Founded in 1944, Canadian Council of Churches (CCOC) is a conglomerate of 25 member churches of Christian faith, including Anglican, Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox, Free Church, and Protestant groups. CCOC’s mission is to “respond to Christ’s call for unity and peace, seek Christ’s truth with affection for diversity, and act in love through prayer, dialogue, and witness to the gospel.”

Canadian Council of Churches states on its website that it studies, speaks, and acts on topics that involve moral and spiritual principles, including the war on terror and the future of healthcare. It is registered with the United Nations and attends conferences on issues such as global development, refugee settlement, and human rights. CCOC oversees multiple forums to foster discussions between its member churches. Its Commission on Faith and Wellness brings member churches together in “theological reflection” to promote understanding and cooperation between them. It runs a Commission on Justice and Peace, where member churches discuss peace and social justice in Canada and globally, as well as a Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group for member churches to share and exchange information on biotechnology. CCOC also runs a Forum for Intercultural Leadership and Learning and a Christian Interfaith Reference Group. Canadian Council of Churches does not publish an annual report on its website outlining key activities for the fiscal year.

Canadian Council of Churches is the controlling body of Project Ploughshares. Established in 1976, Project Ploughshares is a research institute that analyzes peace and security issues to identify the root causes of armed conflict and create measures and policies for world peace. Its major areas of research and policy work are in nuclear disarmament, autonomous weapons, space security, refugees and forced migration, and armed conflicts. In its most recent F2017 annual report, Project Ploughshares outlines its activities for the year, including: research on Canada’s multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia and participation in United Nations negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons; consultations with Global Affairs Canada on emerging technologies and warfare; production of the Space Security Index 2017 report; research on conflict-induced migration, particularly on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen; and release of the 2017 Armed Conflicts report, a research report describing major armed conflicts that took place in the 2017 calendar year.

The following financial analysis uses the consolidated audited financial statements of Canadian Council of Churches, Canadian Churches’ Forum for Global Ministries, and Project Ploughshares.

Canadian Council of Churches is a medium-sized charity that received $1.3m in donations in F2018. Administrative costs are 16% of revenues (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 4% of donations. Per dollar donated, 80 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

The charity’s T3010 CRA filings report government funding ($17k in F2017, $50k in F2016) and international support ($91k in F2017, $32k in F2016). The F2018 filing was not available when this profile was created. Because total revenue figures reported in the T3010 filings do not reconcile with the charity’s audited financial statements, Ci did not adjust for either revenue stream. Donations figures may be overstated and fundraising cost ratios may be understated.

Canadian Council of Churches’ audited financials do not allocate common costs like salaries to program, administrative and fundraising activities. T3010 expense breakdowns into these three cost areas do not add up to total expenses reported in the audited financials. Ci allocated 100% of salaries ($954k in F2018, $913k in F2017, $910k in F2016) to program costs, and likely understates overhead spending in this analysis.

The charity’s funding reserves of $2.0m include $1.1m in endowed funds. Excluding endowments, reserves can cover annual program spending at the F2018 level for 10 months.

This report is a new charity profile that has been sent to Canadian Council of Churches for review. Comments and edits may be forthcoming.

Created on August 28, 2019 by Katie Khodawandi.

 Toll-free: 1-866-7645