Calgary Humane Society

4455 110th Avenue SE
Calgary, AB T2C 2T7
Executive Director: Carrie Fritz
Board Chair: Andrew Wilson

Charitable Reg. #:11882 3632 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 5/5]

✔+

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.

n/r

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.

72%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 72 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Calgary Humane Society:

Calgary Humane Society is a 5-star charity. It has an A Results Reporting grade, which is above average. It holds reserves within Ci's reasonable range. For every dollar donated to the charity, 72 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range. 

Founded in 1922, Calgary Humane Society (CHS) aims to create a more humane world by protecting animals and advocating for their welfare. CHS was Calgary’s first animal shelter. It is one of the few admission shelters in North America, meaning they do not turn any animals away. Calgary Humane Society has three programs: Animal Care Comfort and Adoption, Animal Investigation and Protection, and Community Outreach. In 2024, CHS spent $7.0m on its programs.

Animal Care, Comfort, and Adoption represented 72% ($5.1m) of program costs in 2024. Calgary Humane Society provides care to animals in distress, then helps them find new homes. In 2024, 3,614 animals were admitted to the Calgary Humane Society. 43% of these animals were surrendered by their owners. Of these animals, 2,110 were cats, 1,011 were dogs, 113 were rabbits, and 380 were other animals. To care for these animals, CHS performed 2,256 surgeries, provided 19,649 medical examinations, gave 5,025 vaccinations, and provided 125,057 cups of food. In 2024, 1,494 animals were placed in foster care, decreasing their time in shelter by 40%, or ten days. The charity’s Animal Behaviour program provided 31,470 hours of care and ran 535 socialization sessions for 474 animals. In 2024, CHS created a new program: PAWWISE, which is a spay/neuter and wellness clinic that provides free surgeries, wellness exams, and vaccines. In 2024, this program reached 49 pets.

Community Outreach represented 15% ($1.1m) of program costs in 2024. Calgary Humane Society offers a variety of community services for pet care and education. In 2024, CHS reached 23,566 people through 112 outreach events. The charity reports it educated 1,055 youths through day camps, presentations, field trips, tours, and youth clubs.  

Animal Investigation and Protection represented 13% ($916k) of program costs in 2024. Calgary Humane Society employs a team of peace officers who enforce the Animal Protection Act of Alberta. The team investigates complaints related to animal abuse, neglect, and abandonment. In severe cases, animals may be removed from the home and owners may be charged. In 2024, the charity investigated 1,038 complaints and rescued 525 animals from unsafe situations. CHS hired three new peace officers in 2024.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.

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Results and Impact

In 2024, 2,607 animals were adopted, of which, 1,621 were cats, 613 were dogs, 76 were rabbits, and 297 were other animals. CHS reports it spent $314,801 to support 966 pets and their families, which would have otherwise cost $699,765 if these animals were returned to the shelter. The charity’s foster program put 1,494 animals into a foster home, which decreased the time these animals spent in a shelter by ten days (40%). CHS’s Behavioural Support program decreased the average length of time animals spent in shelter to 16.1 days (from 17.7 in 2023) and increased the live release rate to 85.7% (from 84.7% in 2023).

The Animal Investigation and Protection program removed 525 animals from unsafe situations in 2024.

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Calgary Humane Society's results and impact.

This charity is not yet rated on impact. This shows as n/r and it does not affect its star rating. 

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Finances

Calgary Humane Society’s audited financials use line-item costing, which is not a best practice. Ci used the charity's T3010 to report administrative and fundraising costs.

Calgary Humane Society received $8.0m in donations and $1.3m in program fees. The charity spent $7.0m on its programs, which is 65% of revenue.

CHS spent $969k on fundraising, which is 12% of donations, and $1.5m on administration, which is 16% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 28%. For every dollar donated to Calgary Humane Society, 72 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Calgary Humane Society has $15.1m in reserve funds, which can cover annual program costs for 2 years and 1 month. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Calgary Humane Society.

Updated on June 23, 2025 by Liam Chapleau.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
202420232022
Administrative costs as % of revenues 16.0%12.5%19.0%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 12.1%6.8%11.1%
Total overhead spending 28.1%19.3%30.1%
Program cost coverage (%) 213.9%221.1%171.3%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202420232022
Donations 8,02711,5147,057
Government funding 5800
Fees for service 1,2681,3911,015
Investment income 1,4721,221(1,641)
Total revenues 10,82514,1276,431
Program costs 7,0456,4395,838
Administrative costs 1,4991,6081,536
Fundraising costs 969788781
Total spending 9,5138,8358,155
Cash flow from operations 1,3125,292(1,724)
Capital spending 7182993,866
Funding reserves 15,07114,27810,044

Note: 1. Use of T3010: Ci used the charity’s T3010 filing with the CRA to report administrative costs. The difference between the T3010 filing and the audited financials was removed from program costs. Ci also used CHS’s T3010 to report government funding and removed the amount from donations. Government funding was $58k in 2024 only. 2. Deferred Revenue: Ci adjusted for deferred revenue within donations. This affected revenue by $9k in 2024, ($3k) in 2023, and $17k in 2022.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 87

Avg. compensation: $66,987

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
3
$80k - $120k
6
$40k - $80k
0
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

The following comment was added by the charity on February 1, 2024. 

