Seva Canada is a 5-star charity with High demonstrated impact. It has strong disclosure, with an A grade for results reporting. Its funding reserves are within Ci’s reasonable range and can cover two years and five months of annual program costs. For every dollar donated to Seva Canada, 78 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

A Charity Intelligence 2025 Top 100 Rated Charity.

Seva Canada (Seva), established in 1982, works to prevent and treat avoidable blindness and vision loss in low- and middle-income countries. The charity reports that 1.1 billion people worldwide live with vision loss, 90% of which can be prevented or treated. Women and girls account for 55% of people living with vision loss, largely because social, cultural, economic, and geographic barriers make it harder for them to access eye care. In F2025, Seva spent $3.3m on its vision program.

The charity operates in nine countries: Benin, Burundi, Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Madagascar, Nepal, Tanzania, and Peru. In F2025, 1,424,833 people received eye care services. This included 1,239,833 people who were screened for eye conditions, 104,350 people who received cataract surgery, 32,082 who received other eye surgeries, and 30,333 who received prescription glasses. Women represented 54% of people receiving eye care services, 53% of cataract surgery recipients, and 58% of people receiving prescription glasses.

Seva also strengthens local eye care systems by training health workers, hospital staff, program partners, and community members. In F2025, it trained 4,913 people, including 4,250 community members in primary eye care, 23 ophthalmologists in cataract surgery, and five ophthalmologists in sub-specialty care.

Seva Canada’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, which is a best practice. This means its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.

The charity had total revenues of $4.2m in F2025. It received $3.7m in donations and special events revenue, representing 88% of revenue, as well as $3k in donated goods in kind. Investment income was $518k, or 12% of revenue.

Seva spent $3.3m on its programs, which is 77% of its revenue.

Administrative costs were $338k, representing 9% of revenue (excluding investment income). The charity spent $458k on fundraising, equal to 12% of donations. Total overhead spending was 22%. For every dollar donated to Seva Canada, 78 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Seva Canada held $7.9m in reserve funds (cash and investments) in F2025. These reserves can cover two years and five months of annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This is a charity update that has been sent to Seva Canada by Neela Jalilian on July 23, 2026.