The Krembils
Robert Krembil created the Krembil Foundation in 2000 as he moved from founding and leading a large Canadian financial institution to managing his own interests. Robert has always been generous in supporting others, but at this point in his life he had an opportunity to evolve his philanthropy in a focused and structured way.
In 2001, Robert’s son, Mark, took on the challenge of leading the Foundation. Prior to this role, he had built a career as a systems engineer culminating in a part ownership of a Canadian retail chain. The Foundation became a partnership between father and son, which would soon expand to include their spouses, Linda and Stacey Krembil. Along with day-to-day operations, Mark brought in his passion and curiosity for medical research with the goal of finding a cure.
The Foundation’s initial focus was on neuroscience. Mark recognized that brain research was underfunded compared to other health areas and made a strategic decision to invest in neuroscience research. To this day, less is known about the brain than the rest of the body and therapies for brain diseases are less developed than those for other health areas.
Our current interests have now expanded to include focused research pillars in the areas of neurodegeneration, the immune system and arthritis. We’ve established a nursing development program and consolidated our non-medical interests into our community giving portfolio. In 2014, the latest generation of Krembils to join the board of directors were Jake and Riley, Mark and Stacey’s children. This created a board of varied knowledge and backgrounds in healthcare, finance, and humanities. Each director brings with them their own experiences, interests and perspectives that shape the Foundation’s direction and granting strategy. The Foundation is more than just its board it is also the dedicated people that work there every day. They are part of the family in this family foundation, all working toward a common goal of creating a better quality of life for future generations.
“Our family has been involved with philanthropy for over 20 years, during this time, we have gained a strong appreciation for innovative research and the scientists who are working to find cures for some of the more debilitating health issues of our day.”
Mark Krembil
Mark Krembil is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Krembil Foundation. Prior to his role with the Foundation, Mark built a career as a systems engineer; he has always had a curiosity for understanding how things work. Biology was his secondary interest, and so building a foundation dedicated to funding basic science research was a natural fit. Mark has spent the last 20 years building relationships within the research community to strengthen his understanding of scientific research and funding needs. He uses this information to understand the gaps in scientific knowledge to help guide his investment decisions. Early on, Mark recognized that brain research was underfunded compared to other health areas and made a strategic decision to invest in neuroscience research. Since then, under Mark’s leadership, the Foundation has expanded its priorities to align with the family’s evolving interests. In addition to funding good science, Mark believes in the importance of being a good partner. To Mark, this means going above and beyond traditional grant oversight; it’s about developing adaptive strategies to accelerate scientific advancement, forge connections and provide additional support. Currently, Mark spends his time focused on the continued development of the Foundation’s vision, direction, and evaluating the return on the Foundation’s scientific investments.
Kate Williams
Dr. Kate Williams is the Scientific Director of the Krembil Foundation. After receiving her BSc from Queen’s University, she went on to complete her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at McMaster University. Her doctoral research focused on the neural basis of age-related and neurodevelopmental vision loss. Kate works closely with Mark developing strategies for the Foundation’s research investments and advises on new funding opportunities. Kate believes that a fundamental understanding of brain function and disease is necessary to advance treatments and therapeutics. For that reason, investing in basic science is of the utmost importance for advancing medical treatments; a philosophy shared with Mark Krembil. In addition to developing, guiding and implementing a strategic funding plan, Kate advises on and solicits new funding opportunities, as well as performs ongoing management of the Krembil Foundation’s medical research portfolio. She invests their time understanding the gaps in scientific knowledge in the Foundation’s areas of interest. She strives to maintain a continuous dialogue with the research community by building relationships with researchers, key opinion leaders, universities, foundations, and research institutes, to increase the Foundation’s knowledge of local and national research strengths and stay abreast of research developments and initiatives.
OVER
20
YEARS OF PHILANTHROPY
Medical Research
The core focus and priority of the Krembil Foundation is supporting medical research. Historically, the Foundation has funded a wide range of medical research. Today, we focus our funding on two priority areas: neurodegeneration and psoriatic arthritis.
Nursing Development
The Krembil Nursing Awards were designed to encourage and support full-time front line registered and practical nurses (RNs and RPNs) at the Toronto Western Hospital to lead qualitative research projects that will implement improvements in nursing and patient care.
The awards strive to support RNs and RPNs who are new to academic enquiry but have the confidence to identify issues and ask the important questions. The awards allow nurses to conduct research, disseminate findings and further develop a deeper appreciation for becoming academic practitioners. Once RNs or RPNs have completed their project they have an opportunity to become nursing mentors who help guide new recipients through the research process and inspire them to improve the healthcare environment.
