Alberta Cancer Foundation is a 2-star rated charity with an average results reporting grade. The charity has large funding reserves, which can cover 5.7 years of annual granting activities and high overhead costs. Before you give, read Charity Intelligence's report.

Founded in 1985, Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) is the fundraising arm for all 17 Alberta Health Services cancer centres. This includes the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, and 15 regional and community cancer centres across the province. Alberta Cancer Foundation has four main focus areas: research, patient care, patient financial assistance, and patient navigation. 

In F2022, Alberta Cancer Foundation reported that it distributed $27.1m (up from $15.5m disbursed in F2021) in grants. In F2021, its three largest grant recipients were Alberta Health Services ($6.7m), University of Alberta ($4.0m), and University of Calgary ($2.4m). These grants help fund research, equipment purchases, patient care, and major capital builds.

Research accounted for 51% ($13.4m) of program spending in F2022. The charity funded 75 new clinical trials with 1,022 patients in F2021. Alberta Cancer Foundation helps fund the Alberta Tomorrow Project. It started in 2008 and is a longitudinal study tracking the health of 55,000 Albertans to determine why some people develop cancer and chronic diseases while others do not. Over 30,000 samples have been taken to establish a large research database. In its F2019 annual report, ACF reports funding PROFYLE (Precision Oncology for Young People) in partnership with Terry Fox Research Institute. It is a Canada-wide research project focused on providing personalized treatments for young cancer patients.

Patient Care accounted for 36% ($9.8m) of program spending in F2022. In F2022, the charity improved medical equipment, advanced oncology training, and enhanced waiting room spaces. In F2022, 63,334 patients, who visited the cancer centres 785,901 times, benefited from these improvements.

Alberta Cancer Foundation spent $2.0m (7% of program spending) on its Patient Financial Assistance program. This program offers financial aid to Albertans receiving cancer treatment to help cover the cost of food, housing, medication, childcare, and transportation.

The Patient Navigation program accounted for 4% ($1.2m) of program spending in F2022. It is available at 15 regional and community cancer centres in the province. Registered nurses help patients navigate the cancer system, educate them on treatment options and how to read test results, and provide support. The charity saw 6,820 patients through its Patient Navigation program in F2022.

The remaining 2% of program spending went to its Cancer Centre Funds.

A new Calgary Cancer Centre is currently being built. When finished, it will double the capacity to treat patients and double the space for clinical trials in the region. It is expected to be complete by late 2023. The Government of Alberta is spending $1.4 billion on its construction, and ACF is campaigning to raise money for equipment, programs, improved patient care and research.

Alberta Cancer Foundation received $21.8m in donations in F2022.  Administrative costs are 26% of revenues (excluding investment income), and fundraising costs are 20% of donations. For every dollar donated, 53 cents go to the cause. This falls outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Alberta Cancer Foundation has persistently high overhead costs leading to overhead spending outside of Ci’s reasonable range for the past three years.

ACF's audited financial statements do not report grants separate from in-house program spending. As such, all mission spending for F2022 is reported as grants.

Funding reserves of $196.7m include $59.8m in donor-endowed funds. Excluding donor-endowed funds, ACF could cover annual granting activities for 5.7 years or 8.8 years based on average program costs over the past three years.

These funding reserves cover ACF’s multi-year research grant commitments. Alberta Cancer Foundation reports grant commitments of $79.0m over the next five years: $31.9m in F2023, $20.7m in F2024, and $11.2m in F2025, $7.9m in F2026, and $7.4m in F2027.

ACF’s audited financial statements disclose that three grant recipients are also related parties: Alberta Health Services (received $14.3m from ACF in F2022), University of Alberta (received $6.1m in F2022), and University of Calgary ($3.2m in F2022). 

Alberta Cancer Foundation reports using external fundraisers as part of its fundraising efforts in its most recent F2021 T3010 filing. In F2021, it paid $747k to external fundraisers that raised $1.3m. In other words, it cost the charity 59 cents for every $1 it raised in F2021 through external fundraisers.

This report is an update that has been sent to Alberta Cancer Foundation for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 23, 2022 by Ann Lei.