International Conservation Fund of Canada is a 5-star charity with best practices in financial transparency. It has an A results reporting grade which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 93 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Founded in 2007, International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC) is dedicated to the long term preservation of nature and biodiversity worldwide. ICFC mainly focuses on projects in tropical areas, where nature is most at risk and conservation gets the least money. The charity reports that 95% of deforestation is happening in the tropics. Working with local partners and Indigenous groups, ICFC helps protect important land and species in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The charity reports that 17.4 million hectares of land are covered by ICFC projects in 37 countries, benefiting 319,000 people. In 2023, the charity spent $10.2m on conservation projects (up 22% from $8.2m in 2022).

A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 100 Rated Charity

International Conservation Fund of Canada currently has projects in 15 countries in Latin America including Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica. These account for 68% of program costs. In 2023, ICFC’s Los Amigos Conservation Concession (LACC) carried out 205 patrols (by river, land, or both) by 11 Promotores, yielding zero illegal logging incidents reported. Also in Peru, ICFC’s Field Training Fellowship program provided field training to 16 people in two cohorts in 2023. In Costa Rica, rangers patrolled 51,743 km in forests, and planted 64,000 mangroves in a community-led restoration project. The Restoration Network, a partnership with farmers to adopt best practices, grew from 210 to 346 in 2023.

International Conservation Fund of Canada currently has projects in nine countries in Africa including Kenya, Malawi, and Madagascar. This accounted for 23% of program costs. Mukutan Conservancy in Kenya is involved in a commercial farming partnerships that has achieved sales of eight tonnes of avocados in 2023, supporting 200 farmers. In 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 11 new Forestry Concessions for Local Communities (CFCLs) were prepared, adding to the 13 established in 2022.

In the Asia/Pacific region, ICFC currently has projects in nine countries, representing 5% of program costs. In 2023 in Cambodia, field surveys recorded that seagrass increased by more than 2,000 hectares, largely thanks to ICFC’s marine protection. ICFC continued its spoon-billed sandpiper project in four Asian countries, with the count rising from 42 in 2022 to 54. The other 4% of program costs are allocated to small projects in 14 countries across the world.

International Conservation Fund of Canada received $9.5m in donations in 2023. Administrative costs are 6% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 1% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 7%. For every dollar donated, 93 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range of 65 to 95 cents for overhead spending. ICFC has reserve funds of $7.1m, meaning the charity can cover around eight months of annual program costs. In 2023, ICFC had a deficit of $2.7m.

The charity’s T3010 filings for 2023 were not yet available at the time of this report. In addition to its salaries of $513k in 2022, ICFC paid $220k in professional and consulting fees ($1.1m in 2021).

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to International Conservation Fund of Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 18, 2024 by Alexia Tudose.

Learn more about ICFC through its 2023 Annual Report.