Laurent Emmanuel Malo, director, René Malo, founder and president, Fanny-Laure Malo, secretary, Marie Gagnon-Malo, founder and managing director
This year, Fondation René Malo, which supports children and their development through the arts, decided to get involved for youth in the care of the DYP by making a first donation to support the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ’s mission.
We had the opportunity to meet the two inspiring women who run the foundation. They are straightforward, genuine and family-focused, just like their foundation: managing director Marie Gagnon-Malo and her daughter Fanny-Laure Malo. The two women talked to us about their current and future convictions for young people and the bond they want to forge with the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ.
How would you describe each other and your role at Fondation René Malo?
Marie : First and foremost, Fanny is my daughter. At the foundation, she’s my right hand and even my left hand. She’s the queen of organization. You know where you’re coming and going with her. We follow a straight line without much deviation but there’s always some flexibility. Fanny has been the foundation’s secretary for 11 years (2013).
Fanny-Laure : Marie implemented a value system that underpins all our decisions to this day. The foundation’s main values, i.e., generosity, a job well done and empathy, comes from her and can be found everywhere. Marie is one of the most generous and hard-working people I know. She’s the managing director at the foundation.
Can you tell us about Fondation René Malo? What are you most proud of as a foundation?
Marie : The foundation was created in 1996 when René and I were young parents. From the outset, our first and main mission was children. To give children equal opportunities to develop to their full potential. There are four of us on the board, so we’re a small foundation and we make decisions as a family. This format is aligned with our commitment to get involved on a human level and to get to know the people we’re helping.
Fanny-Laure : My greatest pride is being able to carry on this legacy that René and Marie created. I’m very proud that we were able to pursue our mission by managing the foundation internally, with our family and intergenerational resources. That’s what creates our special relationship with our partners.
How did you hear about the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ?
Marie : It was René. After he saw an article in La Presse daily during the holidays, he invited us to see what it was the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ did, as he thought our two missions meshed well together. We often hear about problems with youth in care and not so much about their achievements. That’s what prompted René to say: “Let’s go see what they’re doing with their young people. They seem to have some success with them. Maybe we can help them help even more people!”
Fanny-Laure: We wanted to understand the distinction between the DYP—the government entity—and your Fondation. Understand what you could bring to the table that the government couldn’t. We then understood that the government took care of their survival and you took care of their life, and that really spoke to us because it was exactly what we wanted to support.
By choosing to support our general mission, you become part of a philanthropy of the future, in which relationships are founded on trust and accountability. What motivated this choice instead of supporting a specific program?
Fanny-Laure : It was one of the things we considered when we decided to reposition ourselves. While the foundation has existed for nearly 30 years, during this intergenerational handover, we sat down to ask ourselves what do we want to keep and what was due for a change. One of the key elements that emerged: support fewer organizations but provide better and longer-term support by focusing on their mission. Based on this premise, if an organization’s mission aligns with our values, why should we be even choosing what is or isn’t a priority?
Marie : This aspect of trust in the expertise is also very important. We believe that you’re in the best position to know what you need. You know your priorities.
What do you think are the pillars of a healthy and lasting philanthropic relationship between two organizations?
Marie : Like in any relationship, openness, honesty and communication are fundamental.
Fanny-Laure : It’s important for the relationship to be human and simple. That neither party should try to convince the other that all is well, just to go on from year to year. That the organization doesn’t try to impress us. We want them to stay transparent and simple. We all face challenges, so it’s fine to say all is well, but sometimes we also need to admit when something isn’t going so well.
What is your philanthropic priority for the next few years?
Fanny-Laure : For us, it’s continuity. By choosing to support organizations that help children through psychological, physical, cultural and art-based support, we’re investing in the future. This clientele will keep coming back. It’s our way of making a global impact on society as a whole. By supporting the healthy development of youth today, we can hope to contribute to the healthiest society of tomorrow that will make sound environmental, political, social and other decisions that affect us all.
Marie : As a foundation, we also need to be vigilant and make sure the organizations that we work with are as efficient as ever, year after year. That the people in place over time remain as competent and invested as the ones who convinced us to get on board in the first place.
What message would you like to send to youths in the care of the DYP?
Marie : Instinctively, even if it sounds a bit mom-like: “Believe in your dreams and let your determination lead your way.”
Fanny-Laure : “Believe in yourself and know that people believe in you, even when you have doubts.” As I have teens at home myself, I think a young person is just a young person. Regardless of the socioeconomic and family background, the underlying concerns are similar. So when the environment they’re growing up in no longer supports them and does not encourage belief in themselves, it’s critical for them to know that even people who don’t know them want to support their passions and aspirations, without pressure. That’s what we want to tell them: “We’re here.”
What do you hope for the Fondation des jeunes de la DPJ in the next few years?
Marie : Ultimately, we hope that there would no longer be any need for your foundation. But more realistically, we hope it gains more recognition and people spread the word about all the good work you’ve done.
Fanny-Laure : I wish you gain more solid partners who will commit to the long term, so you can spend less time on the search and fundraising. You can then devote all that energy into developing new projects and improving them.