Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research

2200 Yonge Street, Suite 1600
Toronto, ON M4S 2C6
CEO: Alex Filiatrault
Board Chair: Andrew M. Pringle

Charitable Reg. #:11883 1437 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 3/5]

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements available only upon request.

A

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

n/r

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.

34%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 34 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research:

Established in 1987, Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) is dedicated to raising awareness on Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and funding research for the prevention, treatment, and cure of HIV and AIDS. HIV is a virus that infects the human immune system and attacks while blood cells, increasing the body’s susceptibility to infection. Once HIV has compromised the immune system, it can lead to Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). There is no known cure for HIV or AIDS to date, however, people living with HIV can lead long and healthy lives if they receive proper and consistent treatment. There are currently 63,000 people living with HIV in Canada, and the charity reports six more contract HIV daily.

CANFAR has four main priorities to achieve its mission of eradicating the HIV epidemic in Canada. These priorities include increasing preventative measures and HIV testing, reducing HIV stigma, and improving health outcomes for those living with HIV/AIDS. The charity did not provide a breakdown of spending by program. Its main areas of work seem to fall into two broad categories: Research, and Awareness.

Research: Since its inception, the charity reports investing more than $22m in HIV/AIDS research across Canada. CANFAR committed $450k to research, $280k of which was directly paid out in research grants in F2020. Of these research grants, Unity Health (Toronto) received $400k total, with the remaining $50k going to CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network. In Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research's Annual Report, five ongoing studies were highlighted, including the Reach Nexus study that led to the approval of Canada’s first HIV self-test, the INSTI HIV Self-Test. The charity reports funding 31 ongoing studies, and honouring five researchers with a CAHR-CANFAR Excellence in Research Award in F2020.

Awareness: The goal of this program is to increase awareness and education of HIV, especially in youth and key populations disproportionally affected by HIV. In F2020, CANFAR reached out to over 100 government leaders (up from 70 in F2019) across Canada to gain support and recognition for Voices for World AIDS Day. This awareness campaign featured eight social media videos on HIV-related topics, and CANFAR had 40 new partner organizations join in to spread solidarity for World AIDS Day.

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Results and Impact

Several researchers CANFAR has provided funding to have made breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS research. Dr. Sadhna Joshi, for example, has shown that two-bifunctional AVPs (hormones) can effectively inhibit HIV infection in vitro. As well, Dr. Zabrina Brumme's work has discovered eight new molecules found in the ocean and traditional African medicines that seem to have an effect on HIV reservoirs, at least in cells in the lab.

In 2019, CANFAR conducted a survey of 471 youth on their experiences with sex, substances, condom use, HIV/STI testing, knowledge of and attitudes towards HIV, and more. This study generally found that negative attitudes towards HIV-positive individuals are still prevalent in Canadian society. For example, six in ten youths strongly disagreed or disagreed with the statement "I would share my utensils with, kiss, or date someone who has HIV." This study was conducted to ensure CANFAR's upcoming national youth HIV-awareness programs are youth-centered, and evidence-based.

Charity Intelligence highlights these key results. They may not be a complete representation of Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research's results. Charity Intelligence has not assessed impact on CANFAR. This shows as n/r, meaning not rated.

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Finances

Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research had $1.9m in donations and special events revenue in F2020. Administrative costs are 37% of revenues and fundraising costs are 29% of donations. Total overhead spending is thus 66%. For every $1 donated to the charity, 34 cents go to the cause. This is outside of Charity Intelligence’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

CANFAR has funding reserves of $2.2m, of which $263k are donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity can cover annual program costs for 3.4 years.

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

Updated on July 6, 2021 by Rachel Leteta.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending June
202020192018
Administrative costs as % of revenues 37.2%33.4%37.3%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 28.6%15.0%25.6%
Total overhead spending 65.7%48.4%62.9%
Program cost coverage (%) 336.4%446.0%61.5%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $s
202020192018
Donations 793,7771,868,362902,166
Government funding 86,15300
Special events 1,058,8791,133,2721,025,259
Investment income (2,985)34,20933,867
Total revenues 1,935,8243,035,8431,961,292
Program costs 298,022198,780279,477
Grants 280,000255,000969,161
Administrative costs 720,9511,003,519718,611
Fundraising costs 529,098450,341493,872
Total spending 1,828,0711,907,6402,461,121
Cash flow from operations 107,7531,128,203(499,829)
Capital spending 87,68110,56937,377
Funding reserves 2,163,2422,228,1521,023,049

Note: Ci adjusted for deferred contributions, affecting revenues by ($430k) in F2020, $904k in F2019, and $21k in F2018. Government funding reported in F2020 is composed of covid-19 related wage subsidies. Ci also adjusted for difference in grants payable, affecting granting expenditure by ($170k) in F2020, $80k in F2019, and $350k in F2018. Amortization was removed from program, administrative, and fundraising costs on a pro-rata basis.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 6

Avg. compensation: $85,874

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
1
$40k - $80k
4
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2020

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Charity Contact

Website: www.canfar.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416-361-6281

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