Founded in 1997, the Youssef-Warren Foundation is a private family foundation that leverages other donors’ support to advance the arts, conservation and healthcare through eligible Canadian charities. While our mandate allows for a range of activities, the Foundation’s Board has focused on three areas of activity based on the family members’ interests: Conservation with a focus on wildlife, the Arts with a focus on emerging artists, and Health Care with a focus on continuing care for the elderly in the Oakville area.
Arts
Our Foundation has focused on supporting arts organizations that have continuing programs to encourage young artists to develop their creative work in all aspects of live theatre and music. This has encompassed both large and small organizations across Canada.
Conservation
In conservation we focus our support on selected leading organizations in Canada and internationally that take a holistic approach that benefits wildlife as well as local communities.
Healthcare
We focus our healthcare support on continuing care of the elderly both in small and large facilities.
Focus on the long term
In all three areas, the Foundation has supported a limited number of organizations to ensure that the relationships are long term and that the contributions do make a difference.
It is the policy of the Foundation to ensure that all funds provided go directly to the benefit of the groups or individuals intended to benefit by the donation. We favour organizations that keep administrative costs to a minimum. We recognize the importance of knowing donations are well spent. We believe that donations are more personal if individuals or groups can work towards a project they have chosen.
We declare that the funds raised by the Foundation are allocated to the purposes indicated in the goals and objectives of The Youssef-Warren Foundation.
George Marcous Youssef
One of our two founders, George Youssef, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 13, 2020.
Born in Quesna, Egypt, in 1939, George quickly distinguished himself as a brilliant student, graduating from Cairo University in 1958, at the age of 19, and securing a scholarship to do graduate work in economics at the University of California, Berkeley, where he met his first wife, Roleene (nee Toole). George joined the Royal Bank of Canada in the late 1960s. Universally recognized for his financial intelligence and acute investment management skills,
George became a Senior Executive at RBC, which included postings in New York City and London, England.
In the mid-1980s he settled in Oakville with his second wife, Susan Warren, and became CEO and partner of Oakville-based pension-fund management firm, Lincluden.
George was a dedicated advocate for wildlife and wildlife conservation, and personally supported numerous organizations for many years. Fuelled by this passion, he and Susan created The Youssef-Warren Foundation in 1997 with a mandate to support three areas: Conservation with a focus on wildlife, the Arts with a focus on emerging artists, and Health Care with a focus on continuing care for the elderly in the Oakville area. Under his leadership as Chair for over two decades, the Foundation provided $3 million in grants to conservation, arts and health care organizations through 2020.
In addition to Susan, George is survived by his two children with Roleene, Marcus (Amanda Fritzlan) and Patricia (John Scott). George also leaves five grandchildren: Zak, Marianna, Oscar, Lizzie and Peter.
Our Directors and Officers
Staff
James (Jason) Stewart, President
Barbara Stewart, Treasurer and Administrator
Board of Directors
Patricia Scott, Chair
Beth Thompson
Susan Warren
Marcus Youssef
Beth Thompson
Susan Warren
Marcus Youssef