HelpAge Canada is a 3-star charity with a B- results reporting score, which is below average. Its overhead costs are within Ci’s reasonable range, and its funding reserves could cover annual program costs for just over five months.

Founded in 1975, HelpAge Canada (HAC) is part of the global HelpAge network that supports older adults through humanitarian response and development programs, including emergency relief, health services, and financial support in vulnerable communities worldwide. According to the charity, people are living longer but are facing growing gaps in income, access to healthcare, and social inclusion. HAC runs three main programs: Global Response, Canadian Programs, and Sponsor a Grandparent. In the fiscal year ending March 2025 (F2025), HAC spent $3.8m on its programs.

Global Response represented 47% of program spending in F2024 (latest available data). This program supported older people affected by crises in places such as Ukraine, Morocco, and Gaza. In Ukraine, it provided home-based care to 3,000 people, social services to 2,600, and cash assistance to 2,751 older adults. It also equipped 93 shelters with generators and heaters and trained 184 social workers. In Morocco, the charity delivered emergency winter supplies to 120 families after the earthquake. In Gaza, it worked with local partners to provide medical supplies, hygiene kits, and basic necessities to over 1,100 older people facing displacement and limited access to care.

Canadian Programs represented 44% of program spending in F2024. The charity funds community organizations to help older adults with low incomes age in place. It supported over 2,000 older adults in 22 communities through grants of up to $10,000 for services like meals, mobility aids, and health and wellness programs. It also provided $351,000 to support the development of Men’s Sheds across Canada, which help reduce isolation among older men. Other work includes digital literacy and scam prevention programs, including a three-day workshop that reached 145 Elders and their families in the Kivalliq Region.

Sponsor a Grandparent represented 9% of program spending in F2024. It provides basic needs, medical care, and social support to older adults in developing countries through local partner organizations. In F2024, it worked with 11 partners and supported 446 older adults.

HelpAge Canada’s audited financial statements follow line-item costing, which is not a financial reporting best practice. This means Ci had to refer to the charity’s T3010 filings with the CRA to report program, administrative and fundraising costs.

In F2025, HAC received $3.7m in donations (75% of total revenue) and $941k in government funding, compared to none in F2024. Program spending was $3.8m (77% of total revenue), resulting in a surplus of $553k (11% of total revenue).

HAC spent $451k on administrative activities (9% of revenue less investment income) and $89k on fundraising (2% of donations) in F2025. Total overhead is 12%, meaning that for every dollar received, 88 cents are available to go to the cause.

At the end of F2025, HAC had $1.7m in reserve funds, enough to cover just over five months of its annual program costs.

Updated on June 15, 2026 by Ava Anderson.