years, and young people need support that does too. This fund exists to help ensure children, youth, and families have access to opportunities, relationships, and resources that create stability today and possibilities for tomorrow. Together, we’re building something lasting: a growing community of supporters committed to showing up, staying engaged, and helping create stable, fulfilling futures for generations to come.” 
