Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation

Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation

André Chagnon and his wife Lucie established the foundation in 2000, simultaneously with the $5.4 billion CAD sale of Vidéotron to Quebecor Media. Son Claude Chagnon has since led governance as Chairman and President, while family members Marc-André Chagnon and Laurence Chagnon-Dumont hold board seats. The foundation is anchored by a dual mandate: preserve and grow the endowment while disbursing fully in service of its mission to prevent poverty in Quebec by promoting educational success. The foundation’s investment strategy spans buyouts, distressed debt, venture capital, growth equity, secondaries, and co-investments. Assets include Solifor timberlands in Quebec and Maine, three Quebec affordable housing projects in Drummondville and Gatineau, and an affordable student housing initiative in partnership with UQO. Its liquid portfolio includes fund commitments across private credit and special situations. On the grant-making side, the foundation finances philanthropic dotations and mission-based investments, such as the Val-d'Or Native Friendship Centre expansion. It has membership in the Responsible Investment Association, the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, and Philanthropic Foundations Canada. The foundation’s board includes former Hydro-Québec CEO Sophie Brochu and FinDev Canada VP and Chief Impact Officer Stéphanie Émond, reinforcing connections to Canada’s institutional and development-finance ecosystems. In 2024, the foundation published updated financial statements detailing its blended investment and grant deployment. It operates with no external fundraising, using all returns to fund early childhood and youth programs exclusively in Quebec. Unlike many foundations that outsource capital to a dedicated OCIO, the Chagnon Foundation maintains direct control of its investment portfolio while also serving as a programming and grant distribution body. The Chagnon family’s permanent board presence and reliance on a single liquidity event — the Vidéotron buyout — make it a legacy-preservation vehicle as much as a spending foundation.