How the David Foster Foundation Brings Hope to 1500 Families Caring for Children With ‘Heart-Tugging,’ ‘Heartbreaking’ Illnesses
The man behind decades of hits is on a mission to help families. Producer, composer and songwriter David Foster advocates for a higher purpose: to support the families of critically ill children and highlight the call for organ donors.
The hitmaker and 16-time Grammy award winner is a mainstay of Hollywood fundraisers. For decades, he’s been a go-to host and producer of an estimated 400 live musical performances at memorable charity galas. On a recent November night, he helped net $14.8 million for the David Foster Foundation, which financially assists families of children awaiting life-saving organ transplants.
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His involvement with aiding vulnerable children and their families began serendipitously 38 years ago. Foster answered his mother’s request to visit a sick little girl from his hometown on Canada’s Vancouver Island. That visit to UCLA’s hospital changed his life. The young patient was awaiting a liver transplant, then considered an experimental operation in Canada.
“I’m thinking she’s going to want to go to Disneyland but instead she said, ‘I just want to see my sister,’ who she hadn’t seen for a couple of months,” he recalls. It was easy enough for him to make the reunion happen; the surprise was the profound impact. Foster explains, “When the two sisters met in the hospital, it was just magic for me, and I was like. ‘Wow, this is what I’m supposed to do: help families and kids that are needing organ transplants.’”
Since that initial grant, Foster and other donors, through the David Foster Foundation, have aided more than 1,500 families, covering the myriad of expenses families incur beyond medical care, from medical transport to housing to sibling care. “We’re the one bright spot in a family’s absolute worst day,” he says. A child’s transplant — and the time waiting for a donor match — often takes a financial toll on the families involved. “This is a real niche no one else was covering,” Foster says.
To raise funds, Foster has hosted more than 100 fundraisers over the decades, and persuaded friends and colleagues to participate. He credits major talent such as Celine Dion, Kenny G., John Travolta and most recently Andrea Bocelli and Michael Bublé for stepping up. “I’m really proud of the work,” Foster says. Over time, the Foundation has built up a group of 300 or so core donors, complementing corporate donations and seven-figure gift-giving board members. “They all come and contribute, and we’re so grateful to all of them,” he says.
When he first launched the nonprofit, he was able to get to know every family that benefited. These days, Foster can’t meet every patient, although he’s had several memorable reunions, including a November meet-up with two girls who both had heart transplants. Many of the illnesses are heart-tugging; some are heartbreaking, says Foster.
In 2022, the organization supported 20% of Canadian families whose child received a liver, kidney, heart or lung transplant. These transplants save lives as a body’s essential functions are restored, when no alternative or effective treatment exists.
According to organdonor.gov and statistics compiled by the Health Resources & Services Administration, in the U.S., more than 103,000 patients are on the organ transplant list and 17 people — including children — die each day waiting for a transplant. In Canada, where the David Foster Foundation operates, more than 4,000 people are on the waiting list.
Medical advances mean that organ transplants have become more effective. “We wish that more people were organ donors and that’s one of our mandates: trying to spread the word. I think the statistic in Canada is that only 14% of the population is an organ donor, which is low,” says Foster.
One person’s bequest can help save eight lives and potentially enhance 75 others through organ and tissue donation, Foster points out. “What a great gift,” he says of this potential legacy. He understands, “It’s a horrible thing to have to think about but if everybody was an organ donor this problem would almost be solved.” Misconceptions still abound about the process, Foster finds. Tissue match and timing are critical as is communicating consent to one’s family. “You have to talk to your family and let them really know what your wishes are,” he reminds.
Advances in the field are constant. Foster cites the successful clinical trials that regenerate liver cells to the eventual 3D printing of organs. “It will be just phenomenal,” he predicts. He’s up on these scientific breakthroughs because of his genuine involvement in the David Foster Foundation’s activities, which intensifies around events. Monthly board meetings are scheduled; an annual in-person meeting is required by Canadian regulations. “Every board member brings their own unique thing,” he explains of the mix of high-powered advocates that includes doctors, lawyers and economists.
Foster stays in touch with the Foundation’s chief executive officer Mike Cahill via frequent calls. “I’m not looking for a pat on the back,” Foster says of his involvement. Ultimately, he hopes people understand that he’s “in the weeds” with the organization’s efforts. “I want people to realize that it’s a real thing for me — it’s not just my name — and we’re really helping people,” he explains.
He’s amazed by the ability of parents coping with the unthinkable — a sick child in need of a transplant. “I can’t help but think that it’s softened me in some way, and then of course, you think about your own children and how they are,” he finds.
Foster has learned much about transplant family dynamics too. “When we get together with the families, I spend my time with the siblings because they are the ones that sort of get pushed to the side, not for any unkind reason; it’s just the way it is, because all the attention goes to the sick child,” he says. To address this issue, the Foundation has taken on a bigger role with siblings, from offering the family a day out at Disneyland, for instance, or a day out at a football game, subsidizing fun activities for a family break.
Giving back is a fundamental aspect of Foster’s life. He takes a low-key approach while the causes he’s involved with take center stage. He’s put annual shows together for Augie’s Quest for ALS in Newport Beach, raising funds for ALS research. “That’s something I’ll continue to do for as long as they need it,” he says. He’s produced benefit concerts for the Charlotte and Gwyneth Gray Foundation, which raises funds for research on the rare neurogenerative disorder Batten disease. “It’s impossible to say no to Barbara Davis,” he says of his 25 years of shows for the bi-annual Carousel of Hope Ball to raise money for juvenile diabetes
He was also behind the scenes for more than a decade at Phoenix’s Celebrity Fight Night, an annual fundraiser for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center at Barrow Neurological Institute. “Muhammad Ali was a big draw,” Foster says of the events, which brought out Rod Stewart, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli and many more to perform over the years while raising funds for research into the debilitating illness.
Foster is also proud that his daughters, Sara and Erin Foster — co-creators of Netflix’s hit “Nobody Wants This” — are also giving back, donating to the David Foster Foundation and participating in events. Although his name is featured, there’s a hard-working team and equally committed supporters behind the scenes. Foster says, “I’m indebted to everybody. Honestly.”
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