10 Francis Street East
Creemore, ON L0M 1G0
Executive Director: John Millar
Board Chair: Leanne O'Brien

Charitable Reg. #:83852 5269 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 5/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

A-

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

n/r

DEMONSTRATED IMPACT

The demonstrated impact per dollar Ci calculates from available program information.

NEED FOR FUNDING

Charity's cash and investments (funding reserves) relative to how much it spends on programs in most recent year.

83%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 83 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Water First :

Water First is a 5-star charity. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending and reserve funds are both within Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 2009, Water First Education and Training Inc. (Water First, WF) works with Indigenous communities to address local water challenges. Currently, 15% of Indigenous communities in Canada are affected by drinking water advisories. Water First's programs focus on education, training, and collaboration. Since its founding, Water First has worked with over 90 Indigenous communities. Water First spent $4.0m on its programs in F2024. The charity runs three programs: Drinking Water, Environmental Water, and School Water.

Drinking Water represented 49% ($2.0m) of program costs in F2024. The Drinking Water Internship Program is a 15-month paid training program. It helps young Indigenous adults gain the skills, certifications, and confidence to pursue a career in water treatment. In F2024 there were 33 participants in the program, 11 of which graduated from the program. Water First spent 26,425 hours training the interns. Using Water First’s Drinking Water program costs and pro-rated overhead costs, it cost Water First $59,504 per program participant in F2024.

Environmental Water represented 32% ($1.3m) of program costs in F2024. Water First collaborates with Indigenous partners to strengthen local technical capacity in water and fish resource management through training programs. In July 2024, the charity began an Environmental Water Internship, following a similar style to its Drinking Water internship. In F2024, Water First provided 2,833 training hours to 51 program participants. Using Water First’s Environmental Water program costs and pro-rated overhead costs, it cost Water First $25,056 per program participant in F2024.

School Water represented 20% ($800k) of program costs in F2024. Water First delivers STEM-based water science programs to K-12 students in Indigenous communities. The goal is to motivate students to consider careers in the local water field. Water First instructors promote environmental conservation and create space for Indigenous Knowledge keepers to share insights. Students visit local water bodies and wastewater treatment plants and learn about their roles in protecting water resources. In F2024, Water First reached 1,725 students across 22 Indigenous communities. The charity delivered 46 water science courses and students earned a total of 21 credits in F2024.

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Results and Impact

Water First reports that 76% of total graduates from its Drinking Water program are employed in water treatment or have gone back to school for further education.

While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Water First’s results and impact.

This charity is not yet rated on impact. This shows as n/r and it does not affect Water First’s star rating.

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Finances

Water First’s audited financial statements use activity-based costing. This is a best practice.

Water First received $4.9m in donations and $812k in government funding in F2024. The charity spent $4.0m on its programs, which is 57% of revenue. Water First recorded a surplus of $2.1m, which is 30% of revenue.

Water First spent $563k on fundraising, which is 12% of donations, and $432k on administration, which is 6% of revenue. Total overhead spending is 17%. For every dollar donated to Water First, 83 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Water First has $5.7m in reserve funds (cash and investments). These reserves can cover 1 year and 5 months of its annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

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

Updated on June 10, 2025 by Liam Chapleau.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending August
202420232022
Administrative costs as % of revenues 6.0%9.4%5.3%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 11.5%12.2%5.3%
Total overhead spending 17.5%21.6%10.5%
Program cost coverage (%) 141.6%85.3%135.0%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202420232022
Donations 4,9153,6574,878
Government funding 812271572
Fees for service 161568392
Other income 1,2654059
Total revenues 7,1524,5355,901
Program costs 4,0414,0223,031
Administrative costs 432424311
Fundraising costs 563447257
Total spending 5,0364,8923,599
Cash flow from operations 2,115(358)2,302
Capital spending 000
Funding reserves 5,7243,4294,091

Note: 1. Deferred revenue: Water First stopped disclosing the source of its deferred revenue in F2024. As such, Ci accounted for changes in deferred revenue within other revenue in F2024. Total deferred revenue changes were $1.3m in F2024, ($973k) in F2023, and $495k in F2022. 2. Contributions Receivable: Ci adjusted for contributions receivable within government funding and fees for service. This was ($52k) in F2024, $3k in F2023, and $107k in F2022. 3. Amortization: Ci removed amortization from program, fundraising, and administrative costs according to note 7 of its F2024 audited financial statement. Amortization was $71k in F2024, $71k in F2023, and $55k in F2022.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 36

Avg. compensation: $87,788

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
1
$80k - $120k
8
$40k - $80k
0
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

Comment added on August 22, 2024: 

Sustained access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities continues to be a pressing need in Canada today. Water First Education & Training Inc. partners with Indigenous communities to help address local water challenges through education, training, and meaningful collaboration. Water First offers training and education to Indigenous youth and adults in three key program areas: drinking water training and certification internships, project-based environmental water technical training, and STEM-based water science workshops and summer credit courses in schools. 

Our approach to program design and delivery is what sets us apart. We listen and work alongside Indigenous partner communities to learn about long-term water and fish resource management goals and local training needs. Each program is then adapted based on these local, community-identified needs, and decisions are made alongside an Indigenous Advisory Council and community members. To date, Water First has collaborated with more than 90 communities to support the training of future water treatment plant operators and environmental water resource technicians, and to inspire and prepare students for a career in the water sciences.  

At Water First, training and hiring locally is fundamental to our programs. Programming takes place in the community, so participants don’t have to leave to access training opportunities, and we strive to remove barriers to participation. Participants can gain skills, training, and education while maintaining their connections to the community, the land, and the water. 

We know our work alone won’t solve the water crisis. It’s a complex problem that needs collaborative, integrated solutions. And that work will take time. The ultimate goal of each program and collaboration is safe water and strengthened communities, where skills and benefits remain for generations to come.

Charity Contact

Website: www.waterfirst.ngo
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 1-800-970-8467

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001