Canadian Foundation Facts

Canada has over 11,000 public and private foundations, which collectively steward over $160 billion in assets. A core aspect of Canada’s charitable sector, foundations are independent legal entities operating solely for charitable purposes, working in partnership with the other 73,000 charities in Canada, and the many other non-profit and social-purpose organizations across society.

Their typical operating model is to endow assets, which are received as gifts, and invest them in perpetuity, with earnings used to make grants or to fund their own charitable activities – or both. Foundations are an important aspect of civil society – an element vital to a healthy democracy. Civil society informs, pushes, and complements the important work of business and government to keep communities dynamic and vital. The work is premised on the principles of agency and independence to ensure sole focus on the common good, free from private or partisan interests.

Donations from foundations totaling $10.7 billion annually support a variety of causes. From issues as distinct as childcare and the climate crisis, to decent work and diabetes, Canada’s foundations assist their partners on some of the most important issues of our time. They are increasingly also engaging in social finance and alternative investments to intentionally put their assets to work for the betterment of society, in addition to their important granting and programming work.