Georgian Bay Land Trust is a 3-star rated charity. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending is 5%, just outside Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover just over 11 years of annual program costs, outside Ci’s reasonable range.  

Founded in 1990, Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT) protects Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron. As the world’s largest freshwater archipelago, Georgian Bay is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Georgian Bay Land Trust aims to preserve natural areas with ecological or historical significance. GBLT states that urbanization and climate change have destroyed critical ecosystems, compromised natural water systems, and endangered sensitive wildlife.  

The charity acquires protected land to ensure its ecosystems remain safe and preserved for future generations. Georgian Bay Land Trust’s four programs are Land Protection, Land Stewardship, Learning, and Inspire.  

Land Protection represented 48% of program costs. Georgian Bay Land Trust acquires protected land in one of three ways. GBLT accepts donations of land and purchases significant properties. It also offers Conservation Easement agreements, which allow clients to retain ownership of their land while the charity ensures the preservation of its natural or cultural features. For public properties, the charity has three classifications: green (available to the public), yellow (access by permission), and red properties (no access). In F2024, the charity reported that it had 80 conservation properties, with approximately 41,000 acres protected.  

Land Stewardship represented 26% of program costs. GBLT’s stewards are responsible for maintaining protected areas and removing garbage or invasive species.  As of August 2025, the charity’s website stated that it maintained 15 public access sites, with over 500 species monitored by its conservation team and 120 volunteer stewards looking after the land. In F2024, the charity stated that it stewarded 79 conservation properties, completed 272 monitoring visits, and removed invasive Phragmites from three properties.  

Learning represented 13% of program costs. GBLT currently has five active research projects on its website. In F2024, the charity reported that it tracked 17 prairie warblers and five whip-poor-wills. As of August 2025, the website states that the charity also maintained 14 motus wildlife tracking stations. In F2025, the Corridor stewardship team documented 23 provincially significant species.  

Inspire represented 13% of program costs. In F2024, the charity reported that it held 19 community events, including nature walks, bird research demonstrations, and webinars, with over 2,000 visitors to its protected properties and approximately 11,800 people reaching out through social media and email to share conservation and nature appreciation stories. The charity reported that it visited eight summer camps. 

Georgian Bay Land Trust maps out its conservation planning using scientific research to prioritize key habitats based on factors including biodiversity, ecosystem function, and climate change resiliency. Its Conservation Plan identified over 75,000 acres of priority land for protection in the eastern Georgian Bay region.  

Georgian Bay Land Trust reported $3.8m in donations and special events revenue in F2024. Goods in kind (donations of land) were $9.6m, representing 60% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 0.1% of revenue (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 5% of donations. This means that total overhead spending is 5%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 95 cents are available to go to the cause, just outside Ci’s reasonable range.  

GBLT has net funding reserves of $10.9m, of which $238k is donor endowed. Excluding endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover 1,129% or over eleven years of annual program costs. This is outside Ci’s reasonable limit of three years.  

Profile updated by Leah Holmes on August 18, 2025. This charity report is an update that has been sent to the charity for review. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.