Children’s Aid Foundation is a 3-star, financially transparent charity with an above-average A- results reporting grade. Its reserve funds can cover four years and nine months of its annual program spending and it has 35% overhead spending. For every dollar donated, 65 cents are available to go to the cause.

Founded in 1979, Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) distributes grants to organizations that prevent youth entering, help youth navigate, and support youth exiting Canada’s child welfare system. CAFC also provides educational scholarships and bursaries that finance post-secondary education for those in need. Nationwide, 63,000 youths live in foster homes, extended families, or institutional settings because of previous abuse or abandonment. CAFC spent $14.5m on its programs and grants in the March 2025 fiscal year (F2025).

Grants distributed to its agency network was 65% of CAFC’s program spending. In F2025, CAFC distributed $9.4m to 99 organizations ($9.4m to 114 partners in F2024) across 11 provinces. Although the charity’s website includes a map showing the regional distribution of its network, it did not report a breakdown by grant size or mention the number of programs supported. The charity reported helping 16,693 people in F2025, but did not report how many were helped directly through its own programs or indirectly through its agency network.

Other programs was 35% of CAFC’s program spending. It includes post-secondary scholarships and bursaries, as well as relationship building and collaboration within its agency network towards shared goals. In F2025, CAFC distributed $2.2m of educational scholarships to 680 students.

CAFC’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing – a best practice. This means its financials clearly separate program, grant, administrative, and fundraising expenses.

CAFC received $14.6m in donations and special events revenue (66% of total revenue) and $539k of government funding (2% of revenue).

Administrative costs are 12% of total revenue less investment income and fundraising costs are 23% of donations. Its 35% overhead spending means that for every dollar donated, 65 cents are available to go to the cause. This is just within Ci’s reasonable range.

CAFC spent $14.5m on its program and grants in F2025 ($14.5m in F2023).

Excluding donor-endowed funds, CAFC had a $80.0m reserve of cash and investments at the end of F2025. Its non donor-endowed reserve can cover 473% or just under four years and nine months of its annual program spending. This exceeds Ci’s reasonable range of 300% coverage.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on July 28, 2025. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.

Questions? Contact jdranitsaris@charityintelligence.ca