Lymphoma Canada (LC) formed from a merger in 2000 between Lymphoma Research Foundation of Canada and Canadian Lymphoma Foundation, both of which were founded in 1998. As the only national organization in Canada focused entirely on lymphoma, Lymphoma Canada works to improve the lives of people affected by lymphoma. Over 60 different types of cancers of the lymphatic system were identified and affect over 100,000 Canadians. Doctors classify lymphoma into two general categories: Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin (NHL). Hodgkin lymphoma is rare, while NHL is the fifth most common cancer diagnosed in Canada. Lymphoma Canada runs three major programs: education, patient support, and research.

Education is Lymphoma Canada’s largest program with $448k (68% of program spending) spent in 2017. LC runs Educational Forums to keep patients and caregivers up to date on new treatment options, how to manage symptoms, and challenges that come with survivorship. LC hosted 12 Educational Forums across Ontario, Quebec, and BC in 2017. The charity also offers online webinars for patients who cannot attend Educational Forums in person. LC hosted three webinars in 2017. In 2017, LC distributed over 3,500 patient resource manuals to professionals, patients, and caregivers across Canada. Each manual details one of the three main subtypes of lymphoma.

Lymphoma Canada’s spent $135k (20% of program spending) on support programs in F2017. Peer-to-Peer Mentoring is a service offered through this program that matches lymphoma patients and caregivers to people who previously went through similar experiences. Lymphoma Canada also runs patient Support Groups in six cities in Ontario and two cities in Quebec. For people who cannot attend in-person sessions, LC has an online Support Group option. To help patients gain access to new lymphoma treatments, in 2017, LC made a government submission for each of the nine emerging lymphoma cancer therapies being assessed for Canadian public funding.

Research is Lymphoma Canada’s third major program with spending of $75k (11% of program spending) to research fellowship grants. Every year, LC awards its Lymphoma Canada Research Fellowship (LCRF) to one researcher for a period of two years. The 2016 LCRF recipient was Dr. Anja Mottok, a hematopathologist and research fellow at the British Columbia Cancer Agency. Under this grant, recipients receive $45,000 for each of the two years plus $7,500 for travel, publication, and laboratory costs.

Results and Impact: A February 2015 study, financially supported by Lymphoma Canada, is an evidence-based guideline for the first-line treatment of follicular lymphoma, the most common indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The charity also supported the consequent algorithm-based tool that will help Canadian doctors understand, adopt, and apply these guidelines in clinical practice.

Lymphoma Canada is a Medium-sized charity with donations of $1.6m in 2017. Administrative costs are 29% of revenues and fundraising costs are 33% of donations. For every dollar donated, 38 cents goes to the cause, falling outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Lymphoma Canada’s funding reserves of $497k can cover only 9 months of program and granting costs, indicating a funding need. Funding reserves have fallen considerably from 2016 to 2017 due to $82k spent in 2017 on website software and applications.

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

Updated on July 27, 2018 by Joeyanne Cheung.