Canadian Mental Health Association is a 4-star charity with an above-average results reporting grade. The charity is financially transparent and has overhead costs within Ci’s reasonable range. With its current reserves the charity can cover one year and five months of annual program costs. 

Founded in 1918, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is one of Canada's oldest voluntary mental health organizations. The charity provides services and resources needed to maintain mental health, integrate into the community, and support recovery from mental illness. The charity emphasizes that while one in five people in Canada experience mental illness, five in five people have mental health that needs to be taken care of. CMHA has 11 divisions in all provinces and one territory, and 67 community branches. The following report is on the national branch located in Toronto. The charity does not provide a breakdown of its spending per program.   

Canadian Mental Health Association also advocates for policy and research to improve mental health in Canada. In F2023, the charity had 112 engagements with federal decision makers, 912 policy statements, and 39 new policy and advocacy partnerships. During the same year, it launched the Act for Mental Health campaign in support of universal mental health care. The campaign generated over 554 million media impressions, 

CMHA reported that it is the go-to source for mental health information, with 1.7 million page views in F2023. In F2023, it had over 248,662 new visitors and 584,768 returning visitors. CMHA also ran its 72nd annual Mental Health Week in F2023 to emphasize the importance of empathy in our lives. This social media campaign enabled people to share stories, express empathy and receive support. Through this campaign CMHA reached 4.9 million people on social media. 

CMHA runs community support and learning programs to address and prevent mental illnesses. Not Myself Today helps employers build awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace. In F2023, 347 companies with 330,000 employees participated in the initiative. CMHA’s Recovery Colleges program operates 28 centres across Canada where adults can go to learn about mental health and well-being. Recovery Colleges provide a learning space where anyone can access free courses, webinars, and workshops to learn and connect with others in their community. The Peer Support program allows a trained peer supporter to listen and emotionally support someone experiencing mental health issues. 47 peer supporters were certified in F2023. CMHA also offers BounceBack, a guided self-help program to support managing moderate depression and anxiety.   

In F2022, CMHA received donations and special event revenues of $5.6m. The charity also received $2.3m in fees for service from its Workplace Mental Health program, representing 28% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 16% of revenues (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 11% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 27%. For every dollar donated, 73 cents are available for programs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.   

In F2023, CMHA spent $4.5m on its programs, which is 55% of total revenues. Over the past three years, the charity has spent 36% of total revenues on its programs. The charity had an operating surplus of $1.7m, which is 21% of revenues. 

CMHA has $6.4m in reserve funds. The charity could cover 143% or over one year and five months of its annual program costs with its reserves.   

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Canadian Mental Health Association for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.   

Updated on July 17, 2024 by Alessandra Castino.