Penny Appeal Canada is a 4-star, financially transparent charity. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 77 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 2005, Penny Appeal Canada (Penny) is an international development Muslim charity that works to break the cycle of poverty through sustainable food, water, and education solutions. The charity is the Canadian arm of Penny Appeal UK. Penny operates emergency support, short-term relief, and longer-term sustainable interventions in Canada, Africa, and the Middle East. With its affiliate teams, the charity operates programs in over 30 countries. Penny runs both international and domestic programs. Its international program has seven pillars: Feed Our World, Thirst Relief, Orphan Kind, Aqiqa, Love Palestine, Education First, and Emergency Response. Its domestic program has three pillars: Feed Our World, Winter Relief, and Education First. In 2023, Penny Appeal Canada spent $13.8m on its programs.

International programs accounted for 51% ($7.1m) of program spending (excluding donated goods used in programs) in 2023. Penny’s Thirst Relief program built 475 deep tube wells in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Kashmir, and Kenya. The charity also built 18 solar-powered water centres. Eight in Pakistan that serve 5,000 people, five in Afghanistan that serve 2,500 people, and five in Bangladesh that serve 2,500 people. Penny’s Ramadan program distributed 5,353 food packs to 46,647 people across ten countries. In 2023, Penny’s Global Disaster program provided aid to ten countries, with a focus on Türkiye, Syria, and Palestine.  In response to the Türkiye and Syrian earthquake, the charity provided 77,940 meals through a mobile kitchen, 400 blankets, 53 tents, 400 hygiene sets, 400 food packages, 1,575 baby formulas, 400 boots and coats, and 750 diapers to over 200,000 people. The charity also reconstructed 48 homes in Hatay, Türkiye, for 406 people. Penny’s disaster relief in Palestine reached 102,265 people.  Penny’s Orphan Kind program sponsored 1,750 children, of which 1,200 were in Pakistan and 650 were in Palestine.

Domestic programs accounted for 53% ($6.7m) of program spending (excluding donated goods used in programs) in 2023. Penny Appeal Canada’s local Ramadan program provided 8,280 hampers to Canadians. Of which, 2,090 were in Ontario, 2,815 were in Alberta, 2,775 were in British Columbia, 200 were in Saskatchewan, and 400 were in Nova Scotia. The charity provided grocery support to 6,000 people in Scarborough, 20 BIPOC youth in Peel, and 100 families in Mississauga. Penny also provided food, winter clothing, and hygiene items to 302 people in Scarborough. Penny’s domestic winter relief provided three months of food supplies to 50 Afghan refugee families in the GTA. The charity also provided winter survival kits to 500 newcomers in Ontario.

Penny Appeal Canada received $18.5m in Canadian donations in 2023. It also received $965k in international donations and $1.1m in donated goods in kind. The charity spent $13.8m on its programs, which is 67% of revenue. In 2023, the charity recorded a surplus of $1.4m, which is 7% of revenue.

Administrative costs are 3% of revenue (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 20% of Canadian donations. For every dollar donated to the charity, 77 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Penny has $2.1m in reserve funds (cash and investments), which can cover 15%, or under two months of its annual program costs.

Penny uses external fundraisers. The charity paid fundraisers $543k to collect $2.8m. it costs Penny 19 cents to raise a dollar using external fundraisers.

 Charity Intelligence has sent this charity profile update to Penny Appeal Canada for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 26, 2024, by Liam Chapleau.