Our History

In the 1960s, people with kidney failure had little hope of survival. Dialysis was considered an extraordinary treatment and restricted to very few. Transplantation was still experimental.

It was during this time that a young Montreal architect, Morty Tarder, died from kidney disease. Confronted with their son’s death, the Tarder family vowed to start an organization that would raise money for research into this poorly understood disease. In 1964, The Kidney Disease Foundation of Canada, as it was known then, was created in Montreal.

Today, our Foundation is a national health charity committed to kidney health and improving the lives of all people living with kidney disease. Our vision for the future is an enduring legacy of those dedicated volunteers who, 60 years ago, started out with a compelling cause and the resolve to make a difference.

History Timeline

Dive into The Kidney Foundation’s history and see how a modest aspiration evolved to become a beacon of hope for kidney patients across the country.