Momentum Community Economic Development Society is a 2-star charity with Low demonstrated impact. It is financially transparent and has an A- results reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending is 31%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for nearly 11 months, which is also within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 1991, Momentum Community Economic Development Society (MCEDS) aims to help low-income individuals improve their livelihoods through financial education and job skills development. The charity states individuals most at risk of poverty include single parents, Indigenous peoples, seniors, recent immigrants, and people with disabilities. It also stated in a 2021 report that about 189,000 Calgarians live in poverty, including 39,000 children.  

MCEDS spent $7.8m on its programs in 2024. MCEDS has four program areas: Manage Your Money, Train for a Good Job, Start a Business, and Professional Development. The charity did not provide a spending breakdown for its programs. In 2024, it had over 2,800 participants across all its programs.

Manage Your Money programs aim to teach individuals how to save money, budget, reduce their debt, and improve their credit scores. The charity’s programs include money management workshops, financial coaching, tax filing appointments and more. As of June 2025, it has six programs.

Train for a Good Job programs aim to develop individuals’ skills in various trades such as technology, plumbing, welding and carpentry. As of June 2025, it has three programs.

Start a Business programs aim to help people start their own business. The charity’s programs include individual business coaching, classroom instruction, and entrepreneurship workshops. As of June 2025, it has four programs.

Professional Development programs aim to provide training for organizations, staff and coaches to build their professional knowledge. The charity’s programs include financial literacy training, financial coaching, empowerment coach training, and more. As of June 2025, it has four programs.

Momentum Community Economic Development Society’s audited financial statements follow line-item costing, which is does not align with financial reporting best practices. This means Ci referred to its T3010 filings with the CRA Charities Directorate to report program, administrative and fundraising costs.

MCEDS received $4.9m in Canadian donations in 2024, which is 46% of total revenue. In 2024, it received $4.7m in government funding, which is 45% of revenue. MCEDS spent $7.8m on its programs in 2024, which is 73% of revenue. In 2024, it recorded a surplus of $373k (3% of revenue).

MCEDS spent $637k on fundraising costs, which is 13% of donations. It spent $1.8m on administrative costs, which is 18% of revenue. MCEDS has total overhead spending of 31%. For every dollar donated to MCEDS, 69 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

MCEDS has $6.8m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Its reserve funds can cover 88% or nearly 11 months of its annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This report is an update that has been sent to Momentum Community Economic Development Society for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 27, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.