Founded in 1994, Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta (KCCF) supports children and families affected by childhood cancer. The charity reports that in 2017, 187 youth under 20 were diagnosed with cancer in Alberta, 31 of whom passed away. The charity reports that one fifth of children with cancer do not survive. Childhood cancer receives only 5% of government awarded research funding in Canada according to KCCF. The charity operates in Calgary and has four main programs: Camp and Outreach, Public Awareness and Education, Research, and Education Support and Scholarship.

Camp and Outreach accounted for 61% of program spending in F2021. Camp Kindle offers free summer and year-round camps for children with cancer and their families. KCCF’s in-person camps had 275 kids in F2021. The newly added online camp program had a further 500 participants. The charity’s outreach programs give kids and their families a small break from the demands of cancer. One such program, Cooking and Caring, served 103 meals to families affected by cancer in F2021. Another program aims to keep kids physically active with 40 online sessions and 3 physically distanced outdoor adventures. 

Public Awareness and Education accounted for 15% of program spending F2021. The program aims to inform patients and the general public about childhood cancer. 1,673 viewers attended four Facebook Live information sessions with a child life specialist. A further 111 school kids learnt about childhood cancer and how to support a classmate during four virtual Cancer in the Classroom presentations.

Research accounted for 14% of program spending F2021. The charity does not report what specific research grants it spent $223k on in F2021. The charity reports it funds an international residency training program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. So far, three doctors from India have completed the three-year program. In F2018, the charity announced that it was partnering with over 30 children’s cancer research and funding groups across Canada. This pan-Canadian project called Terry Fox PROFYLE studies tumours that have resisted conventional therapies to find alternative treatments.

Educational Support and Scholarships account for the final 10% of program spending in F2021. In F2021, the charity awarded 13 post-secondary scholarships to cancer survivors. Cancer treatment may affect a patient'ss ability to learn or cause them to fall behind in school. In F2021, the charity provided over 2,000 hours of tutoring support and lesson planning, which helped 51 kids in need.

Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta has donations of $3.6m and $8k in donated goods in F2020. The charity received $576k in government funding, representing 14% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 12% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 28% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 39%. For every dollar donated, 61 cents go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. KCCF has been outside of this range since F2017.

KCCF has $5.9m in funding reserves, of which $657k is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity could cover 320% or around three years and 2 months of annual program costs with current reserves. 

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

Updated on July 27, 2021 by Brenleigh Jebb.