We recently reviewed the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return database for 2023 as part of the Sean Blumberg Transparency Project. The database covers about 83,540 of the approximately 86,000 registered charities in Canada that had filed their T3010 and were processed into CRA’s Charity Listing database by March 2025.
The CRA divides the Canadian charity sector into 3 designations, assigned to each charity when they receive their notice of registration. The three designations are public foundations, private foundations, and charitable organizations, and are determined by the charity’s structure, the source of their funding, and their mode of operation. Any charity with only one director, trustee, or official is automatically designated as a Private Foundation. More information on the designation system can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.
Here are our Blumbergs’ Snapshots for the three designations:
Blumbergs’ Charitable Organization Snapshot 2023