Union Gospel Mission is a 3-star charity with a Fair demonstrated impact rating. It has a B- results reporting grade, which is below average, and its overhead spending falls outside of Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover just over one year of program costs, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 1989 and based in Vancouver, Union Gospel Mission (UGM) is a Christian charity that provides clothing, meals, and shelter to people in need. The charity also offers addiction recovery support, job training, and camps for youths and families. According to UGM, 80% of people living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood live below the poverty line, and 2,253 British Columbians died from opioid overdose in 2024.

Union Gospel Mission runs four main programs: Outreach and Community Engagement, Addiction Recovery, Women and Children, and Food Services. In the fiscal year ending June 2025 (F2025), UGM spent $29.4m on its programs.

Outreach and Community Engagement represented 32% of reported program spending. This program provides counselling, referrals, and practical assistance such as gift cards and bus tickets to Vancouver residents in need. In F2025, UGM conducted 1,081 case management appointments, resulting in 418 health, housing and employment referrals. The program also provided 3,993 gift cards, 3,102 hygiene kits, and 238 bus tickets to people in need.

Women and Children accounted for 30% of reported program spending in F2025, supporting the Eastsiders After-School Program, Spring into Summer Camp, and Family Camp. In F2025, 23 youths attended the after-school program weekly, 492 campers attended a week at summer camp, and 287 attended family camp.  This category may also include UGM’s housing activities. In F2025, 26 women and 24 children lived in UGM’s Sanctuary Transitional Housing program, and 73 families lived at the Orchard, an affordable housing complex.

Food Services represented 14% of reported program spending. This includes 222,428 meals served and 7,784 grocery hampers distributed in F2025.

Addiction Recovery received 9% of reported program spending. UGM reports that 65 people went through recovery in F2025. An additional 178 men entered UGM's Pre-Recovery Program, and 14 participants developed skills through short-term training opportunities.

Union Gospel Mission allocated 15% of reported program spending to other programs. It did not specify the activities these programs involved. This category may include the reported 34,608 nights of shelter and 7,333 seasonal clothing items provided to individuals in need in F2025.

This analysis consolidates Union Gospel Mission (operating charity) and Union Gospel Mission Foundation’s audited financial statements.

In F2025, UGM received $29.5m in donations (81% of total revenue). It also received $377k in government funding, $802k in fees for service, and $1.4m in investment income.

Fundraising costs were $7.3m (25% of donations), and administrative costs were $5.1m (15% of revenue less investment income). Total overhead was 39%, meaning that for every dollar donated, 61 cents are available to go to the cause. This is below Ci’s reasonable range, which suggests 65-95 cents per dollar.

At the end of F2025, UGM had $30.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). These funds could cover just over one year of UGM’s annual program costs, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

In F2025, Union Gospel Mission paid external fundraisers $721k to collect donations. Although the charity reports the amount paid to external fundraisers, it does not report the revenue collected by these fundraisers. This reporting is required by the CRA.

Profile updated on June 3, 2026 by Ava Anderson.