Plan International Canada is a 3-star charity with Average demonstrated impact. It has excellent disclosure, with an A+ grade for results reporting. Its funding reserves are within Ci’s reasonable range and can cover three months of annual program costs. For every dollar donated to Plan International Canada, 58 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range.

Plan International Canada (Plan Canada) is the Canadian branch and fundraising arm of Plan International that was founded in 1968. The global charity works to advance children's rights and equality for girls. Plan Canada reports that 130 million girls are not in primary or secondary school. It also reports that 243 million women and girls experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the past year. Every two seconds, a girl under age 18 is married and 4.1 million girls are still at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation.

Plan Canada’s programs include Health, Education, Humanitarian Response and Resilience, Youth Leadership and Economic Empowerment, and Protection from Violence. In F2025, Plan Canada spent $222.9m on its programs, with 1,328 active projects in 82 countries. The charity reached 15.8 million people, including 7.9 million children and 4.1 million girls. On average, it cost Plan Canada $17 for every person it reached in F2025.

Health was the charity's largest program in F2025 and represented 66% of program spending ($147.1m). The charity delivered health education through schools, youth groups, and community programs. It also worked to improve sexual and reproductive health knowledge and increase access to healthcare for girls and young women. Plan Canada ran 40 health projects across Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Asia. In F2025, 13.6 million people, including 7.4 million women and girls, received healthcare and health information through Plan Canada's programs. The charity also distributed six million insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Guinea, Liberia, and Senegal.

Education represented 13% of program costs ($29.0m) in F2025. Plan Canada helps ensure children, particularly girls, have access to quality and inclusive education. The charity ran 15 education projects across four regions. In F2025, 361,115 children and adults, including 178,685 girls, received education. Through its RISING project, Plan Canada worked across 400 schools and helped create 330 community savings and loan associations to help families afford school costs.

Humanitarian Response and Resilience accounted for $24.5m or 11% of F2025 program spending. The charity ran 74 projects that provided emergency aid and recovery support to communities affected by conflict, disasters, and food insecurity. In F2025, 1.5 million people, including 441,855 girls, received humanitarian assistance. Plan Canada provided 8,573 metric tonnes of food to 675,000 people and delivered emergency aid in crises including those in Gaza, Sudan, Cameroon, and Myanmar.

Youth Leadership and Economic Empowerment represented 7% of program costs ($15.6m) in F2025. The charity helps young people build leadership skills and supports women in earning an income through its 13 projects. In F2025, 10,642 Canadian youths, including 9,649 girls, participated in advocacy and leadership programs. The charity also supported women entrepreneurs through business training and grants in countries including Ghana and Egypt.

Protection from Violence received 3% of program spending in F2025 ($6.7m). Plan Canada works to protect children and women from abuse, exploitation, child marriage, and other forms of violence. The charity ran six projects, reaching 165,461 people, including 60,780 girls and 84,546 women in F2025. The charity also helped survivors access legal, medical, and counselling services.

Plan Canada's audited financial statements report that 63% of donations come through its child sponsorship model. This model works by pooling donor funds to support community-wide development projects rather than giving cash directly to a single child. This is an indirect sponsorship model. In F2025, 103,115 Canadians sponsored 129,025 children.

Plan Canada’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing which is a best practice. This means its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.

The charity had total revenues of $309.2m in F2025. It received $87.5m in Canadian donations, representing 28% of revenue, and $137.9m in international donations, or 45% of revenue. Government funding was $41.5m, accounting for 13% of revenue. It also received $30.6m in donated goods in kind, primarily food and anti-malarial bed nets.

Plan Canada spent $222.9m on its programs, which is 72% of its revenue. The charity recorded a surplus of $7.3m in F2025.

Administrative costs were $16.7m, representing 5% of revenue (excluding investment income). Plan Canada spent $31.7m on fundraising, equal to 36% of donations. Total overhead spending was 42%. For every dollar donated to Plan International Canada, 58 cents are available to go to the cause. This outside Ci’s reasonable range.

Plan Canada uses external fundraisers, as reported on its T3010 filing with the CRA. In F2025, the charity paid the external fundraisers $13.1m to collect $37.2m in donations. This equates to a cost of 35 cents to raise one dollar using external fundraisers.

The charity held $68.4m in reserve funds (cash and investments) in F2025, including $3.9m in donor-endowed funds. Excluding donor-endowed funds, Plan Canada’s reserves can cover three months of annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This is a charity update that has been sent to Plan International Canada by Neela Jalilian on June 22, 2026.