Pine River Institute
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Low
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
39%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 39 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Pine River Institute:
Pine River Institute is a two-star charity. It has a great results reporting score of A reflecting the high quality evaluation data posted in its annual report, is financially transparent but has low demonstrated impact. For every dollar donated to the charity, 39 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci's reasonable range. Read Ci's report before giving to this charity.
Founded in 2004 and opened in 2006, Pine River Institute (PRI) is a treatment centre that works with youth who have addiction issues and mental health challenges.
PRI admits students to its treatment centre through four phases of treatment, beginning with 6-8 weeks of living with a small group of students and staff in Algonquin Park. The next phase is living at the Pine River Campus in Shelbourne, Ontario where therapy continues, and youth can earn high school credits. PRI supports clients their families as youth transition back to living at home. The therapeutic approach is suited to meeting the needs of teens rather than strictly applying traditional adult treatment techniques.
Pine River Institute admitted 43 youth in F2021 and 53 youth in F2022. 63% of its students are male and the average age is 17 years. The average length of stay in F2022 was 592 days, but there is no dedicated length of stay. By Dec 31, 2022, 57 youth are still in the program.
PRI offers 36 client spots which are consistently filled, with a waitlist of about 200 families. Low-income clients have costs subsidized by the Ministry of Health. Upon admission, clients pay $17,750, which includes 30 days of treatment fees and an admission deposit refundable after one month in the program. Private beds not funded by the government are available at a rate of $475 per day. In F2022, the waitlist for a Ministry of Health bed was 211 days, which decreased from 304 in F2021.
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Results and Impact
The charity received survey responses from parents and youth who were involved with PRI programs as early as 2010. The report reflects substance use, academics, mental health and learning issues, crisis situations, quality of life, and family life of previous clients, comparing outcomes of both those who completed the program and those who left prior to completion. Ci has chosen to highlight some of the report areas that found a statistically significant difference between completers and non-completers.
PRI surveyed 70 youth involved in its phase two treatment process. The charity reports that a youth’s emotional intelligence score increases from 4.1 to 5.5. PRI also measures substance use. Before PRI, 62% of youth report daily use of substances, at an average age of 14. Six months after PRI, daily substance use decreased to 9%, but after three years increased to 31%.
Before the program, 6% of youth stated they had not used drugs in the last three months. Three years after, only 8% of those who completed the program reported no substance use in the past three months, while 21% of those who did not complete the program reported no substance use in the past three months. (Report here).
In 2017, three researchers from McMaster University evaluated the social return on investment of Pine River Institute. The report finds an average return of $7 per dollar spent based on factors including improvements in employment, reduced involvement with the justice system, and reduced hospitalizations for mental illness or substance use. The study unfortunately appears not to account for the overhead costs associated with operating the Pine Rive Foundation.
Assuming an average of 57 youth are in the program, the average cost per youth in treatment is $158,775 each year.
Impact Rating: Low
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Finances
Charity Intelligence consolidated Pine River Institute’s (PRI) and Pine River Foundation’s (PRF) financial statements. This provides donors with a fuller picture of Pine River's operations in our opinion.
Pine River received $968k in donations in F2023. The charity also received $8.6m in government funding, representing 80% of total revenue. Pine River received $1.0m in fees for service, which represents private beds paid for. Using this number, the charity provided 2,105 private bed nights in F2023.
Administrative costs are 21% of revenue (excluding investment income), and fundraising costs are 39% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 61%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 39 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range.
Pine River has $4.0m in reserve funds, which can cover 55%, or seven months of its annual program costs.
Analyst notes: Pine River's costs are not allocated by activities like program costs, fundraising costs, and management and administrative costs. Charity Intelligence reports this information from the charity's T3010 annual filings. In F2023 and F2022, the PRI sent more money to the foundation than it received.
