Atlantic Salmon Federation
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
n/r
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
74%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 74 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Atlantic Salmon Federation:
Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada is a 4-star charity that is financially transparent. It has a B results reporting grade, which is average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 74 cents are available to go to the cause.
Founded in 1948, Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada (ASF Canada) works to protect wild Atlantic salmon through conservation and restoration. The charity states that many regions in North America saw sharp declines in salmon returns in 2024. Factors contributing to this decline include climate change and an increase in salmon predators. It also states that the Miramichi watershed has historically exceeded runs of 120,000 adult Atlantic salmon, but in recent years estimates have been less than 20,000. ASF Canada shares a website with Atlantic Salmon Federation US (ASF US) and posts shared annual reports.
Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada runs three main programs: Conservation, Research, and Education. Charity Intelligence estimates ASF Canada spent $4.7m on its programs and grants in its fiscal year ending September 2024 (F2024).
The Conservation program received 47% ($2.2m) of program spending in F2024. The ASF Headwaters subprogram helps remove barriers to fish passage and restore their habitats. ASF Canada created or improved fish passage along 43km of stream in F2024. It also runs its Wild Salmon Watersheds subprogram in four Canadian locations. This program helps protect rivers where salmon are still doing well. Additionally, ASF Canada advocates on behalf of Atlantic salmon. The charity gathered 3,780 signatures on a petition to help fish pass by dams on the Kennebec River in F2024.
The Research program received 30% ($1.4m) of program spending in F2024. The research program monitors and assesses Atlantic salmon and their habitats. ASF Canada reports it has tagged over 7,100 fish with trackers since 2003, with nearly 500 tagged in 2024.
The Education program received 23% ($1.1m) of program spending in F2024. ASF Canada publishes research reports and provides education to the public. The charity partnered with a Greenlandic social media influencer, Q’s Greenland, to make informative posts about Atlantic salmon in Greenland. It also launched seven billboards to inform the public about the problems of ocean salmon farming in Atlantic Canada.
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Results and Impact
Striped bass are a predator of Atlantic salmon. Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada reports that the striped bass population has grown significantly. ASF Canada advocacy contributed to increasing the maximum number of striped bass that can be fished from 50,000 to 175,000 beginning in 2025.
ASF Canada publishes research in peer-reviewed journals. These articles focus on salmon behavior and habitats. The charity has published ten peer-reviewed articles since 2019. For example, the charity published an article which models migration routes of Atlantic salmon in 2021.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not completely represent Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has not yet rated ASF Canada on impact (n/r). This does not affect the star rating.
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Finances
Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. This means its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.
ASF Canada has a close working relationship with Atlantic Salmon Federation US, the American chapter of ASF. In F2024, ASF US contributed $3.5m to ASF Canada, which is included in international donations. ASF Canada has $300k in accounts receivable from ASF US as well.
In F2024 ASF Canada received $2.4m in Canadian donations and special events fundraising. Administrative costs are 9% of revenues (excluding investment income). As ASF Canada does not disclose costs related to the contributions from ASF US, Canadian fundraising costs are between 17% and 41% of donations. This means total overhead costs are between 26% and 51%.
In F2024 ASF Canada spent $4.7m on its programs and grants, which is 53% of its revenue. In F2024 it had a surplus of $2.4m, which is 27% of its revenue.
ASF Canada has $7.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Excluding $1.5m in donor-endowed funds, the net funding reserves can cover 120%, or one year and two months of program costs.
This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to Atlantic Salmon Federation Canada. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on May 26, 2025, by Grady Simpson.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending September
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 9.4% | 13.1% | 11.2% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 16.8% | 16.5% | 18.4% |
| Total overhead spending | 26.2% | 29.6% | 29.5% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 119.9% | 65.3% | 107.1% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 1,683 | 1,999 | 322 |
| International donations | 4,358 | 1,776 | 2,462 |
| Government funding | 358 | 687 | 1,336 |
| Fees for service | 72 | 75 | 75 |
| Business activities (net) | 35 | 45 | 57 |
| Special events | 702 | 819 | 483 |
| Investment income | 340 | 251 | (325) |
| Other income | 1,269 | 29 | 1,120 |
| Total revenues | 8,817 | 5,681 | 5,531 |
| Program costs | 4,662 | 4,901 | 3,646 |
| Grants | 21 | 53 | 40 |
| Administrative costs | 799 | 712 | 653 |
| Fundraising costs | 985 | 919 | 634 |
| Total spending | 6,467 | 6,585 | 4,974 |
| Cash flow from operations | 2,350 | (903) | 557 |
| Capital spending | 77 | 61 | 87 |
| Funding reserves | 6,994 | 4,554 | 5,139 |
Note: Deferred adjustment: ASF Canada uses deferred accounting. To show donors information on a consistent basis, Ci adjusted for these deferred revenues. This affected revenue by $74k in F2024, ($25k) in F2023, and $76k in F2022. Grants: Ci removed gifts to qualified donees from program costs and reported it under grants based on the charity’s T3010 filing. Amortization of deferred capital contributions: Ci did not include amortization of deferred capital contributions. This affected revenues by ($26k) in F2024, F2023, and F2022. Endowment: Ci included endowment contributions in donations and endowment interest in investment income. This affected revenues by $106k in F2024, $103k in F2023, and $55k in F2022. Accounts Receivable: Ci included the change in accounts receivable from ASF US. This affected revenues by $880k in F2024, ($987k) in F2023, and ($188k) in F2022. Deferred contributions for expenses of future periods: Ci adjusted for deferred contributions for expenses of future periods. This affected revenues by $1.1m in F2024, $927k in F2023, and $609k in F2022. Government funding: Ci removed government funding from donations and reported it as government funding based on the charity’s T3010 filing. Amortization: Ci removed amortization on a pro rata basis from program, administrative and fundraising costs in F2024, F2023 and F2022.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
1 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
3 |
$80k - $120k |
6 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Comment added August 30, 2024
The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency and accountability, and last year, we were proud to be a 5-star-rated charity, even earning a spot in the top 100 list. This year, while our rating has changed, we are pleased to hold a 4-star rating. We are disappointed to see our rating drop, despite our continuous efforts to update our website and provide additional program details including objectives, performance indicators, results, and their impacts. We were only provided ten calendar days to respond to the most recent assessment and submit updates and changes for a re-assessment, a timeframe which ASF feels is insufficient. Understanding the importance of these ratings and the value that Charity Intelligence reviews have, ASF is already working hard to improve our standing for the next available assessment window. ASF remains committed to meeting the highest standards and expectations of our donors and supporters.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 1-800-565-5666