Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT

About Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT:

Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT was originally named Alzheimer Association of Alberta when it was founded in 1988. In 1997, it changed its name to Alzheimer Society of Alberta. In 2004, it became Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories (ASANT) following the merger of seven separate societies: Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and Yellowknife. Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT currently has one provincial office and seven regional centers across Alberta and Northwest Territories, located in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and Yellowknife.  

Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT’s mission is to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias; help alleviate personal and social consequences of the disease; provide education and support programs; and promote and fund research on the cause, prevention and cure to the disease. The charity’s major programs include support services, information and education, First Link, ASANT Café, and research.

Through its First Link referral program, ASANT helps people newly diagnosed with dementia receive the help they need as quickly as possible. It aims to reduce the length of time between diagnosis and referral to healthcare professionals. In 2016, the charity made 698 referrals – 56% of new clients accessed services during the year. ASANT Café is an online learning platform for people with dementia and their caregivers that offers support, discussion boards and educational resources. It is designed to help connect with people in locations where the charity’s support groups and resources are not easily accessible or available. ASANT runs support groups for people with dementia and their partners. In 2016, the charity had 28 unique groups that ran regularly throughout Alberta. Information and education programming includes webinars and resources for people to learn more about dementia.

Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT funds research through two major programs: the Alberta Alzheimer Research Program (AARP) and the Alzheimer Society Research Program (ASRP). ASANT co-funds AARP with the Alberta Prion Research Institute. In F2016, ASANT funded seven projects through this program. ASRP is controlled by Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC). ASANT contributes to this program by granting money to ASC to be used for research assessments. The most recent 2016 ASRP impact report states that 35 projects were funded in 2015.

Financial Review:

Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT is a medium-sized charity with total donations and special events fundraising of $4.3m in F2017. Administrative costs are 13% of revenues and fundraising costs are 32% of donations and special events fundraising. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.55 goes towards its programs, which falls outside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

F2017 grants of $1.1m include $474k in research funding and $127k in amounts sent to Alzheimer Society of Canada for research assessments. Research funding included grants of $175k to the Alberta Alzheimer Research Program (AARP) Round IV and a $56k Neuroscience post-doctoral fellowship administered by the University of Calgary. Of the $596k granted to Alzheimer Society of Canada in F2017, $127k was for research assessments. As of F2017, Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT reports research commitments of $150k for AARP Round IV funding and up to $500k for Round V. It also reports a 3-year $250k commitment for funding to Brain Canada, of which the charity has already granted $116k.

Funding reserves of $6.4m can cover annual program costs and grants for just under 2.5 years.

This charity report is a new profile that is currently being reviewed by Alzheimer Society of Alberta & NWT. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Created on July 14, 2017 by Katie Khodawandi.