Since 1990, with the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation, Nan-b and Philippe ll de Gaspé Beaubien have been sharing their time and resources on a local, national, and international level. Their values of sharing, innovation, and sustainable development are the pillars of the Foundation. Thirty-two years later, these values remain at the heart of all their decisions. Get an overview of their humanitarian vision and its origin.
Before the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation: Télémédia
Following the success of their enterprise Télémédia, Philippe ll and Nan-b decided to create the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation. The success of the enterprise made their philanthropic aspirations possible.
Launched in 1968, Télémédia was a media company. It included magazines and several television and radio stations. In the 1980s, Télémédia owned the most important private radio network and was known as one of the largest magazine editors in Canada. Some of the brands founded and popularized by Télémédia are still part of Canada’s media landscape today: Coup de Pouce, Elle Québec, Elle Canada, TVHebdo, Canadian Living, etc.
Passion and Involvement from the Start
Proud of their success in the media world, Philippe ll and Nan-b threw themselves into the philanthropic field with the creation of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation. Giving back to the community was more than a wish for them. They were motivated by the idea of helping other families in business to reach a balance between business and family and ensure a harmonious succession within the enterprises. They saw this as their duty. The Foundation’s approach is based on 3 principles: exchanging with the parties involved to understand their needs and determine the project’s key actions together, supplying the initial funds required for the development of the project, establishing the success criteria and evaluating the impact of the project, as well as ensuring the perennity of the project by researching sustainable funding.
Our Mission: listening, exchanging, and working with the community in order to collectively drive durable actions and change.
For our founders of the last 30 years, the Foundation’s various projects and programs are a full-time job. “The fact is that we have worked as hard to give back our money as we did to earn it in the first place. We want to be involved in projects and causes that we care about and believe in. We want to be involved efficiently and long term.” – Philippe ll and Nan-b de Gaspé Beaubien
From generation to generation, members of the de Gaspé Beaubien family have been personally and actively involved in the Foundation. Their contribution is of course financial, but also and mainly humanitarian. They donate their time and effort to each of the Foundation’s projects. They involve themselves personally and insist that their donations be dedicated to activities involving humans, not only infrastructures, equipment, or spaces.
Families in Business
In the 90s, as the line between the family and professional preoccupations of the de Gaspé Beaubien family was becoming blurred, Philippe and Nan-b realized that their enterprises may be unique, but their reality as a family in business was incredibly similar to their peers’. This is how the cause of families in business gradually became the Foundation’s primary project.
In 1999, the program created by the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation became a Non-Profit Organization and the Family Enterprise Foundation was born. Over 20 years later, the NPO is still in operation and continues to evolve.
Healthcare
From 2006 to 2014, the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation invested close to a million dollars into the healthcare system.
The Foundation was associated with the Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux (CSSS) des Sommets (MRC des Laurentides) for the creation and implementation of several programs. Over the course of those 8 years, the team brought many projects to term. A new medical administration co-management system was set up; coaching and several co-development activities between medical directors and clinic administration were provided, the onboarding and integration of the doctors at the CSSS were consolidated, workshops to drive interest in management and the co-management model were created, etc.
The Cause of Water
For the last few years, the cause of water has been the Foundation’s priority. In 2015, the non-profit organization AquaAction was created. In only 6 years, the organization has participated in the creation of over 35 innovative start-ups across Canada through their AquaHacking challenges. This is certainly one of their biggest achievements!
Their most recent project? A new awareness campaign. This national campaign was launched in March. The objective is to make the public aware of the critical problems related to water and the cutting-edge solutions emerging to help solve them.
Find out how you can get involved!
Maison Phoenix
Having lived in the Laurentians for over 40 years, Philippe and Nan-b have a particular appreciation for the area. They have therefore been involved in several local projects over the years. In 2022, they announced their support for Maison Phoenix, a new NPO in the region.
Maison Phoenix’s mission is based on community and intergenerational relations. The organization will provide apartments for seniors 65 years and over. The building will be right next to Val-David’s new public school in order to make interactions between seniors and students easier. The de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation is contributing to the hiring of a resource to coordinate the organization’s intergenerational activities.
Nan-b and Philippe can be proud of the de Gaspé Beaubien Foundation’s accomplishments. The humanitarian and philanthropic vision from 30 years ago has remained at the heart of their operations. It guides them every day and also motivates their children and grandchildren. The future of the Foundation and its projects is in good hands!