Canadian Institute for Advancements in Mental Health is a 3-star charity. It has a B- results reporting grade, which is below average. The charity’s overhead spending is outside Ci’s reasonable range and it has reserve funds to cover just under a year of its annual program costs.

Founded in 1979, Institute for Advancements in Mental Health (IAM) aims to transform how people think about, approach, and support mental health. In May 2023, the charity changed its formal name to Canadian Institute for Advancements in Mental Health. It was formerly the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario. IAM’s vision is “redesigning society for better mental health.” It seeks to create environments that are accepting of people with mental illnesses. IAM has two main programs: Support Programs, and Research and Innovation.

In the fiscal year ending March 2023 (F2023), IAM spent $858k (76% of program spending) on Support Programs. In F2023, IAM serviced 3,784 people through its support programs. IAM offers one-to-one support and recovery programs for people living with mental illnesses. 35% of people who accessed care in F2023 were people living with a mental illness. IAM provides support programs for caregivers who support someone affected by mental illness. In F2023, 55% of people who accessed care through IAM were caregivers. IAM offers professional training to frontline police officers to increase their understanding of mental illness. 10% of people who accessed IAM workshops and services in F2023 were professionals. IAM reports that it reached 707 people through education presentations and groups in F2023. 115 people attended IAM’s educational community events. IAM has a Medication Resource Centre, which aims to make mental health medication more accessible. It provides information on antipsychotic and other psychotic medications available in Canada. In F2023, the Medication Resource Centre received 3,334 page visits.

In F2023, Institute for Advancement in Mental Health spent $273k (24% of program spending) on Research and Innovation. IAM’s scholarship program awards money to students with mental illness. In F2023, IAM awarded $42,900 in scholarships to 24 recipients. Two initiatives received IAM’s Mental Health Innovation prize in F2023. The prize awards $50k to initiatives that support the development of supports and treatments for mental illness.

In F2023, Institute for Advancements in Mental Health received $1.0m in donations and special events revenue. It also received $561k in government funding (31% of total revenue). The charity made $42k from lotteries (2% of total revenue) and $52k (3% of total revenue) from fees for service in F2023. Administrative costs are 17% of total revenue (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 38% of donations. Overhead spending is 55%, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range. For every dollar donated, 45 cents are available for the cause. In F2023, IAM spent $1.1m on its programs (62% of total revenue).

In F2023, IAM had a deficit of $6k and spent $15k on capital expenditures.

At the end of F2023, IAM had $1.1m in reserve funds. This is enough to cover 95% or just under a year of its annual program costs.

In F2023, IAM paid external fundraisers $59k to raise $157k, for a cost of 31 cents per dollar raised.

This charity profile is an update that was sent to Canadian Institute for Advancements in Mental Health for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 7^th, 2024 by Thea Clark.