Child & Youth Diabetes

Through our Child & Youth Diabetes impact area, we support Indigenous-led organizations and communities doing community-based work in wholistic diabetes prevention and management.

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting children and youth, and it is appearing earlier in life. In Canada, Indigenous Peoples are especially at risk of diabetes and its complications, a burden shaped by colonization and by longstanding inequities in resources and care. Type 2 diabetes among Indigenous youth is recognized as the fastest-growing pediatric chronic disease in the world, and First Nations people face up to an 80 percent lifetime risk of developing diabetes by the age of twenty.

Yet, across Turtle Island, Indigenous communities are leading the response. Their work is wholistic, rooted in culture and community, and focused on the health and wellness of children, youth, and their families. It reaches across diabetes prevention and management, maternal and perinatal health, food sovereignty, and youth empowerment.

Through our Child & Youth Diabetes impact area, we support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities as they advance the health and wellness of children, youth, and their families. This focus has guided our work since 2021 and builds on the Lawson Foundation’s long history of supporting diabetes prevention, management, and research. Our approach has continued to evolve as we listen to and learn from our partners. Our work encompasses granting, convenings that bring partners together each year, support for Indigenous-led public policy and advocacy, and our Virtual Visits series.

Granting

Our support is flexible and built on trust, with grants that vary in size and length to reflect the needs and resources of each partner. We offer grants in ways that ease the burden of applying for those with limited time or capacity and help bridge communities with philanthropic support. Three of our earliest partners are still with us today, alongside ten new partners across the country, with more joining in 2026.

Virtual Visits

Since 2023, our Virtual Visits series has been a place to learn about wholistic Indigenous community-based approaches to health and wellness, including the prevention and management of diabetes. Each episode is open to all, bringing together guest speakers, community members, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to build relationships toward better supporting Indigenous communities.

Convenings

Each year, partners gather in a different territory to spend time together, share, and learn. These gatherings have been held in Calgary, Victoria, and Wendake, and partners describe them as a space for relational learning, cultural grounding, and reflection, away from the pressures of formal reporting.

Public Policy

We support the Indigenous Diabetes Health Circle in its leadership on public policy and advocacy, advancing discussions on diabetes prevention and care for Indigenous communities across Canada.

For more information on our Child and Youth Diabetes Impact Area, please connect with Jeff LaPlante.

A Legacy of Support

The Lawson Foundation has a long history of supporting diabetes prevention, management, and research. Since the 1970s, the Foundation has invested in numerous community-based projects, including the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project and the endowment of the Helen and Frances Lawson Chair in Diabetes Research. Over the years, we’ve funded various initiatives aimed at reducing the burden of diabetes, especially in underserved populations. Our commitment to addressing the diabetes epidemic continues to evolve and build on this legacy of support.

Our Strategic Approach

In 2015, the Lawson Foundation renewed its focus on the healthy development of children and youth, launching the Child & Youth Diabetes Strategy (CYDS) to address the growing challenge of diabetes among children and families. Early initiatives prioritized community-based interventions in high-risk populations, including Indigenous communities.

By 2021, in response to the disproportionate impact of diabetes on Indigenous communities, the Lawson Foundation convened a group of experts to further refine the strategy. Guided by Indigenous ways of knowing and leadership, the Foundation committed to a 10-year journey, centring our efforts on prevention, maternal and perinatal health, and supporting Indigenous-led projects that address health inequities.

In 2025, our refreshed strategic direction sharpened our Child & Youth Diabetes impact area focus toward supporting Indigenous-led organizations and Indigenous communities whose work reaches across diabetes prevention and management, maternal and perinatal health, food sovereignty, and youth empowerment. Our focus is that children and youth in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have access to community-based diabetes prevention and management initiatives that are wholistic, rooted in culture and community, and focused on the health and wellness of children, youth, and their families. 

Understand our Impact

Access information about our granting history and the projects that we fund in our Grants Navigator.