The Citizens Foundation Canada
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A+
RESULTS REPORTING
Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.
High
DEMONSTRATED IMPACT
The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.
NEED FOR FUNDING
Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.
85%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 85 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About The Citizens Foundation Canada:
The Citizens' Foundation Canada is a 5-star charity with High Demonstrated Impact. It has an A+ Results Reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending and reserve funds are both within Ci's reasonable range.
Founded in Canada in 2005, The Citizens' Foundation Canada (TCF Canada) works in partnership with The Citizens Foundation (TCF), founded in 1995 in Pakistan, to carry out its operations. The Citizens Foundation is a Pakistani charity that educates children, particularly those from low-income families. The Citizens Foundation provides high-quality education in rural and poor areas of Pakistan. According to UNICEF, Pakistan ranks second globally in the number of children out of school. Girls from low-income families have the lowest rate of education. TCF hires only female teachers, making parents feel safe sending their girls to school. The Citizens Foundation is the second largest employer of women in Pakistan.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top Impact Charity.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.
TCF Canada is funded primarily by donations. Parents must pay affordable fees that are no more than 5%-7% of the family's income. TCF Canada’s work focuses on building and maintaining its schools and training teachers. TCF also runs poverty alleviation and water filtration projects in the communities surrounding its schools. It also runs a youth scholarship program, which makes up 1% of its program spending. In 2024, TCF Canada spent $4.3m on its programs.
As of 2024, TCF Canada funds 113 primary schools and 47 secondary schools with 301,000 students. 52% of its schools are in urban areas. Of its students, 51% are boys and 49% are girls. In 2024, TCF completed seven school builds, which enrolled 1,260 students and hired 98 staff. The charity also funded the construction of five solar projects and one water filtration plant.
The Citizens Foundation provides ongoing training to teachers and school staff. New teachers complete Pre-Service Training, including a self-study pack and on-the-job training. Established teachers receive annual training. Since its launch in 2019, TCF has trained 2,400 teachers across 100 Pakistani cities.
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Results and Impact
In 2024, 92% of its students passed grade ten. 27% of its students averaged an A or A+ grade. The charity reports an 87% transition rate from secondary to intermediate-level study. TCF college students average a 95% pass rate, higher than the 34% regional average.
TCF compared the learning and reading levels of grade three and grade five students to the national public-school average.
Third grade:
68% of students can read Urdu stories (15% national average). 53% of students can read sentences in English (13% national average). 65% of students can do subtraction (40% national average).
Fifth grade:
90% of students can read Urdu stories (52% national average). 87% of students can read sentences in English (51% national average). 90% of students can do subtraction (75% national average).
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of The Citizens' Foundation Canada’s results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has rated TCF Canada as High on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
Impact Rating: High
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Finances
The Citizens’ Foundation Canada’s audited financial statements use activity-based costing, which is a best practice.
TCF Canada received $4.4m in donations and special events revenue in 2024. The charity spent $4.3m on its programs and grants, which is 97% of revenue, and recorded a deficit of $531k.
TCF Canada spent $300k on fundraising, which is 7% of donations, and $375k on administration, which is 8% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 15%. For every dollar donated, 85 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.
TCF Canada has $707k in reserve funds (cash and investments). These reserves can cover annual program costs for under 2 months. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to TCF Canada for review.
Updated by Liam Chapleau on August 7, 2025.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending December
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 8.5% | 7.2% | 4.6% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 6.8% | 5.9% | 4.1% |
| Total overhead spending | 15.3% | 13.1% | 8.7% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 16.3% | 20.1% | 44.5% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 3,504,313 | 3,898,629 | 3,948,951 |
| Special events | 902,469 | 755,038 | 900,643 |
| Investment income | 73,933 | 79,377 | 43,974 |
| Total revenues | 4,480,715 | 4,733,044 | 4,893,568 |
| Program costs - International | 4,275,396 | 4,761,871 | 4,041,663 |
| Grants | 61,500 | 52,000 | 0 |
| Administrative costs | 374,531 | 335,431 | 222,545 |
| Fundraising costs | 300,051 | 273,248 | 200,739 |
| Total spending | 5,011,478 | 5,422,550 | 4,464,947 |
| Cash flow from operations | (530,763) | (689,506) | 428,621 |
| Capital spending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 707,181 | 967,151 | 1,798,326 |
Note: 1. Deferred Revenue: Ci adjusted for deferred revenue within donations, affecting revenue by ($98k) in 2024, $13k in 2023, and $5k in 2022.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
0 |
$80k - $120k |
0 |
$40k - $80k |
3 |
< $40k |
0 |
Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023
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Comments & Contact
Comments added by the Charity:
Charity Contact
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