Save the Children Canada
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.
Average
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.
66%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 66 cents are available for programs.
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Programs
About Save the Children Canada:
Founded in 1921, Save the Children Canada works toward a world where every child is safe, healthy, and has economic opportunities. The charity serves immediate needs by providing food, water, and healthcare, and improves lives in the long term through education and promotion of gender equality.
In F2018, Save the Children Canada allocated $40.2 million to international programs. For international programming, 35% was allocated to programs in East Africa, 20% to West Africa, 15% to the Middle East, 6% to India/Asia, 4% to South America, and 0.3% to Central America. The remaining 18% of international program spending went towards program management.
In F2017, Save the Children International ran programs in 120 countries, working with 49.1 million children. There were 33.3 million children involved with health and nutrition programs, 9.7 million in educational programs, and 4.4 million in extreme poverty were provided basic needs. The charity distributes emergency supplies in disaster areas, recently providing 7 mobile health teams in Yemen and using an Italian ship to retrieve 2,705 refugees from Syria. It supports eight universities which offer masters programs in children’s rights.
An estimated 600 million children live in extreme poverty and 168 million work in harmful conditions instead of going to school. The charity’s Children Lead the Way program worked in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nicaragua, and Peru, encouraging children to remain in school and avoid dangerous work. Youth in Action is a similar program with an additional mentoring aspect and focus on entrepreneurship. MasterCard Foundation funded the program for six years, providing Save the Children with $39.8 million.
In F2017, Save the Children Canada allocated 3% of program spending to Canadian programming. The charity provides books, supplies, and social support to children and mothers in First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities. In F2017, the charity connected 200 women with midwives who provided support during childbirth. Emergency preparedness training was provided to 5,000 youth and adults in Ontario and Manitoba.
This is the most recent output data available. As of the date this report was updated, Save the Children Canada had yet to publish its annual report for F2018.
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Results and Impact
Charity Intelligence has given Save the Children an Average impact rating based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
In F2017, Save the Children’s Youth in Action program increased the financial literacy rate of participants in Malawi from 22% to 64%. In Uganda, participants’ daily income nearly doubled after the program and 85% of female, Egyptian program graduates had a job compared with 13% before the program.
The Lead the Way program operated in a Nicaraguan community where the primary school completion rate increased from 40% to 73% at the end of the program. Graduation from vocational training was improved from 4% to 40%. The program allowed for 177 children to return to school. In Peru, Lead the Way has seen a 95% graduation rate for primary school and 86% graduation rate from secondary school. Of the Peruvian children in the program, 90% report understanding their rights to education, protection, participation, and play.
Recent News: In April 2019, Sir Alan Parker resigned as the international organization’s chairman after allegations that the charity failed to investigate the alleged sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour of former executives, Justin Forsyth and Brendan Cox towards a Canadian working with senior management.
Impact Rating: Average

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Finances
Save the Children Canada is a Major 100 charity with donations of $17.1m in F2018. The charity received $7.3m in government funding (down from $25.2m in F2017), representing 28% of total revenues. In April 2018, the UK government’s Charity Commission opened an investigation into Save the Children’s handling of the allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. Since this time, the UK government has provided no funding to the charity, but the Canadian government has continued its funding. Donations from Global Affairs Canada since the Save the Children scandal total $7.5m.
Administrative costs are 11% of revenues (excluding investment income), and fundraising costs are 23% of donations. For every $1 donated, 66 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Save the Children Canada has $16.7m in funding reserves which can cover program costs for almost five months.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to Save the Children Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on August 19, 2019 by Caroline McKenna.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending December
|
2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|
Administrative costs as % of revenues | 11.2% | 6.4% | 3.4% |
Fundraising costs as % of donations | 23.0% | 21.0% | 20.7% |
Total overhead spending | 34.2% | 27.4% | 24.1% |
Program cost coverage (%) | 40.1% | 38.9% | 32.9% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
---|---|---|---|
Donations | 17,109 | 22,128 | 20,440 |
Government funding | 7,294 | 25,163 | 33,114 |
Investment income | 70 | 67 | 60 |
Other income | 1,630 | 2,193 | 9,076 |
Total revenues | 26,104 | 49,551 | 62,690 |
Program costs - International | 40,218 | 45,430 | 53,558 |
Program costs - Canada | 1,378 | 998 | 1,596 |
Administrative costs | 2,910 | 3,180 | 2,128 |
Fundraising costs | 3,933 | 4,644 | 4,231 |
Total spending | 48,439 | 54,252 | 61,512 |
Cash flow from operations | (22,335) | (4,702) | 1,178 |
Capital spending | 10 | 1,211 | 61 |
Funding reserves | 16,692 | 18,053 | 18,134 |
Note: Ci adjusted for deferred government funding, deferred international grants, and amortization of deferred lease inducement, affecting revenues by ($23.9m) in F2018, ($4.5m) in F2017, and ($11k) in F2016. Ci has adjusted for unrealized capital loss and loss on disposal of assets, affecting expenses by ($31.6k) in F2018, ($46k) in F2017, and ($23k) in F2016.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
1 |
$120k - $160k |
4 |
$80k - $120k |
4 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2017
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
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Save the Children International - Trustees' Report
Charity Contact
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