Someone already has the words. A $400 keyguard, a $280 repair, a tablet mount that actually works — something small stands in the way. We pay for it directly and quickly so the words can be used again.
Referral only, through clinicians and organizations who know the person. Direct to the vendor. We check 30 days later that it actually works.
A bridge fund is the smallest useful intervention: it removes a specific, documented barrier and confirms the result. No clinics, campaigns, or systems before the evidence calls for them.
I started this because I've seen the same small barriers stop people for months at a time — a mount that never arrived, a keyguard that cost more than the family could front, a repair that took the device offline for six weeks. Provincial programs do real work. They just aren't built for the gaps that open between approval and use. VoiceBridge is the smallest thing that can actually close those gaps right now. No big promises. Just the next workable communication setup, confirmed in 30 days.
— Martin Lepage, Founding Director
The exact missing piece that turns a device someone already has — or is approved for — into something they can actually use today.
A 12-year-old who trialled TD Snap on a school iPad but couldn't use it without a keyguard and desk mount. An adult post-stroke whose only reliable words lived on a tablet that needed a $275 battery and cable before the next family visit. A toddler who finally had 40 words on the device after three weeks of consistent use at home and at the table. These are the gaps we close.
Typical range $300–$3,500 CAD. One grant per person per 12 months unless exceptional.
If you've ever watched a family or a patient lose months because a $400 piece of plastic or a battery never arrived on time, you already understand what this is for.
We're raising the first $50,000–$100,000 to run a tight pilot.
| AAC bridge grants | $30,000 – $70,000 |
| Lived-experience advisor compensation | $5,000 – $10,000 |
| Legal, accounting, insurance, compliance | $5,000 – $15,000 |
| Basic admin, forms, website, reporting | $5,000 – $10,000 |
Most of it goes straight to the grants. The rest keeps the pilot honest: lived-experience advisors who actually use these tools, basic compliance, and transparent reporting after the first 8–12 cases.
Talk to Martin about a gift Download the briefReferral-only during the pilot. We work through a small number of trusted partners (speech-language pathologists, rehab clinics, disability organizations, schools, hospitals, aphasia and brain injury groups).
How it works:
Key documents:
Referral Form (DOCX) Grant Policy (DOCX) Partner LOU (MD)We prioritize cases where the absence of this modest support would leave someone without functional communication in the near term.
All documents are public and deliberately minimal. Download what you need:
Full source and additional templates (90-day plan, governance, advisor agreements) available in the project repository.
We track only the basics: number of referrals and grants approved, average grant size, time from referral to decision, what was funded, whether the support was usable after 30 days, and what barrier remained unresolved.
After the first cases or 90 days we publish a short pilot memo and make an explicit, evidence-based decision on next steps.
Use the form below or email us directly to discuss a gift, become a referral partner, or ask about the pilot.
Or email directly: grants@voicebridge.pharos-ai.ca
Martin Lepage, Founding Director
VoiceBridge Foundation — Canada (federal not-for-profit in formation)
Referral-only • Evidence-led • Minimum overhead
We start with the smallest thing that directly improves communication access: a practical bridge fund.