Shine Foundation
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
B
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
Low
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
60%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 60 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Shine Foundation:
Shine Foundation is a two-star charity with Low demonstrated impact. It has a B results reporting grade, which is average, and is financially transparent. Its overhead costs are outside of Ci’s reasonable range and have been for the past 13 years.
Founded in 1987, Shine Foundation grants wishes to youths aged 11-21 with severe physical disabilities. The charity states that young Canadians with severe physical disabilities face challenges of social isolation, financial stress, and anxiety. The goal of these wishes is to help youths gain confidence and feel empowered. Since 1987, Shine Foundation reports it has granted over 9,000 wishes. In 2025, it spent $1.3m on programming.
Shine Foundation gives youths items or experiences based on their individual wishes, such as special activities or meeting a hero. In 2025, the charity granted 44 wishes. With total spending of $2.0 million in 2025, the average cost per wish was $45,795.
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Results and Impact
Charity Intelligence could not find any quantified outcomes on Shine Foundation’s website. This may not be a complete representation of Shine Foundation’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has given Shine Foundation a Low impact rating based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
Impact Rating: Low
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Finances
Shine Foundation's audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice.
In 2025, Shine Foundation received $1.7m in donations, representing 84% of its total revenue. It spent $1.3m on its program, which is 65% of its total revenue, and recorded a deficit of $256k.
Fundraising costs were $454k (27% of donations) and administrative costs were $241k (14% of revenue excluding investment income). Total overhead spending was 40%, meaning that for every dollar received, 60 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range, which suggests 65-95 cents per dollar, and has been for the past 13 years. In 2012, the CRA Charities Directorate issued a guidance that charities' fundraising costs not exceed 35%. This is a guidance, not a regulation.
Shine Foundation ended the year with $3.2m in funding reserves (cash and investments). Excluding $3.0m in donor-endowed funds, its net funding reserves could cover just under two months of its annual program costs.
Shine Foundation’s audited financial statements and CRA T3010 filings do not report a value for volunteer time or donated goods. Ci takes this into consideration when it is reported.
This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to Shine Foundation. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on June 24, 2026, by Ava Anderson.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending December
|
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 13.7% | 27.5% | 12.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 26.5% | 63.4% | 80.6% |
| Total overhead spending | 40.2% | 90.9% | 93.3% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 15.3% | 18.4% | 93.1% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 1,709,155 | 1,032,980 | 1,091,330 |
| Lotteries (net) | 48,923 | 51,745 | 91,075 |
| Investment income | 268,150 | 411,313 | 442,481 |
| Total revenues | 2,026,228 | 1,496,038 | 1,624,886 |
| Program costs | 1,320,447 | 1,246,698 | 1,205,422 |
| Administrative costs | 240,984 | 298,211 | 149,811 |
| Fundraising costs | 453,557 | 655,137 | 879,434 |
| Total spending | 2,014,988 | 2,200,046 | 2,234,667 |
| Cash flow from operations | 11,240 | (704,008) | (609,781) |
| Capital spending | 0 | 8,770 | 10,883 |
| Funding reserves | 3,158,539 | 3,222,850 | 3,904,539 |
Note: ENDOWMENT FUND INVESTMENT INCOME: Ci includes the endowment fund investment income. This adjustment increases Shine Foundation's revenue by $268k in 2025, $407k in 2024, and $202k in 2023. DEFERRED REVENUE: Shine Foundation uses deferred accounting. For consistency, Ci adjusted for deferred revenue, affecting revenue by $100k in 2025 and $485 in 2024. LOTTERIES: For consistency, Ci reports revenue from lotteries after lottery expenses. This decreased total revenues and expenses by $94k in 2025, $93k in 2024, and $84k in F2023. It is not stated where lottery expenses are included in Shine Foundation's costs. Ci removed lottery expenses from fundraising and administrative costs on a pro-rata basis. AMORTIZATION: Ci removed amortization on a pro rata basis from program, administrative and fundraising costs in 2025, 2024 and 2023.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
1 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
2 |
$40k - $80k |
5 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
We recognize Charity Intelligence’s intention to present financial information in a way that supports comparison across organizations, and we value their efforts to promote transparency and accountability within the charitable sector. However, Charity Intelligence uses a selective approach to recognizing revenue sources. Shine Foundation receives both funding and substantial gifts-in-kind that are excluded from Charity Intelligence’s “global calculation,” which results in an understated representation of our community impact.
If all revenue streams were included, our fundraising costs—as reported by Charity Intelligence—would be significantly lower, and our cents-to-the-cause figure would be higher, offering a more accurate reflection of our operating model.
In Shine Foundation’s 2025 fiscal year (January 1 to December 31, 2025), for every dollar spent, 62 cents supported the national Dream delivery program, 14 cents covered administration, and 24 cents went toward the operational cost of fundraising. Our work is grounded in our guiding values: acting with integrity, compassion, and respect in everything we do, and demonstrating the courage and commitment needed to achieve our goals.
Shine Foundation undergoes a professional annual audit by MacNeill Edmundson Professional Corporation, and our fully audited statements are available at shinefoundation.ca. Our funding is diversified across individual donors, corporate partners, grants, and both signature and third-party events.
Shine Foundation meets all regulatory requirements, including those set by the Canada Revenue Agency. Our 2025 Audited Financial Statements are publicly available on our website.
We appreciate your interest in the life-changing programs Shine has been delivering since 1987. For the most accurate and up-to-date information about our programs, financials, and impact, we encourage you to visit our website and review our annual Impact Report, where we provide detailed and transparent insights into the lives we support and the outcomes we achieve.
Charity Contact
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 519-642-0990