Canadian National Institute for the Blind is a 4-star charity. It has an A results reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated, 59 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 1918, Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) supports people impacted by blindness or vision impairment. CNIB runs programs and advocacy campaigns to help those affected by blindness live independently. The charity reports that 1.5 million Canadians experience sight loss and 5.6 million have an eye disease that could cause vision loss. CNIB runs six programs for people impacted by blindness: Technology, Peer Support, Careers and Employment, Sports and Recreation, Advocacy, and Children and Youth. In the fiscal year ending March 2025 (F2025), CNIB spent $60.6m on its programs.

Peer Support and Vision Mate represented 26% of program costs in F2025. This program aims to improve the everyday life of those with vision impairments. In F2025, CNIB supported over 200 deafblind people through more than 69,700 direct service hours. It also launched two new puppy-raising clubs for its Guide Dogs program and planned 13 workshops for handlers across Ontario. Since the founding of its Guide Dogs program in 2017, CNIB has matched more than 100 dogs with owners.

Technology represented 23% of program costs in F2025. This program helps individuals with sight loss gain access to technology to help increase independence. In F2025, CNIB reports that its Mobile Hub initiative delivered over 180 on-site visits, helping hundreds of people access support and assistive resources closer to home.

Careers and Employment represented 17% of program costs in F2025. CNIB provides people with sight loss the skills and resources to achieve their career ambitions. In F2025, its Mentor Match program connected over 200 participants with professional mentors for guidance and support. Its Connecting the Dots conference had over 1,500 attendees and focused on accessible education, technology, and employment. Since 2018, its Come to Work initiative has supported over 1,200 people through training and access to inclusive jobs with more than 100 employers.

Sports and Recreation represented 17% of program costs in F2025. This program aims to help people with sight loss lead an active and healthy lifestyle by organizing a variety of adapted sporting events throughout the year. In F2025, its partnership with Canadian Blind Hockey reached over 100 participants.

Advocacy represented 9% of program costs in F2025. CNIB advocates to different levels of government to improve the lives of people with sight loss. In F2025, 437 participants sent 1,067 letters to candidates. CNIB also held 87 meetings with decision-makers to promote more accessible systems, and its social media received over 11,300 impressions.

Children and Youth represented 8% of program costs in F2025, supporting visually impaired youths across Canada. In F2025, more than 400 youths participated in its camp programs.

Canadian National Institute for the Blind’s audited financial statements use activity-based costing, which is a financial reporting best practice.

In F2025, CNIB received $49.8m in donations and $9.0m in government funding. The charity also earned $10.2m from product sales and rent. CNIB spent $60.6m on its programs, which is 73% of total revenue and recorded a deficit of $1.3m.

CNIB spent $15.0m on fundraising, which is 30% of donations, and $8.1m on administration, which is 11% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 41%. For every dollar donated, 59 cents are available to go to the cause. This is outside of Ci’s reasonable range, which has been the case for the past 13 years.

CNIB has $64.3m in reserve funds (cash and investments, less interest-bearing debt), of which $14.2m is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity’s reserves could cover its annual program costs for 10 months. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

In F2025, CNIB ran a lottery that raised $10.3m and returned $2.5m after expenses, meaning 25 cents of every dollar went to the cause.

CNIB uses external fundraisers. In F2025, CNIB paid fundraisers $7.4m to collect $10.9m. It costs 68 cents to raise a dollar through external fundraisers. It is likely more efficient to donate directly to the charity.  

This charity report is an update that has been sent to CNIB for review.

Updated on June 23, 2026 by Ava Anderson.