We recently looked at government funding and specifically which Canadian registered charities received the most funds from provincial governments in 2012. Most government funding is from the provincial level of government and therefore provincial funding is vital for the Canadian…
Probably not. Otherwise that would be about 5-10 times more funds than all Canadian registered charities spent on political activities in 2012. In fact, when we reviewed who spent the most on political activities it appears to me that the…
There is a category of qualified donee, ie. organizations that can issue tax receipts, called “municipal or public body performing a function of government in Canada”. This group is largely first nations bands but also could include school districts or…
I recently compiled a list of which Canadian charities received funds from the Canadian Federal Government. Here is the list which includes all Canadian registered charities that received over $500,000 in funds from the Federal Government. Which Charities Received the…
We recently reviewed the 2012 T3010 Registered Charity Information Returns for largest inter charity gifts. Here is a list of all gifts over $500,000 from the 2012 T3010. Largest Gifts from Canadian Charities to other Qualified Donees – 2012
CRA is putting out better notices on donating wisely. I particularly like this advice “Get to know the charity.” Start by visiting the charity’s website to learn about its activities and how it’s managed. You can also review its financial…
John Montague has written an article entitled “The Law and Financial Transparency in Churches: Reconsidering the Form 990 Exemptions” in the Cardozo Law Review. In the US, churches don’t have to file the Form 990 annual return, however, in Canada…
Industry released today draft regulations to Canada’s Anti-spam Legislation (CASL) which will now come into effect on July 1, 2014. An important exclusion that will be welcomed by registered charities is that the Act does not apply to an electronic…
The CRA put a reminder on their website today “Does your organization make its resources available to, or work with a municipal or public body performing a function of government in Canada, such as a First Nation? The December 31,…
I just reviewed the latest T3010 data disk for 2013 and here are the descriptions of activities for political activities by Canadian charities. This is only based on 7900 of the approximately 86,000 charities. Description Wrote less than 5 letters…
We recently reviewed the T3010 Registered Charity Information Return database for 2011 as part of the Sean Blumberg Transparency Project. We provided an overview of the whole charity sector in the Blumbergs’ Charity Sector Snapshot 2011. We have taken a…
The Accounting Standards Board and Public Sector Accounting Board are asking for comments by December 15, 2013 on some changes to the principles affecting non-profit accounting. The document is entitled “Improvements to Not-for-Profit Standards (Applicable to Private and Public Sector…
The Muttart Foundation has released the 2013 edition of its “Talking About Charities”. It updates its last similar opinion poll from 5 years ago. Here is a link to the various responses and reports: Here is the summary: …
The CRA has added a number of new webinars to their websites on arts, CED, the T3010 and political activities. The following recorded webinars are now available on the CRA’s video gallery: ?Arts activities and charitable registration ?Community economic…
On October 15, 2013, Blumbergs will be having the 2nd Annual Blumbergs’ Canadian Charity Law Institute in Toronto. It will be a full day of practical legal and ethical compliance information geared toward charities, professional advisors and those interested in…
There was an interesting 94 page report entitled “Enhancing Accountability For The Religious And Broader Nonprofit Sector” in December 2012 from the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations . While I certainly don’t agree with many of the…
Here is the Blumbergs’ submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance for their Pre-budget Consultations 2013. Blumbergs’ House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance- Pre-budget Consultations 2013 submission Some of the themes I touched upon are more…
The Charity Commission of England and Wales has published a very helpful guidance “It’s your decision: charity trustees and decision making”. Although there are difference between English and Canadian law the guide provides lots of useful information on how directors…
The US National Centre for Charitable Statistics has some good cautions on the use of US data Form 990 data that I recently noted. Similar issues apply here in Canada with the T3010 so I have reproduced the sections below.…
The Vancouver Sun has published an article entitled “Behind the Rick Hansen Foundation”. In the article investigative reporter David Baines discusses financial matters and fundraising by the Rick Hansen Foundation. Here is the article “Behind the Rick Hansen Foundation”
David Baines recently retired from the Vancouver Sun. He will be missed. He was prepared to cover stories that others were not. He notes “I learned that it takes money, not just to publish stories, but also to defend them.…
The CRA has just released its new process for recognizing “municipal or public bodies performing a function of government in Canada”. Here is a PDF OF THE ARTICLE This will be of particular interest to Aboriginal bands, school boards and…
In March 2013 we published the “Blumbergs Canadian Charity Sector Snapshot 2011”. Now here is Blumbergs Canadian Charity Sector Snapshot for 2010 which will allow those who are interested to compare the 2010 and 2011 snapshots. Download Article
In March 2013 we published the “Blumbergs Canadian Charity Sector Snapshot 2011”. Now here is Blumbergs Canadian Charity Sector Snapshot for 2010 which will allow those who are interested to compare the 2010 and 2011 snapshots.