Brain Canada is a 4-star charity with an average results reporting grade and reasonable overhead spending. The charity is financially transparent and has funding reserves which can cover annual program costs for around two months.

Founded in 1997, Brain Canada Foundation (BRCF) is a charity that funds medical research related to various brain disorders. Its mission is to increase the scale and scope of funding to accelerate the pace of Canadian brain research. BRCF reports that one in three people in Canada will face a neurological disease or neuropsychiatric disorder in their lifetime. The charity states that there are more than 1,000 brain diseases and disorders.  

In F2023, Brain Canada changed its fiscal year end from December to March. The charity published one annual report covering the period from January 1^st, 2022, to March 31^st, 2023. The information below is from that report.

The charity has three main categories of research grants: Platform Support Grants, Capacity Building Grants, and Team Grants. From January 2022 to March 2023, BRCF reports investing $39.3m in research, however, Ci calculates that it granted $32.0m.

Platform Support Grants (57% of program spending) fund the creation and improvement of shared research resources to increase access to equipment, knowledge, and data for researchers across Canada. BRCF gave out nine Platform Support Grants.

Capacity Building Grants (28%) fund the salaries, training, and mentorship of young researchers. The charity gave out 46 Capacity Building Grants. This includes 20 grants from the Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research program.

Team Grants (15%) fund the creation of collaborative research teams with scientists from different disciplines. BRCF gave out 49 Team Grants. This includes nine Discovery grants worth a total of $1.4m.

Overall, the charity supported 412 researchers and had 215 active research projects during this period.

On May 31, 2024, BRCF amended an agreement with the Minister of Health to allow for up to $80m more in funding through the Canadian Brain Research Fund. The Canadian Brain Research Fund matches private donations to Brain Canada Foundation on a one-to-one basis up to a certain amount. The money will be disbursed over four years.

In F2023, Brain Canada Foundation changed its fiscal year end from December to March. The available data for F2023 represents only a three-month period ending on March 31, 2023. As a result, F2023 figures are not comparable.

In F2023, Brain Canada Foundation received $4.9m in Canadian donations. Fundraising and administrative costs are 22% of total revenue excluding investment income. This results in total overhead spending of 22%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 78 cents are available for programs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

In F2023, BRCF spent $12.0m on grants and programs, which is 235% of its revenues. The charity had a deficit of $8.0m and no capital expenditures.

Brain Canada Foundation has $9.2m in reserve funds. These are the charity’s cash and investments. The charity has around two months of annual program costs covered by its current reserves. BRCF and its partners have grant commitments of $54.8m to be disbursed in the next few years. Out of these, $29.6m are commitments to Platform Support Grants recipients.

This charity report update has been sent to Brain Canada Foundation for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 6, 2024 by Alessandra Castino.