Since 2003, the Rick Hansen Foundation has been working to address the priority needs of people with SCI through Quality of Life grants made possible by the fundraising successes of the annual Wheels In Motion events and leadership/infrastructure support provided by Western Economic Diversification. These grants, provided to both individuals and community organizations, have helped address unmet needs for rehab equipment, home accessibility renovations, sport, employment, peer programs, and other supports.

Responsibility for administering these grants was first assumed by the former SCI Solutions Alliance, and more recently, the Rick Hansen Institute.

Our goal at the Rick Hansen Institute has been to greatly expand on this cornerstone of grant provision. Our vision is one of comprehensive support—more funds from more sources available for individual solutions, more national initiatives that benefit the entire SCI community, more people in the SCI care continuum working cooperatively at the local level to support each individual’s journey with SCI, and more organizations working at the highest levels to ensure all of this takes place.

Working alongside the Rick Hansen Foundation and with our partners such as the Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA), we have begun to accomplish this in several ways:

• we have helped inspire eight provincial/territorial governments to invest in solutions and translational research in their respective jurisdictions
• we have invested in several large scale initiatives that hold the potential of benefitting large numbers of Canadians with SCI, in all communities across Canada
• we have worked to promote a system of service delivery (the Solutions Model) that holds the potential to give every Canadian with SCI the support and allies needed to navigate the complex world of service delivery.