Variety BC is a 3-star rated charity with an above-average results reporting score. Its overhead costs are outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending, and it has reserve funds to cover program costs for two years and nine months.

Founded in 1966, Variety BC (also known as Variety – the Children’s Charity) aims to help children in British Columbia whose medical needs are not covered by the public health system. Variety BC raises funds and provides individual grants for various medical equipment, therapy programs, and supplies. The charity reports that it helped 4,814 children with physical or developmental disabilities in F2022. Variety BC’s spending areas include specialized therapy, mobility supplies, private assessments, education, medical support, and mental wellness.

Variety BC reports that 51% of the individual grants it dispersed in F2022 supported private assessments. In F2022, the charity funded 589 autism assessments and 78 psychoeducational assessments.

In F2022, 28% of Variety BC’s individual grants supported specialized therapy programs that help children communicate and connect with others. Variety BC offers grants for occupational and physical therapy, speech and language therapy, and music therapy. The charity reports that it funded 3,588 hours of speech therapy for its clients in F2022. Additionally, 121 kids received occupational therapy and physical therapy grants in F2022.

The charity’s education program accounts for 9% of its individual grants in F2022. The program supports students through bursaries and tutoring services. The charity reports that it funded 2,255 hours of tutoring for 91 kids in F2022.

In F2022, 5% of Variety BC’s individual grants were used to buy medical supplies. The charity dispersed 31 grants for medical supplies in F2022, including ten continuous glucose monitors and 16 hearing aids.

Through its mental wellness program (4% of individual grants), Variety BC provided 638 hours of counselling. In F2022, 3% of individual grants were allocated to Variety BC’s mobility programs. Variety BC's mobility program aims to help children with mobility challenges move with freedom. The charity provides wheelchairs, standing walkers, and custom orthotics. The charity also offers Sunshine Family Vans and Sunshine Coaches, which are accessible vehicles that help families travel with their children. The charity distributed 39 custom orthotics, 24 wheelchairs, and 11 adaptive tricycles in F2022.

In F2022, Variety BC received $8.8m in donations and lottery revenue. The charity also received $1.9m in government funding, representing 17% of total revenues.

Administrative costs are 14% of revenues and fundraising costs are 27% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 40%, compared to 40% in F2021 and 51% in F2020. For every dollar donated, 60 cents go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

The charity has reserve funds of $14.6m, of which $717k is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, Variety BC could cover two years and nine months of its annual program costs with reserves.

In addition to its salaries, Variety BC paid $673k in professional and consulting fees in F2022 ($477k in F2021 and $381k in F2020).

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Variety BC. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 8, 2023 by Kiara Andrade.