To learn more about applying please visit: https://www.uhn.ca/corporate/For_Staff/Krembil_Nursing_Awards
Community Giving
A small portion of the Foundation’s funding goes toward our community giving portfolio. All projects within this section are driven by the Krembil Foundation Board of Directors.
The board is made up of three generations of Krembils, each with their own specific interests and diverse backgrounds. They identify initiatives they believe will help people develop skills and confidence to achieve their full potential and make the most of their opportunities.
To do this, they partner with schools, communities and businesses that accelerate education, increase capacity-building and promote knowledge transfer within the community. Funds within this portfolio are designated at the discretion of the board and therefore we do not accept unsolicited proposals.
We Follow A
FIVE
STAGE PROCESS
OUR APPROACH
The Krembil Foundation aspires to differentiate itself from traditional funding organizations; the most significant differences being the absence of a funding competition and formal granting application process. We are continually seeking to invest in novel research projects and identify researchers with whom we can form partnerships.
When investigating a potential research project, we take the time to carefully assess each opportunity in-depth. We evaluate the originality of the idea, the quality of the project/team and the potential impact. We follow a five-stage process to review and evaluate opportunities. The duration of each stage depends on the complexity and scope of the project under consideration. On average, this process can last 6-18 months.
Idea
Our scientific director works to identify new and exciting areas of research and new hypotheses that align with the Foundation’s strategic direction and current areas of interest. Ideas are discovered through interactions with researchers, universities, foundations, research institutes and through attendance at local, national and international conferences. Should a research project align with our current interests, our scientific director will make contact to continue further discussions.
Discussion
During this stage, we will invite the researcher to discuss and share their area of interest; while, at the same time, provide them with an opportunity to better understand how the Foundation works. Essential to this step is the ongoing communication between the scientific director and the potential partner; as this stage may occur over multiple meetings. We are committed to understanding the project, and we will take the time to understand the scientific questions and research area under consideration as part of our due diligence.
Proposal
It is important to note, the Krembil Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. All potential partners must go through the Idea and Discussion stage of our process before the Foundation will consider inviting a researcher to submit a funding proposal. Our scientific director will provide guidance to the applicant with the appropriate requirements for the proposal including budget, milestones and timeline.
Decision
We evaluate funding opportunities on a case by case basis. Proposals are reviewed at various levels depending on the complexity of the grant. We have a strategic selection process and work diligently to ensure awarded funding reflects our current areas of interest. Funding proposals are reviewed, evaluated, and submitted to the Foundation’s board of directors for a final decision.
Grant Management
When a proposal has been approved by our Board, the grantee will work with our grant administrator to develop a grant agreement that outlines the expectations and conditions related to the awarded project. When funding commences, we expect open and ongoing dialogue and encourage frequent interactions with our partners to discuss research progress, challenges, outcomes and new opportunities. To truly be a partner, we require a deep understanding of the grant, and commitment from each individual grantee; allowing us to rapidly respond to, and work with, researchers to accelerate their projects.
Idea
Idea
Our scientific director works to identify new and exciting areas of research and new hypotheses that align with the Foundation’s strategic direction and current areas of interest. Ideas are discovered through interactions with researchers, universities, foundations, research institutes and through attendance at local, national and international conferences. Should a research project align with our current interests, our scientific director will make contact to continue further discussions.
Discussion
Discussion
During this stage, we will invite the researcher to discuss and share their area of interest; while, at the same time, provide them with an opportunity to better understand how the Foundation works. Essential to this step is the ongoing communication between the scientific director and the potential partner; as this stage may occur over multiple meetings. We are committed to understanding the project, and we will take the time to understand the scientific questions and research area under consideration as part of our due diligence.
Proposal
Proposal
It is important to note, the Krembil Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals. All potential partners must go through the Idea and Discussion stage of our process before the Foundation will consider inviting a researcher to submit a funding proposal. Our scientific director will provide guidance to the applicant with the appropriate requirements for the proposal including budget, milestones and timeline.
Decision
Decision
We evaluate funding opportunities on a case by case basis. Proposals are reviewed at various levels depending on the complexity of the grant. We have a strategic selection process and work diligently to ensure awarded funding reflects our current areas of interest. Funding proposals are reviewed, evaluated, and submitted to the Foundation’s board of directors for a final decision.
Grant Management
Grant Management
When a proposal has been approved by our Board, the grantee will work with our grant administrator to develop a grant agreement that outlines the expectations and conditions related to the awarded project. When funding commences, we expect open and ongoing dialogue and encourage frequent interactions with our partners to discuss research progress, challenges, outcomes and new opportunities. To truly be a partner, we require a deep understanding of the grant, and commitment from each individual grantee; allowing us to rapidly respond to, and work with, researchers to accelerate their projects.