We believe in giving back to our communities and contributing to a greater good by supporting efforts and initiatives to tackle critical social issues and promote health and well-being through HBC’s corporate donations and fundraising.
Our partnership association with the Canadian Olympic Foundation and the Paralympic Foundation of Canada supports athletes who sacrifice and train to achieve their goals and dreams on the world stage, and are a source of pride and inspiration for Canadians.
The Hudson's Bay Foundation is investing $2.5 million CAD between 2016 and 2020 to help Canadian Olympic athletes through its Athlete Bursary Program. The program awards 50 athletes $10,000 per year for five years toward activities that benefit their development and mental well-being.
The Foundation also donated $110,000 CAD to the Paralympic Foundation of Canada in 2018 to help athletes with disabilities get involved in sport, nurture their overall well-being, and compete on the world stage.
In 2018, $909,961 CAD was raised for the Canadian Olympic Foundation through the sale of Hudson’s Bay’s iconic Red Mittens. Since their launch in 2009, the mittens have raised more than $32 million CAD.
Recognizing the prevalence of mental illness in our society, HBC announced a philanthropic focus on mental health in 2017. Our mission is to make mental health a priority in every community in North America by increasing understanding and improving access to care. This commitment to mental health encompasses a wide range of activities from fundraising to cause marketing to associate engagement to partnerships with leading mental health organizations.
In 2018, HBC launched its first mental health awareness campaign, The Future is Stigma Free. In support, Saks, Hudson’s Bay, Lord + Taylor and Saks OFF 5TH sold an exclusive campaign t-shirt created in partnership with Wear Your Label. All sales from the t-shirt benefited the Bring Change to Mind (BC2M) and Centre of Addiction of Mental Health (CAMH) organizations in the U.S. and Canada respectively. The Hudson’s Bay Foundation in Canada and the Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation in the U.S. also made five-dollar donations (in their respective currency) for each social post that used #TheFutureIsStigmaFree. In total, $115,000 CAD was raised through t-shirt sales and social posts.