The Victor Dahdaleh Foundation Supports Chair in Democracy and Governance at St. Francis Xavier University

LONDON, April 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Victor Dahdaleh Foundation is delighted to be providing funding support to the new The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX), dedicated to the study of government, Canada-U.S. relations, and global affairs for undergraduate students.

Specifically, The Foundation has donated C$1.5 million to fund the Victor Dahdaleh Chair in Democracy and Governance at the new Institute, which has now been matched up to C$3 million.

Mr Dahdaleh said, "This donation illustrates the continuing and extensive support that the Foundation is providing to promote education programmes around the world. I am delighted to be able to advance the work of StFX's new Brian Mulroney Institute, particularly through a Chair in Democracy and Governance."

"The Victor Dahdaleh Foundation has done much to promote higher education both here, at St. Francis Xavier University, and around the world. In fact, this gift has empowered the university to match funds, providing even greater learning opportunities for StFX students and our broader community," said St. Francis Xavier University President and Vice Chancellor, Dr. Kent MacDonald. 

"These amounts are in addition to the Foundation's $500,000 gift last year, which was also matched by the Jeannine Deveau Education Equity Endowment to create a $1 million bursary to support Indigenous Canadians who wish to attend St. Francis Xavier University."

Mr. Dahdaleh was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2015 from St Francis Xavier University.

Further background on The Victor Dahdaleh Foundation's recent philanthropic support 

Through the Foundation, extensive support has been provided to promote education, health and social development programmes around the world. As an alumnus of McGill and York Universities in Canada, he also promotes closer ties between Canada and the UK through the work of the Foundation.

Since 2007 the Foundation has funded an endowment for the award in perpetuity of 32 annual scholarships at McGill University. The scholarships are targeted at out outstanding international full-time undergraduates from low-income countries.

Victor Dahdaleh has also been a leading donor to the London School of Economics in the UK, funding a range of new facilities at the institution. The Foundation has also funded the Chevening Scholarships, a programme to give underprivileged students the opportunities to study at the LSE along with other leading universities.

The Foundation funds a wide range of academic research into areas such as neuroscience and cardiovascular disease, as well as broader global issues with health implications such as migration and the environment.

The Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research was opened in 2015 at York University in Canada. Funded by a $20m donation from the Foundation, the Institute works with a network of local and global partners to reframe the way high and low income countries collaborate to the most pressing global health challenges of our time.

In 2016, a donation from the Foundation established a new Chair in Neurosciences at McGill's Faculty of Medicine.

In the same year, the Foundation made a £5m donation to the British Lung Foundation to fund vital research into mesothelioma, matching UK government funding. The donation is the largest ever made to the BLF. The landmark gift is supporting research teams at the University of Leicester and Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridge, both of which are joining forces with the government-funded National Mesothelioma Research Centre at Imperial College to develop new treatments for the disease. 

For further information on the Victor Dahdaleh Foundation contact: Matthew Moth, Madano on +44(0)20-7593-4000 or matthew.moth@madano.com