Canadian Red Cross is a two-star charity with an average results reporting grade and reasonable overhead spending. It is financially transparent but has low demonstrated impact.

Founded in 1896, Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is a charity that aims to improve the lives of vulnerable people around the world. The charity is one of the national societies within the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The IFRC is composed of 192 national societies. CRC’s main charitable programs include Emergency Management, International Operations, Community Health and Wellness, and Prevention and Safety.

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In F2021, Canadian Red Cross spent 67% of total program spending on Emergency Management. This program provides shelter, food, clothing, and supplies to people impacted by disasters. CRC reports that it responds to a personal disaster every three hours and assists 92 Canadians daily on average. In F2021 the charity responded to two large-scale disasters in Canada. It aided over 33,700 Canadians who experienced disaster.

The charity spent 15% of program spending on International Operations in F2021. CRC reported that it supported 93 international humanitarian missions to 25 countries during the year. It also set up a medical clinic in Honduras which assisted 3,709 people. The charity reached 2.5 million people through partnerships with the International Federation of Red Cross and other national societies.

CRC Spent 12% of program spending on Health and Community Wellness in F2021. During the year, the charity loaned over 255,682 pieces of health equipment to people. CRC reports that it provided more than 193,737 hours of home support to seniors and recovering patients. The charity spent the remaining 6% of program spending on Prevention and Safety. In F2021 CRC taught over 453,422 people first aid and gave swimming lessons to more than 107,793 people.

Canadian Red Cross is a Major 100 charity, one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations. In F2021, it received $149.2m in Canadian donations and special events revenue. It also received $391.4m in government funding (70% of total revenue), which represents a 139% increase from F2020.

Administrative costs are 3% of total revenue excluding investment income. Fundraising costs are 24% of Canadian donations. This results in total overhead spending of 26%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 74 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Canadian Red Cross has $215.5m in funding reserves, of which $2.2m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity’s funding reserves can cover annual program costs for around six months.

In F2021, Canadian Red Cross paid external fundraisers $5.0m to collect $16.9m in donations, meaning it costs CRC $0.30 to raise $1 using external fundraisers.

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

Updated on June 21, 2022 by Arjun Kapur.