Founded in 1971, Kinsmen Foundation works to improve the quality of life of people in Saskatchewan by raising money to purchase medical equipment and support people travelling to receive healthcare. Grants for equipment may be awarded to individuals or care homes for people with special needs, with past purchases including walkers, accessories to make vehicles more accessible, wheelchairs, specialized bathtubs, and systems to lift people. Individuals and families traveling out of province for specialized medical care can receive more than $20,000 to subsidize travel, food, and accommodations costs.

Kinsmen Foundation raises money through Telemiracle, an annual 20-hour talent show and telethon. The foundation reports that in the 42 years since the first Telemiracle in 1977, the event has raised more than $123 million.

Of the total $2.7m in grants distributed in F2017, $493,000 is outlined on the foundation’s T3010 filing with the CRA. These grants were awarded to other registered charities in Saskatchewan, with the largest grants received by Saskatchewan Prevention Institute ($120,000), St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation ($82,000), and Westview School Community Council ($25,000). Grants not included in this list must have been allocated to individual recipients or organizations that are not registered charities. 

Charity Intelligence has scored Kinsmen Foundation as a zero in financial transparency because the charity failed to provide full financial statements when requested. The financial analysis completed by Charity Intelligence uses the most recent financial statements available to Ci, from the CRA, at the time of writing this report.

Kinsmen Foundation is a large charity with donations of $5.1m in F2017. Administrative costs are 14% of revenues less investment income, and fundraising costs are 21% of donations. For every dollar donated, 65 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Kinsmen Foundation has $10.1m in funding reserves, of which $39k is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the foundation could grant for almost four years at the F2017 level using reserves.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Kinsmen Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 26, 2019 by Madison Kerr.