Founded in 1970, Islamic Circle of North America (Canada) (ICNA Canada) runs programs to support the Muslim community in Canada and around the world. It is the Canadian branch of Islamic Circle of North America, which is headquartered in New York and runs programs focused on self-development, education, outreach, and social services. ICNA Canada’s vision is “to build an exemplary Canadian Muslim community that sets a path towards personal excellence in faith, worship and morality and shares a basis for the moral, social and economic development of Canadian Society.” ICNA Canada has 15 local chapters in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.

ICNA Canada spent $11.1 million on programs in F2018, including $6.4 million internationally and $1.6 million in donated food. ICNA Relief Canada (ICNA Relief) is the department of ICNA Canada that delivers humanitarian relief and development programs, accounting for the majority of ICNA Canada’s mission activities. $9.0 million was spent on ICNA Relief’s activities in F2018 – 73% internationally and 27% domestically. ICNA Relief works to reduce human suffering, helping the poor regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, cultural background or political affiliation.

ICNA Relief Canada’s 2018 annual report states that $1.9 million was spent on international disaster and emergency responses. This includes an ongoing response in Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees. ICNA Relief provides food, clean water, hygiene kits, medicine, and clothes. It has built 1000 permanent shelters, 1000 water pumps, and 1000 latrines. It runs three children's homes to educate Rohingya children, and three medical centres and a mobile dental unit to provide free healthcare to refugees in the camps. ICNA Relief also responded to emergencies in Yemen, Syria, and Palestine in 2018. ICNA Relief spent $1.6 million on international healthcare. Most money went to the Rohingya medical centres and dental clinic in Bangladesh, and a minority went to Pakistan (assumedly for the ten Mother and Child Healthcare Centres it constructed following the Pakistan Floods of 2010). ICNA Relief spent $1.5 million on orphan sponsorship, supporting 4,443 orphans in 11 countries (including 1,027 in Kashmir, 975 in Pakistan and 797 in India). It also built a new orphanage for Syrian girls in Turkey. ICNA Relief spent $831k on Global Zabiha and Sadaqa & Aqeeqa programs, where Canadians pay ICNA Relief to slaughter an animal on their behalf when they are unable to do so themselves. The meat is then shared with the poor in a country of the donor's choosing. These programs allow Canadians to complete the act of worship as recommended of Muslims. The remaining international program spending went toward water projects and education programs in India and Pakistan, Zakat-ul Fitr distributions, and a loan program in India to help families start small businesses or buy income-generating equipment.

In Canada, ICNA Relief runs ten resource centres in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. These centres offer 12 programs: a food bank, family services, seniors support, matrimonial services, funeral support, foster parenting, Zakat, youth programs, women’s shelter, emergency relief, settlement and refugee sponsorship (SRS), and healthcare. Food banks are the main component of the centres. ICNA Relief reports that its ten food banks served 53,694 people (12,538 families) in 2018. Through the SRS program, sponsor groups provide full settlement and financial support to refugee families for at least one year once they arrive in Canada. Since the program started in 2016, 247 people from 65 Syrian and 11 Rohingya families have resettled in Ontario and Alberta.

Besides its humanitarian and development work through ICNA Relief, ICNA Canada runs full-time and weekend schools for students up to grade 8. It also engages in Dawah outreach activities, operating a toll-free number for non-Muslims, and distributing Islamic literature and Dawah mail, flyers, and media.

Islamic Circle of North America (Canada) changed auditors in F2018. The F2018 audited financial statements were signed and finalized May 22, 2020, nearly 17 months after its year-end in December.

The F2018 audit noted multiple prior period errors in ICNA Canada’s financial reporting, including: not appropriately amortizing some capital assets; accounting for contributions to the internally restricted reserve fund twice in the statement of changes in fund balance and within assets; inappropriate deferrals of unrestricted revenue in accounts payable; and not consolidating 15 of ICNA Canada’s chapters within its financial statements. F2017 figures have been restated to correct these errors. Material changes to the balance sheet included a $349k increase in cash, a $1.2m decrease in capital assets, and elimination of a $986k endowment reserve. On the income statement, a $307k increase in contributions, $245k increase in administrative costs, and $199k increase in amortization. Ci notes that F2016 information presented in its financial analysis may not be comparable to F2017 and F2018.

Islamic Circle of North America (Canada) is a large charity that received $11.5m in donations in F2018. ICNA Canada notes in its filings with the CRA Charities Directorate that it works with the Government of Canada in its (ICNA Relief’s) international relief efforts, but it does not report receiving any government funding. Administrative costs are 10% of total revenue and fundraising costs are 4% of donations. For every dollar donated to ICNA Canada, 86 cents go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

ICNA Canada has $10.1m in gross funding reserves and $2.5m in loans. Net reserves of $7.6m can cover annual program spending at the current level for just under 10 months.

This report is an update that has been sent to Islamic Circle of North America (Canada) for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 26, 2020 by Katie Khodawandi.