Established in 1929, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGC Canada) is the umbrella charity that supports 736 local Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada, with locations in all provinces and territories except Northwest Territories and Nunavut. BGC Canada aims to provide safe, supportive places where children and youth can experience new opportunities, overcome barriers, build positive relationships, and develop confidence and skills.

In F2020, BGC Canada granted $10.9m for specific programs and spent $3.9m on national programs, $2.2m on Club support, and $140k on scholarships. In its annual report, BGCC categorizes all items except scholarships as 'support to member Clubs, programs, and services'. During the year, BGC Canada hosted 15 national workshops, awarded scholarships to 74 youth, and trained 526 staff at 60 clubs.

Local Boys and Girls Clubs run educational, recreational, and skills development programs to help children and youth develop the skills they need to succeed in life. In F2020, 200,000 children and youth benefited from Club programs and 6.1 million healthy meals and snacks were distributed. Of the 200,000 kids served, 63% were 6 to 12 years old, 23% were 13 to 21, 12% were five and under, and 2% were over 21. Local Club programs are categorized into six pillars: healthy active living, learning and career development, leadership, parenting, scholarships (for youth pursuing post-secondary education), and youth engagement.

For the years F2018 and F2019, Ci consolidated Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada with its associated Foundation and excluded donations from the Foundation to the operating charity from revenues and expenses. Ci was not able to consolidate the operating charity and the Foundation in F2020, as financial statements for the Foundation were not available.

In F2020, BGC Canada had total donations of $11.2m. The charity also received $8.1m in government funding, representing 41% of total revenues. Administrative costs are 10% of revenues (excluding investment income) and the charity reports no fundraising costs. This results in total overhead spending of 10%. For every dollar donated, 90 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. In previous years, Ci reported fundraising costs from the charity’s T3010 filings with the CRA. At the time of this report, the F2020 T3010 filing is not available; thus, overhead costs are likely underreported.

BGC Canada has $9.2m in funding reserves, which could cover 54% or six months of annual program costs. In F2019 and F2018, Ci consolidated BGC Canada’s funding reserves with its Foundation’s funding reserves to better represent the charity’s available assets. Financial statements for the Foundation were not available in F2020, meaning funding reserves are likely underreported in this year.

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

Updated on August 24, 2021 by Sydney Olexa.