David Suzuki Foundation
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.
B+
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.
78%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 78 cents are available for programs.
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Programs
About David Suzuki Foundation:
Founded in 1990, David Suzuki Foundation (DSF) works to protect Canada’s natural environment. The charity has headquarters in Vancouver, with offices in Toronto and Montreal. DSF’s work focuses on three main areas: environmental rights, climate solutions, and biodiversity.
David Suzuki Foundation’s goal for environmental rights is to establish the legal right for all Canadians to live in a healthy environment. DSF says that more than 90% of Canadians believe we should have the legal right to a healthy environment. DSF launched its Blue Dot movement for environmental rights in 2014. Blue Dot is a movement to recognize the right to live in a healthy environment. Since then, more than 111,000 people have joined, and 173 communities have passed environmental rights declarations. DSF has worked with the federal government to improve access to safe drinking water for First Nations communities on public systems. More than 7,000 people have used DSF’s online platform to demand from decision-makers clean water for everyone in Canada.
David Suzuki Foundation’s goal for climate solutions is to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future. DSF advocates and campaigns for methane regulations, carbon pricing, and more transit- and pedestrian-friendly cities to reduce pollution from transportation. In F2018, the federal government announced a $25 billion investment to modernize transportation networks in Canada’s major cities. DSF’s climate program, Charged Up, enables Canadians to take part in the conversation about climate change, and act. In F2018, 40,000 people joined the program. DSF also awarded annual fellowships to three Canadian scholars to fund their research on complex environmental problems.
David Suzuki Foundation’s goal for biodiversity is to protect and restore nature. DSF advocates for various endangered and fragile species, including marine life, caribou, bees, and more. In F2018, more than 12,400 people used DSF’s online platform to contact government in support of DSF’s emergency order to save Salish Sea orcas. About 3,400 people have since signed its online pledge to protect the orcas.
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Results and Impact
David Suzuki reports that its campaigns for healthier transportation have encouraged the federal government to announce a $25 billion investment to modernize transportation networks in Canada’s major cities. DSF also reports that 40 schools planted butterfly gardens in F2018 due to its advocacy for biodiversity.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of David Suzuki Foundation’s results and impact.
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Finances
David Suzuki Foundation is a large charity, with total donations of $10.3m in F2018. Administrative costs are 5% of revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 18% of donations. For every dollar donated, 77 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Funding reserves of $19.9m can cover 2.5 years of annual program costs.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to David Suzuki Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on June 4, 2019 by Lauren Chin.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending August
|
2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 4.6% | 6.1% | 5.1% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 17.8% | 19.7% | 21.7% |
| Total overhead spending | 22.4% | 25.8% | 26.8% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 252.1% | 260.6% | 270.7% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 10,255 | 8,740 | 9,946 |
| Special events | 307 | 271 | 688 |
| Investment income | 1,169 | 1,014 | 977 |
| Other income | 35 | 55 | 49 |
| Total revenues | 11,766 | 10,080 | 11,661 |
| Program costs | 7,910 | 7,253 | 6,876 |
| Administrative costs | 489 | 554 | 541 |
| Fundraising costs | 1,883 | 1,772 | 2,312 |
| Total spending | 10,281 | 9,579 | 9,729 |
| Cash flow from operations | 1,485 | 500 | 1,932 |
| Capital spending | 63 | 47 | 29 |
| Funding reserves | 19,941 | 18,898 | 18,612 |
Note: Ci reported restricted donations received during the year instead of restricted donations recognized, affecting revenues by $491k in F2018, ($267k) in F2017 and $517k in F2016. Ci reported endowment contributions in donations, increasing revenues by $7k in F2018 and $210k in F2016. Ci reported realized and unrealized gains on endowment fund investments in investment income, increasing revenues by $749k in F2018, $641k in F2017 and $597k in F2016. Ci backed out amortization of capital assets from program, administrative and fundraising costs on a pro-rata basis.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
3 |
$80k - $120k |
6 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2018
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Charity Contact
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