Founded in 1955, Junior Achievement Canada (JA Canada) aims to inspire youth and prepare them to succeed in a global economy. It reports to be the largest youth business education organization in Canada. The charity has 16 Charters and Alternate Delivery Models across Canada that deliver its programs in local communities. JA Canada works in partnership with teachers, volunteers and businesses. It aims to educate elementary, middle and secondary school students about financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship. The charity’s national office is in Toronto.

JA Canada’s Financial Literacy program helps students learn to create and manage wealth by developing skills such as budgeting, investing and creating financial plans. Its Work Readiness program teaches students career-building skills, including communication, networking, interviewing and collaboration. JA Canada’s Entrepreneurship program allows students to gain experience in running a successful business. It also teaches students to create business plans, innovate and manage teams.

In F2017, a total of 9,910 programs were delivered across Canada: 2,610 elementary school programs, 5,971 middle school programs, and 1,329 secondary school programs. JA Canada reports 248,297 students participated in programs in F2017, 8,560 more than the previous year. The charity states that 7,875 schools ran programs. In F2017, it offered 15 different programs across Canada through its local offices.

Results and Impact: In 2011, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) conducted a year-long study to measure the value of JA’s programs across Canada. The study found that JA Canada’s work has a direct impact of $105 million on Canada’s economy each year. It reports that for every $1 received, JA Canada creates an annual return to society of $45. BCG states that JA Canada’s alumni are 50% more likely than the average Canadian to open their own business. The study found that 75% of Achievers stated that JA Canada has had a significant impact in the development of their financial literacy and decision-making skills, while 65% stated it had a significant impact on their decisions to stay in school and enroll in post-secondary education.

Charity Intelligence has consolidated the funding reserves of Junior Achievement of Canada and The Junior Achievement of Canada Foundation in the following financial analysis. Ci has used the Foundation’s T3010 filing with the CRA to determine its funding reserves. The Foundation was established to raise funds for Junior Achievement. JA Canada and the Foundation share some of the same management and board members. JA Canada has stated that it has “wound down the foundation and will be requesting dissolution” in F2018.

Junior Achievement Canada is a medium-sized charity, with donations of $3.3m in F2017. The charity also received $1.2m in revenue from its Marketplace program, charter license fees and its Next Generation Forum. Administrative costs are 20% of total revenues and fundraising costs are 15% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.66 goes towards its programs, which falls just within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. JA Canada has total funding reserves of $1.1m, which include $508k of donor-endowed funds. Excluding the donor-endowed funds, the charity can cover annual program costs for just over 2 months, indicating a need for donations.

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

Updated on August 27, 2018 by Derek Houlberg.