The Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF) will consider the provision of funds for the advancement of scientific, educational, and other activities in the maintenance and improvement of the health of the residents of Manitoba. The primary focus of the Foundation is to promote and encourage the work of new health researchers in Manitoba.

Research applications are welcomed from Manitoba-based researchers in the health field, e.g., physicians, scientists, social workers, nurses, epidemiologists, and any other health workers engaged through organizations involved in the preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative care of persons or groups of persons.

Applications may be submitted in a language of your choice. However, to ensure that all applications are similarly and fairly adjudicated, any applications and related materials that are submitted in a language other than English must be accompanied by an accurate translation issued by the primary investigator or a member in good standing of a provincial or territorial organization of translators and interpreters in Canada. Reviews, grant agreements, interviews and all correspondence will be conducted in English. The MMSF does not have the ability to translate applications, documents, or correspondence nor the ability to conduct interviews in any other language.

In February 2021, as a result of a portion of the income from a generous donation of $100,000 by Manitoba Blue Cross, the Foundation recommended the creation of the MMSF Shaun Lamoureux Legacy Award for the best operating grant in the MMSF Annual Operating Grant Competition. Shaun Lamoureux was Chief Financial and Technology Officer and Vice President at Manitoba Blue Cross for many years and in 2018 he was appointed President and CEO. Shaun will be remembered for his strong leadership and his dedication to Manitoba Blue Cross and the MMSF. Over his 18 years with Manitoba Blue Cross, Shaun’s business acumen, strategic vision and commitment to excellence played a significant role in the growth and development of the Foundation. Shaun was an avid supporter of the Foundation and is remembered for the many years of valued financial and business advice he provided.

This award will be presented annually to a Principal Investigator who received the highest overall score in the competition. It may be shared in the event of a tie. Selection is based on the quality of the MMSF written operating grant application, oral presentation, response to questions, the external reviewer’s comments and the resulting overall adjudication score of the subcommittee panel. The award is valued in the amount of $1,000 as a supplement to the adjudicated amount of the grant

About Betty Ann Schwartz

Betty Ann Schwartz was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to parents who had immigrated from Russia and Romania. She was raised in Pittsburgh, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology. She then pursued a master’s degree in social work at the University of Pennsylvania and became a licensed clinical social worker.

Her professional career took her to Baltimore, Maryland, where she started as a social worker. She was eventually promoted to the role of executive director of the Florence Crittenton Home, a non-profit organization focused on the needs of unwed mothers.

While in Baltimore, she also served on the faculty of the Training Institute of Planned Parenthood and was an advisor to Parents Without Partners. She was a sought-after speaker and workshop leader. In the early 1970s, Betty was recruited to assume the position of executive director of the Children’s Aid Society of Winnipeg. She retired from that role many years later.

Betty was a lifelong champion for children’s and women’s rights. She served on numerous boards, including the boards of Manitoba Blue Cross and the Mount Carmel Clinic.

Betty was the consummate “people person.” She loved conversation with anyone, anywhere, and was known for her wry sense of humor, her progressive political views, and her love of completing the New York Times crossword puzzles. She enjoyed attending plays, operas and the movies. She also loved to travel – her favorite places included Alaska, Greece, Curaçao and Las Cruces, New Mexico. An avid sports fan, Betty was devoted to the Winnipeg Jets and the Baltimore Orioles.

While Betty remained a citizen of the United States, she loved Winnipeg and made it her home for over 40 years. Her greatest joy was her summer home in Gimli on Lake Winnipeg. It was her source of peace, entertainment, and wonderful friendships with her neighbors. It was also the place she considered her “true home.” Betty passed on December 5, 2020, after a series of long illnesses.

Betty was a firm believer in giving back and donated her time as a board member to Manitoba Blue Cross. Her personal journey with illness led her to have a keen interest in medical research and scientific advances, which prompted her commitment to the work of the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation. She often expressed her support for the Foundation to family members, and she had a particular interest in the many projects the MMSF supported.

The nature of Betty’s illnesses, as well as a serious traumatic injury as a child, involved a great deal of personal physical pain. As she navigated her own journey of pain management, she became committed to the exploration and research of novel approaches to managing pain and pain-related illnesses. A trooper to the end, Betty would often share stories of how she used humor to help deflect her own experience of pain. She was known by the nurses and doctors in the hospitals she was frequently in as “the funny woman” on the ward, telling jokes and humorous stories to staff members who attended to her. Even in the midst of great pain, her humor and keen interest in others shone through, and she was a beacon to many about the strength of the human spirit.

To apply, visit our Operating Grant section to access the MMSF Operating Grant Guidelines and Application Form.