The Charitable Giving Market and Guidelines in Canada are Significantly Different Than in the United States

Canada has more than 75,000 charities registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), more than 75% of which are places of worship and educational institutions (such as libraries and universities). About one quarter of registered charities in Canada exist to help the disadvantaged. Political organizations and environmental groups do not currently qualify for registration as charities in Canada. About one third of Canadians donate time to a nonprofit organization and, on average, Canadian individuals donate $239 per year to charities. The Canadian government provides almost two-thirds of the funding that charitable foundations operating in Canada receive. As a result, government budget cutbacks directly and negatively affect programs that receive the bulk of their funding from the government.