This charity profile is an update that has been sent to Pine River Institute for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on October 24, 2023, by Liam Chapleau. Updated December 6, 2023 to reflect Pine River's full financial transparency and the information now posted for 2023 in its T3010 filings.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 21.2% | 17.7% | 18.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 39.4% | 16.3% | 22.6% |
| Total overhead spending | 60.6% | 34.0% | 41.3% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 55.4% | 65.7% | 64.8% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 968 | 1,518 | 1,633 |
| Government funding | 8,615 | 6,439 | 4,512 |
| Fees for service | 1,012 | 1,712 | 1,241 |
| Investment income | 59 | 9 | 8 |
| Other income | 3 | 503 | 4 |
| Total revenues | 10,657 | 10,181 | 7,398 |
| Program costs | 7,164 | 5,667 | 4,540 |
| Administrative costs | 2,246 | 1,801 | 1,379 |
| Fundraising costs | 382 | 247 | 370 |
| Other costs | 0 | 0 | (60) |
| Total spending | 9,792 | 7,715 | 6,229 |
| Cash flow from operations | 864 | 2,466 | 1,170 |
| Capital spending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 3,969 | 3,726 | 2,941 |
Note: Ci consolidated the operating charity Pine River Institute's and the its related party, the foundation's financial statements. As such, Ci excluded donations to and from the foundation. To report on a cash basis, Ci included deferred funding, impacting revenue by ($265k) in F2023, $265k in F2022, and ($nil) in F2021. Due to the charity not using activity-based costing, Charity Intelligence used PRI’s T3010 filing with the CRA to report its administrative, fundraising, and program costs. Amortization was removed from administrative, fundraising, and program costs on a pro-rata basis.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
2 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
2 |
$80k - $120k |
3 |
$40k - $80k |
3 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2022
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
December 2023 Pine River emailed to emphasize its accreditation. Additional comments may be coming.
Pine River Institute is Accredited with Commendation by Accreditation Canada. The Accreditation Canada process is rigorous and thorough, and Accreditation Canada is a recognized and esteemed third party accreditor. Here are some pertinent details for the profile that readers will find of interest:
Accredited with Commendation is awarded to organizations that surpass the fundamental requirements of the accreditation program. In the final accreditation report, posted on the Pine River website, PRI met or exceeded 505 of 508 standards and criteria, achieving an overall score of 99.4 per cent.
Accreditation Canada is an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets standards for quality and safety in health care, accrediting health care organizations in Canada and around the world.
The following comments that follow apply to an earlier version and may be not reflect the current profile.
Pine River is a community initiative that was created entirely by private donations, in response to the urgent and overwhelming need for intensive treatment for teens in crisis in Canada. It was the first, and is still the only treatment program of its kind in the country. We offer a family-centered, comprehensive, and individualized program based on best practices for adolescent development and addiction treatment. At Pine River, we address the self-destructive behaviour. We teach math skills and life skills side-by-side. We take all the time it takes to rebuild a life. And we remain supportive of our families long after the program ends.
After almost a decade of research and planning we opened our doors in June 2006, and have since helped over 200 students and their families. Our students have a tremendous success rate, as shown through research and outcome evaluation, and the program has received awards and recognition nationally, internationally, and from various disciplines.
In addition to the tremendous and growing community support, Pine River has substantial government support from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the Ministry of Education. Professionals in the field recognize Pine River as a program that works, and we receive referrals from organizations such as the Hospital for Sick Children, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, community agencies from across the province, and from professionals and families across the country.
Our mission is to provide the highest quality care to our participants so they can regain their lives, their families, and their futures. We are also committed to advancing the field of adolescent development and addiction treatment. Our vision is to transform the way that adolescents and families struggling with mental health issues, and specifically addictive behaviour are treated in Canada and beyond.
The generous support of our donors sustains everything we do to ensure that youth in crisis, and their families, have access to the best possible care and services.
“To all of you who played a part in helping and supporting and teaching and showing our daughter that she is worthy of so much more, we, my husband and family and sister, thank you beyond words. I can never say how amazed and grateful and thankful we all are. She has gone from the saddest of places to hope and light.”
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-955-1453