Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund is a 3-star charity. It has a C+ results reporting grade, which is below average. Its overhead spending is within Ci's reasonable range, and it has reserve funds to cover four years and ten months of its annual program costs. 

Founded in 2018, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Its vision is to improve the lives of Indigenous people in Canada. The charity has five programs: Legacy Schools, Legacy Spaces, Artist Ambassador, Youth Ambassador, and ReconciliACTIONS. It does not provide a spending breakdown for these programs.

Legacy Schools is a free national initiative. It aims to connect students and educators to further reconciliation. Schools, clubs, and groups that work with youth in Canada can join. In the fiscal year ending March 2023 (F2023), there were 7,218 total signups/active educators in Legacy Schools. In F2023, there were 5,858 active unique legacy schools and clubs. The charity sent 7,177 booster and toolkits to legacy schools in F2023.

Legacy Spaces are places that support conversations and education about reconciliation. In F2023, 59 corporate partners had legacy spaces. 47 new legacy spaces were launched in F2023.

The Artist Ambassador program connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous creators, Knowledge Keepers, and experts with the charity’s audiences. Artist Ambassadors share their teachings at legacy schools and in legacy spaces. In F2023, the charity hosted 21 in-person and six virtual sessions in schools. These sessions reached over 2,243 students and viewers.

The Youth Ambassador program is a four-week leadership training program. It engages Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth in part-time work. Youth receive a $1,000 honorarium for their participation at the end of the program. In F2023, 84 Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth throughout Canada participated in the program.

ReconciliACTIONS are meaningful actions that move reconciliation forward. The charity’s website provides a list of examples of reconciliACTIONS. It reports that 3,749,372 reconciliACTIONS have taken place since 2021.

The charity also runs a granting program called Oshki Wupoowane/The Blanket Fund. The fund receives 100% of Hudson’s Bay Company proceeds from sales of Point Blankets. The fund is currently at over $1.5m. The charity states that money from the fund will be directed through two grant streams over multiple years. Reconciliation Action Grants will support reconciliation activities, events, and initiatives in communities. Capacity Building Grants will support grassroots Indigenous charities, programs, and initiatives.

In F2023, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund received $4.0m in donations. The charity also received $241k in government funding. After adjusting for changes in deferred government revenue, government revenue for F2023 is ($42k). Administrative costs are 8% of total revenue (excluding investment income) and reported fundraising costs are less than 1% of donations. Overhead spending is 8%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range. For every dollar donated, 92 cents are available for the cause. In F2023, the charity spent $2.7m on its programs (74% of total revenue).

In F2023, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund had a surplus of $608k and spent $14k on capital expenditures.

At the end of F2023, the charity had $13.0m in reserve funds. This is enough to cover 484% or four years and ten months of its annual program costs.

This charity profile is an update that has been sent to Gord Downie & Chanie Wenajck Fund for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 14^th, 2024 by Thea Clark.