Calgary Humane Society (CHS) is rooted in values of compassion, courage, commitment and collaboration which strengthen the social fabric of a rapidly changing and increasingly complex society. We have rallied to meet ever-increasing needs that have had a significant impact on the quality of life enjoyed in Calgary. As the city continues to grow and expand, it is becoming increasingly important for the Calgary Humane Society to effectively and proactively respond to animal welfare issues not only for today, but for the future.  

  • Protections and Investigations – In 2022, our team investigated 1195 reports of possible animal cruelty and neglect, 51 individuals charged, and 891 animals were seized. In 2022, our Protection and Investigations team continued to lead, nationally in their area by developing and executing training for frontline police officers through the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, culminating in hundreds more boots on the ground in the fight against animal cruelty.  This partnership between CHS and Calgary Police Services has been fruitful as Calgary cases continue to break and set new incarceration records for animal cruelty crimes, including 2022’s GEICK conviction, raising the precedent from 2 to 3 years. 
  • Pet Safekeeping– In 2022, Calgary Humane Society received 100 animals from owners fleeing domestic violence. These animals remained in our care for an average of 33 days while their owner sought safety. 79% were returned to their owner healthy and happy, with up-to-date vaccines and a spay/neuter surgery. The remaining 21% were adopted into new homes. Calgary Humane Society has over 1,000 Foster Parents who provide a safe haven for many animals entering our care, but it is particularly beneficial for animals of the Pet Safekeeping program. In 2022, 69% of the 100 animals from Pet Safekeeping went to a foster home. Foster care introduces these animals to a secure, safe and stable environment, counter to the volatile home they once knew. Calgary Humane Society continues to collaborate with partnering organizations promoting access to Pet Safekeeping and acts as a consultant on the development of pet friendly spaces in human shelters alike.   
  • Emergency Boarding - Calgary Humane Society offers short term housing for people in crisis through the Emergency Boarding program. Unforeseen crisis can occur, such as hospitalization due to a sudden medical emergency, evacuation from fire, individuals entering a rehab recovery program, or senior health concerns.
  • Continued Companionship - The Calgary Humane Society offers resources to seniors through our Continued Companionship Program. This program combats seniors’ vulnerabilities by retaining or creating connection opportunities with domestic pets. Resources include medical support, euthanasia and cremation services, food bank services including prescription diets, affordable adoption fees and volunteer opportunities.
  • Humane Education –Is defined as the teaching of compassion, empathy and respect related to animal welfare, environmental, and social justice issues. In a world where education is about standardized testing and subject performance, it is easy to lose sight of what the real purpose of education should be: guiding the next generation to be caring, compassionate and responsible citizens that are capable of changing the world. Reaching a total of 19,822 youth, CHS represents the animal welfare component of Humane Education, presenting it as an interconnected and integral dimension of a healthy, just society.
  • Adoption– In 2022 CHS has connected lives for 2,371 animals and families. Lives have been saved, hearts have been healed and health has improved. Every day we receive stories of emotional, psychological, and physical inspiration surrounding the human/animal bond. 
  • Animal Health – In 2022 over 100,000 medical procedures were performed, including surgeries, re-check exams and physiotherapy sessions. Calgary Humane Society provides compassionate, humane health care to all homeless animals admitted into the facility. The Phoenix Fund is a special fund set aside for animals with special needs that require emergency medical treatment. Burns, amputations, skin grafts, or other specialized surgeries require extra medical support. Thanks to the Pheonix Fund, CHS has the ability to deal with these emergencies and those animals in critical need are most often brought here. A chief mandate of the organization relates to the strategies it employs for inclusive community engagement. Our animal health team works closely with University of Calgary, contributing quantifiably to Veterinary student training. We host countless hands-on job shadow experiences, educational resources, tours, presentations, and field studies (herd health management) supporting the Veterinary medicine discipline.
  • Community Services – For Albertans struggling to provide proper and adequate food for their pets, we operate a food bank program where food, bedding and other supplies can be providedWe provide free behavioural support through our Behaviour Helpline to anyone experiencing a pet related issue. For renters at risk of loosing their housing due to a pet related issue, we run a Pets & Renters program where consults are offered at no cost.
  • Behaviour Training - we offer positive reinforcement-based training classes and consultations for basic obedience, puppy socialization and specialize in complex behaviours such as reactivity, fearfulness, resources guarding and separation anxiety. We believe that everyone should have access to affordable training and work with a variety of household budgets.

Calgary Humane Society engages with over 700 Volunteers and 1,000 Foster Parents. We strive to lead the way and continue to set standards of excellence for the humane treatment of animals across a broad spectrum of human/animal interactions, thus fostering a community where all lives are respected and treated with compassion. The breadth of our programming is wide and all encompassing in an effort to provide the highest levels of community service to the city of Calgary and surrounding areas. 

Charity Contact

Website: www.calgaryhumane.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 403-205-4455

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001