Canadian Rugby Foundation’s Monty Heald Fund donates $150,000 to the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup campaign

The Mission: Win Rugby World Cup fundraising campaign, which aims to raise $1,000,000 for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team to help them win Rugby World Cup 2025, has surpassed $500,000 with its largest donation to date, $150,000 from the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s Monty Heald Fund.

The campaign officially launched in early March and has attracted more than 300 donations which will directly provide Canada's Women’s Rugby Team with the necessary resources to help them prepare as they aim to make history by winning the Rugby World Cup this year in England.

“We are very grateful for the support of the Monty Heald Fund and our rugby community in this first month of Mission to Win Rugby World Cup,” said Nathan Bombrys, Rugby Canada CEO. “This significant donation will help our team in their strive towards a history-making result for Canada later this year. As the Monty Heald Fund and our donors have demonstrated, the belief in this team, and the desire to rally behind this team, is strong.”

Since its inception, the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s Monty Heald Fund has donated more than $650,000 to directly support Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team, including the most recent donation of $150,000 to the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup campaign.

“The Monty Heald Fund raises funds year-round with the understanding it may be called upon to boost preparation and take our national women's team to the next level,” said Stephanie White, Chairperson of the Monty Heald Fund. “Head Coach Kevin Rouet has a robust plan leading into Rugby World Cup 2025. We are proud our donors have recognized the huge efforts of the women's national team and want to support their success, allowing us to make a significant donation to the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup campaign. We believe in the team, the management and the program.”

Established in 2015, the Monty Heald Fund was created to address the financial challenges faced by the team, ensuring no player needs to personally pay for participation in major competitions like the Rugby World Cup. The Fund’s mission is to provide financial support for Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team and to create a legacy fund for future teams.

In 2015, Monty Heald and Barry Giffen, two members of the Rugby Canada Past Presidents Committee, collaborated with alumni from the women’s team to establish the Fund under the umbrella of the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

In honour of Monty Heald’s significant contributions to rugby in Canada, the Fund was named after him. He was a passionate ambassador for the sport, and his legacy continues to inspire the Canadian rugby community. Monty passed away in 2015, but his vision for the future of women’s rugby lives on.

Mission: Win Rugby World Cup 
Rugby Canada officially launched the Mission: Win Rugby World Cup fundraising campaign in March 2025. The goal is to raise $1,000,000 to provide Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team with extra resources to help them make history by winning the Rugby World Cup 2025. As of April, the campaign has raised over 50% of the $1,000,000 goal. With their sights set on a groundbreaking achievement this year in England, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team is currently ranked second in the World Rugby global rankings.

For more information or to donate, visit rugby.ca/donate.