British Columbia Lung Association (BCLA) was founded in 1904 as the Anti-Tuberculosis Society which funded projects to prevent, detect, and treat tuberculosis (TB). By 1970, the rate of TB declined but the prevalence of other types of lung disease increased. To cover the new variety of diseases, the charity changed its name to the BCLA in 1978. Today, BCLA focuses on all lung diseases including asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, and sleep apnea. The charity reports that 1 in 5 BC residents have lung disease, more than 13% of children are affected by asthma, and COPD is the number one cause of hospitalization in Canada.

BC Lung Association runs health services programs that focus on education, advocacy, and support. BCLA spends 82% of its program expenses in F2018, on these programs. In F2018, the charity was an advocate for strong regulations of cannabis to ensure that lung health was considered. BCLA called for health warnings, plain and standardized packaging, second-hand smoke by-laws, and minimum age requirements.

According to BCLA, radon is responsible for as many as 16% of lung cancer deaths. Radon is a radioactive gas that can’t be seen and has no smell or taste. Through its RadonAware program, BCLA educates the public on the dangers of this gas and encourages people to get radon test kits for their homes.

The charity runs support groups to help people living with chronic lung diseases. These groups mainly target people with COPD, bronchiectasis, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis, however anyone with a lung condition is welcome to attend. The charity also runs a private Facebook group for people affected by lung disease to share experiences, provide support, and share information.

Through its granting program, BCLA supports lung researchers. In F2018, the charity granted $807k, this was down from $1.1m in F2017. Every year, the charity publishes the BC State of the Air Report which provides information about the current air quality, issues that may be arising, and what are the main contributors to air quality issues.

British Columbia Lung Association is a medium-sized charity that collected $2.2m in donations and special events fundraising in F2018. Administrative costs are 10% of revenues less investment income and fundraising costs are 44% of donations. For every dollar donated to the charity, $0.46 goes towards the cause. This is outside of Charity Intelligence’s reasonable range of overhead costs. The charity has funding reserves of $8m. Funding reserves can cover program costs for 1.8 years.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to British Columbia Lung Association for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated July 11, 2019 by Stefan Tetzlaff.