Nature Canada is a 3-star charity that is financially transparent. It has a C+ results reporting grade which is below average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 71 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Founded in 1939, Nature Canada (NCAN) aims to protect animals and the environment. NCAN states that Canada has lost around 3.3 million hectares of forests since 1975. It states the area lost is more than half the size of Nova Scotia. NCAN also states there are three billion fewer birds in North America today compared to 50 years ago.

Nature Canada runs two main programs: Conservation and Education. Charity Intelligence estimates NCAN spent $4.3m on its programs and grants in its fiscal year ending March 2024 (F2024). Ci did not find a breakdown of program spending in NCAN’s annual report or on its website.

The Conservation program focuses on protecting the environment and restoring damaged areas. The charity reports that it helped secure government funding for three nationally protected areas in F2024 (Central Coast National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, BC; Ojibway National Urban Park, ON; and Pituamkek National Park Reserve, PEI). The charity’s Bird Friendly certification recognizes cities that protect birds. It certified six new cities in F2024, bringing the total to 26. NCAN reports that 39 nature organizations held 50 meetings with members of parliament during its Nature on the Hill event.

The Education program provides Canadians with information about animals and the environment. NCAN’s Naturehood subprogram provides immersive outdoor experiences for children. The charity reports it hosted 629 schools and community groups and ran 444 public events in F2024. It reports this engaged almost 50,000 youth and families. NCAN also distributed six young nature leaders grants in F2024. The charity provides these $1k grants to people under 30 who use them to create projects centered around sustainability. One grant recipient led 53 outdoor education workshops engaging 1,115 students.

Nature 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.

In F2024 NCAN received $2.7m in Canadian donations and special events fundraising, and $749k in international donations. It also received $1.6m in government funding. Government funding is 29% of total revenue.

Administrative costs are 7% of revenues (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 24% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 31%. For every dollar donated, 69 cents are available to go to the cause. This falls within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

In F2024 NCAN spent $4.3m on its programs and grants, which is 80% of its revenue. In F2024 it had a surplus of $83k.

Nature Canada has $5.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Excluding $146k in donor-endowed funds, the net funding reserves can cover 112%, or one year and one month of program costs.

In F2024, Nature Canada paid external fundraisers $16k who collected $28k in donations. This means it cost NCAN 57 cents to raise $1 using external fundraisers. It is likely more cost efficient to directly donate to the charity.

In addition to its salaries, Nature Canada paid $375k in professional and consulting fees in F2024 ($775k in F2023 and $1.3m in F2022).

This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to Nature Canada. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on June 18, 2025, by Grady Simpson.