Canadian Wildlife Federation is a 3-star charity. It has a B Results Reporting grade, which is average. For every dollar donated, 68 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 1962, Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) works to conserve Canadian nature and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all. It aims to inspire Canadians to connect with wildlife, maintain healthy wildlife populations, and conserve and restore natural habitats. The charity reports that there are over 800 at-risk species in Canada. In F2025, CWF spent $18.0m on its programs. The charity does not provide a spending breakdown of its programs.

Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Conserving Species and Habitats program works to restore habitats and protect endangered species in freshwater, terrestrial, and ocean areas across Canada. In F2025, CWF continued the development of 15 watershed restoration plans, seven of which were led by First Nations. The charity also hosted four multi-day workshops on ocean conservation that reached 250 participants. CWF’s goal is to restore fish passage at 30 watercourse crossings across Canada by 2028.

CWF’s Strengthening the Conservation Ethic Among Canadians program works to educate and raise awareness about conservation across Canada. In F2025, CWF trained 927 educators on environmental awareness and stewardship. The charity also hosted seven school webinars that reached 5,239 students. To date, CWF’s educational resources have been downloaded 51,715 times. Canadian Wildlife Federation receives donated airtime from broadcasters across the country. Since its founding, CWF has aired public service announcements 54,000 times.

CWF’s Inspiring Conservation Action program works to encourage people to participate in conservation activities across Canada. CWF’s WILD Spaces subprogram provides people with hands-on biodiversity education by distributing native plants. In F2025, the charity reached 10,502 students across 135 schools, distributing 5,600 native plants. Its Gardening for Wildlife subprogram helps create spaces that support local wildlife through sustainable gardening practices. In F2025, CWF certified 1,085 gardens and 23 schools.

Canadian Wildlife Federation uses activity-based costing, which is a best practice. The charity has an associated foundation; however, the audited statements for the foundation are not publicly available. The operating charity’s audited statements provide summary financial statements for the foundation. Ci used this note to consolidate the charities’ statements for this financial review.

CWF received $18.3m in donations and $4.4m in government funding in F2025. CWF also received $6.5m in donated broadcasted airtime. The charity spent $18.0m on its programs, which is 67% of revenue (excluding donated goods), and recorded a surplus of $2.0m, which is 74% of revenue (excluding donated goods).

CWF spent $4.0m on fundraising, which is 22% of donations, and $3.1m on administration, which is 10% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 32%. For every dollar donated, 68 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

CWF has $35.9m in reserve funds (cash and investments). The charity’s reserves can cover annual program costs for just under two years. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Canadian Wildlife Federation for review.

Updated on August 11, 2025 by Liam Chapleau.