Alberta Lung Association is a 2-star charity. It is financially transparent and has a C results reporting grade, which is below average. Its overhead spending is 64%, which is not within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for nearly one year and seven months, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 1939, Alberta Lung Association (ALA) raises money to support better lung health by providing funding for equipment and resources for individuals, lung health education, and funding research. ALA reports one in five Albertans and one in five Canadians are living with lung disease. It also reports vaping products have become a growing concern amongst youth in Alberta. 

In the fiscal year ending September 2024 (F2024), ALA spent $778k on its programs and grants. The charity funds five main areas: Research grants, Breathe Smart!, Financial and Medical Equipment Support, Patient Support Groups, and Radon Awareness. The charity does not provide a spending breakdown on its programs.

Research grants fund a peer-reviewed competition that supports research and development projects related to human respiratory health. In F2024, ALA granted funds to four competition winners.

Breathe Smart! is an education program that teaches students about lung diseases and poor lung practices, with a focus on e-cigarettes and vaping. Since 2017, ALA has conducted Breathe Smart! sessions in over 500 schools and health fairs. In F2024, over 30,000 kids were educated on the dangers of vaping.

Financial and Medical Equipment Support provides financial aid to Albertans with lung disease to afford equipment and other resources related to their disease. These equipment and resources include inhalers, medication, groceries, funding for lung transplants, and more. In F2024, 115 children and babies were given funding for CPAP machines, a device that treats sleep apnea, and other necessary breathing equipment.

Patient Support Groups consist of virtual seminars, activities, and discussions on topics that relate to lung health. The program offers tips and best practices to manage different lung conditions, and mental health check-ins. Charity Intelligence found little data on this program.

Radon Awareness educates Albertans about the risks of radon on lung health through public and library webinars, presentations, social media and other campaigns. Long-term exposure to radon, a radioactive gas that can seep into buildings, is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Charity Intelligence found little data on this program.

ALA is in the midst of a major capital campaign to build a new lung transplant recovery facility called “Breathing Space” in Edmonton, Alberta. It began construction in 2020.

Alberta Lung Association’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means the charity provides a breakdown between program, administrative and fundraising costs.

ALA received $1.7m in Canadian donations in F2024, which is 85% of total revenue. This is a 159% increase from the $667k in F2023. In F2024, it spent $778k on its programs and grants, which is 38% of revenue; $703k went to programs and $75k went to grants. ALA recorded a surplus of $82k (4% of revenue) in F2024.

ALA spent $616k on fundraising costs, which is 36% of donations. It spent $553k on administrative costs, which is 28% of revenue. ALA has total overhead spending of 64%. For every dollar donated to ALA, 36 cents are available to go to the cause. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of 65-95.

ALA has $2.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). It has donor endowments of $887k. Excluding donor-endowed funds, ALA’s reserve funds can cover 156% or nearly one year and seven months of its annual program and grant costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This report is an update that has been sent to Alberta Lung Association for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 2, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.