Ecojustice
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.
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.
60%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 60 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Ecojustice:
Ecojustice is a 4-star charity. It has excellent disclosure with an A+ grade for results reporting. Its funding reserves are within Ci’s reasonable range and can cover six months of program costs. For every dollar donated to Ecojustice, 60 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range.
A Charity Intelligence 2025 Top 100 Rated Charity.
Ecojustice Canada Society (Ecojustice) is a legal advocacy charity that uses the law to defend nature, combat climate change, and protect the environment. Founded in 1991, Ecojustice represents citizens, environmental organizations, First Nations, sustainable businesses, and other groups in court, while also advocating for stronger environmental laws.
Ecojustice works to address climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. It states that the last ten years have been the hottest on record, while species populations in Canadian grassland habitats have declined by 62% since 1970. Ecojustice reports that greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s exported oil, gas, and coal increased by 58% from 2012 to 2023. Pollution also threatens human health and ecosystems: annual pesticide sales in Canada have increased from 26 million kilograms in 2005 to more than 130 million kilograms, while Health Canada estimates that air pollution was associated with $146 billion in economic costs in 2020.
The charity’s programs include Climate, Nature, and Healthy Communities. In F2025, Ecojustice spent $9.3m on its programs and $463k on grants.
The Climate program received 37% ($3.4m) of program spending in F2025. It uses legal action and law reform to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance climate solutions. In F2025, Ecojustice had 28 active legal initiatives, 11 active law reform projects, and 14 legal matters in development.
The Nature program represented 36% or $3.3m of program costs in F2025. Ecojustice uses legal advocacy to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and biodiversity. The charity had 44 active legal initiatives, six active law reform projects, and eight legal matters in development in F2025.
The Healthy Communities program accounted for 27% ($2.5m) of program spending in F2025. It aims to reduce toxic pollution and protect human health and the environment. Ecojustice had 30 active legal initiatives, seven active law reform projects, and ten legal matters in development in F2025.
Ecojustice also provided grants to support research and outreach that could inform its legal advocacy and cases. Grants funded research on the environmental impacts of fossil fuels and the energy transition, as well as outreach to migrant farm workers on the health and environmental impacts of pesticides. In F2025, Ecojustice granted $463k.
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Results and Impact
In Climate, Ecojustice helped prevent Alberta’s proposed Mature Assets Strategy from moving forward in F2025. The strategy could have left Alberta taxpayers responsible for an estimated $60–$130 billion in cleanup costs from inactive oil and gas wells. Ecojustice also launched a legal challenge against the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board over its management of climate-related financial risks and won another victory in the #GenClimateAction case when the Supreme Court of Canada rejected Ontario’s request to appeal a landmark climate ruling.
In Nature, Ecojustice helped uphold the federal government’s decision to keep open-net fish farms out of B.C.’s Discovery Islands, a key migration route for wild salmon. The Federal Court found that the Fisheries Minister had sufficient evidence to take a precautionary approach to the risks posed by fish farms. Ecojustice also secured an expanded recovery strategy for the endangered Spotted Owl, identifying more than 400,000 hectares of critical habitat, and helped pause peat mining approvals that threatened sacred muskeg wetlands in Alberta.
Ecojustice also achieved a precedent-setting victory for Indigenous rights when the Superior Court of Québec ruled that the province had breached its constitutional duty to consult the Mitchikanibikok Inik First Nation over mining claims on its unceded territory. The ruling affirmed their right to be consulted and accommodated regarding mining exploration on their territory.
In Healthy Communities, Ecojustice won a court ruling requiring Health Canada to reconsider its renewal of a glyphosate-based herbicide after the court found that the decision relied on “unsubstantiated” reasons. The ruling requires Health Canada to transparently address new scientific evidence on the health and environmental risks of glyphosate. Ecojustice also supported Aamjiwnaang First Nation in responding to dangerous benzene pollution from a nearby petrochemical facility, helping amplify community concerns and secure government action that ultimately led to the facility’s permanent shutdown.
Charity Intelligence has not yet rated Ecojustice on impact. This shows as n/r and does not affect its star rating. While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of the charity’s results and impact.
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Finances
Ecojustice’s audited financial statements follow line-item costing, which is not a best practice. Ci referred to its T3010 filing with the CRA to report program, administrative, and fundraising costs.
The charity had total revenues of $10.9m in F2025. It received $9.1m in Canadian donations, representing 83% of revenue and $1.5m in international donations, equal to 14% of revenue. Investment income was $278k in F2025.
Ecojustice spent $9.8m on its programs and grants, which is 89% of revenue. The charity recorded a deficit of $2.7m in F2025, meaning it drew on its reserves to fund its programs.
Administrative costs were $1.6m, representing 15% of revenue (excluding investment income). The charity spent $2.3m on fundraising, equal to 25% of donations. Total overhead spending was 40%. For every dollar donated to Ecojustice, 60 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside Ci’s reasonable range.
According to its T3010 filing, Ecojustice used external fundraisers in F2025. It paid a total of $102k to external fundraisers during the year. While it is required, Ecojustice does not report how much these agencies raised.
Ecojustice held $5.1m in reserve funds (cash and investments). These reserves can cover six months of annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
This is a charity update that has been sent to Ecojustice by Neela Jalilian on July 31, 2026.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending October
|
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 14.8% | 12.1% | 10.2% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 25.0% | 21.7% | 22.9% |
| Total overhead spending | 39.7% | 33.9% | 33.1% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 52.0% | 79.2% | 99.3% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 9,095 | 10,393 | 9,467 |
| International donations | 1,477 | 1,061 | 1,090 |
| Investment income | 278 | 568 | 251 |
| Other income | 74 | 105 | 27 |
| Total revenues | 10,924 | 12,127 | 10,834 |
| Program costs | 9,290 | 9,299 | 8,281 |
| Grants | 463 | 0 | 2 |
| Administrative costs | 1,572 | 1,401 | 1,078 |
| Fundraising costs | 2,270 | 2,260 | 2,168 |
| Other costs | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Total spending | 13,595 | 12,960 | 11,541 |
| Cash flow from operations | (2,671) | (832) | (706) |
| Capital spending | 98 | 32 | 121 |
| Funding reserves | 5,067 | 7,366 | 8,223 |
Note: 1. Deferred Revenue: Ci adjusted for deferred revenue in donations. This affected revenue by $95k in F2025, ($15k) in F2024, and ($205k) in F2023. 2. Amortization: Amortization was removed from program, administrative, and fundraising costs on a pro-rata basis. 3. T3010: Ci reported international donations from the charity’s T3010 and removed that amount from Canadian donations. Ci also used the charity’s T3010 filing to report program, administrative, and fundraising costs.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
3 |
$120k - $160k |
6 |
$80k - $120k |
0 |
$40k - $80k |
0 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2025
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
These comments were provided for a previous version of this profile.
Ecojustice is committed to operating at the highest standard. Toward this, Ecojustice is certified to the Imagine Canada Standard demonstrating operational excellence and leadership. Additionally, Ecojustice is committed to achieving justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion across our organization and to ensuring our work is consistent with and where possible advances reconciliation.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 604-685-5618