BGC Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area Society is a 5-star charity. It has above average disclosure with an A results reporting grade. It holds reserves within Ci’s reasonable range. For every dollar donated to BGC Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area Society, 87 cents are available to go to the cause. 

Founded in 2011 through the merger of BGC (Boys and Girls Clubs) and Big Brothers Big Sisters, BGC Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area Society (BGCBigs) operates a combined network of mentoring, community club, and youth engagement programs. The organization serves children and youths aged 6-24 across Edmonton and surrounding communities, including Leduc/Devon & Area, Parkland County, St. Albert/Morinville & Area, Strathcona County, and Lac La Biche. BGCBigs aims to address rising social isolation, loneliness, aggression, and poverty among young people by building confidence, fostering belonging, and strengthening resilience through trusted relationships with caring adults. In the fiscal year ending March 2026 (F2026), BGCBigs operated with 125 staff and 2,124 volunteers, delivering programming to 4,297 children and youths.

BGCBigs runs three main programs: Community Clubs/Out of School Time, Mentoring, and Youth Engagement. In F2026, the charity spent $8.1m on its programs.

Community Clubs/Out of School Time accounted for 48% of program spending in F2026. This program provides after-school and summer spaces for children and youths aged 6-17, offering meals, activities, and adult supervision. In F2026, the program served 2,103 children and youths, providing 20,720 meals and 38,781 snacks. The charity reported 46,650 individual Club/OST visits across 226 unique days that Clubs/OST were open.

Mentoring accounted for 43% of program spending in F2026. This program matches children and youths aged 6-24 with adult or peer mentors on a one-to-one or group basis, delivered through Community-based (e.g., Big Brothers, Big Sisters), School-based (e.g., In-School Mentor, Tutoring), and Site-based (e.g., Game Changers) streams. In F2026, it served 1,951 children and youths, totaling 94,281 mentoring hours across 860 new matches.

Youth Engagement accounted for 9% of program spending in F2026. This program serves youths aged 14-24 through leadership, employment, and support initiatives such as Teen Takeover, the West Youth Hub, Youth Employment, DiversionFIRST, Circle Supports, and Change Through Challenge, which connects youths to community resources and addresses risky behaviours. In F2026, it served 365 children and youths.

BGCBigs' audited financial statements follow line-item costing, meaning program, administrative, and fundraising costs are not clearly separated. This is not a best practice. In prior years, Ci used the charity's T3010 filing with the CRA to determine this allocation. At the time of this report, BGCBigs' F2026 T3010 filing was not yet available, so for F2026 only, Ci has allocated each line item as best fits. This means program costs are likely overstated for F2026, while fundraising and administrative costs are likely understated. Consequently, overhead spending is likely understated, and cents to the cause overstated for this year.

In F2026, BGCBigs earned $7.5m in revenue. It received $3.0m in donations and special events revenue (40% of total revenue), $3.5m in government funding (46% of total revenue), and $656k in net lottery revenue (9% of total revenue).

Administrative costs are 12% of revenues (less investment income). Fundraising costs are 1% of donations. Total overhead is 13%. For every dollar donated to BGCBigs, 87 cents are available for programs. This is within Ci's reasonable range.

In F2026, BGCBigs spent $8.1m on programs (108% of total revenue). It recorded a $1.6m deficit, drawing on its reserve funds. The charity spent $nil on capital projects.

BGCBigs has $7.6m in reserve funds (cash and investments). The reserves can cover 94%, or roughly 11 months of program costs.

This charity update has been sent to BGCBigs for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. Updated by Nick Reszetnik on August 12, 2026.