Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs is a four-star that is not fully financially transparent. It has a B results reporting grade, which is average. For every dollar donated, 87 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 2006, Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs (RAVEN) helps legally represent Indigenous Canadians across the country. It does this by raising legal defence funds for Indigenous communities affected by heavy industry, environmental disasters, and poor access to clean drinking water. According to the charity, Indigenous communities often lack effective legal representation or funding. RAVEN’s financial support is its main program. The charity financially supported five communities: Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Gitxaala Nation, Heiltsuk Nation, Neskantaga Nation, and the Stk'emplupsemc Te Secwepemc (STS) Nation. It spend $2.1m on its programs in the fiscal year ending December 2022 ($1.1m of which was direct legal financial aid to these five communities).

Beaver Lake Cree Nation received 36% ($402k) of RAVEN’s total legal aid spending. This community, which is located near Edmonton, heavily relies on its surrounding ecosystem for both spiritual and physical sustenance.  According to the charity, oil industry development projects damage the community’s natural environment. Using RAVEN’s financial aid, the community successfully proved that the oil industry violated rights outlined in a previously signed treaty to the Supreme Court of Canada. This enforced restrictions on future tar sands projects.

Gitxaala Nation received 34% ($373k) worth of legal aid. This community, located in northern British Columbia (BC), is in the process of challenging the Mineral Tenure Act. This is due to a company opening a mine on the community’s territory without its consent. According to the charity, five communities intervened during a December 2022 British Columbia Supreme Court hearing. The court case is currently ongoing at the time of this update.

Heiltsuk Nation received 18% ($205k) worth of legal aid. This community, located in Campbell Island in BC, is suffering from an environmental disaster. In October 2016, the Nathan E. Stewart tugboat sank and spilled 110,000 litres of oil near the community. RAVEN’s funding financed an Environmental Impact Assessment research report which quantified the economic impacts of this disaster. This report was completed in 2022.

Neskantaga Nation received 11% ($119k) worth of legal aid. This community is located near Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario and has been under a boil water advisory for 10,000 days. Accordingly, the community is challenging the government of Ontario in the Ontario Superior Court. The court case is currently ongoing at the time of this update.

STS Nation received 1% ($10k) worth of legal aid. This community, located near Kamloops, BC, submitted a legal claim to control 1.25 million hectares of land. According to the charity, this land historically belongs to the STC community.

At the time of this update, RAVEN’s 2023 audited financial statements are not publicly available. This means that the charity is not fully financially transparent.

In 2022, RAVEN received $1.9m in donations. This represents 72% of revenues and is a 19% decrease from $2.3m in donations reported in 2021. The charity reported no government funding received in 2022. Administrative costs are 5% of revenues and fundraising costs are 8% of donations. This results in 13% total overhead spending, meaning that for every dollar donated, 87 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

In 2022, RAVEN spent $2.1m on its programs. $1.1m of this was used for legal aid while the remaining $1.0m funded supporting operations (salaries, wages, and occupancy costs). Program spending represents 80% of revenues and is a 4% increase from $2.0m in 2021.

At the end of 2022, RAVEN had $2.5m in reserve funds (cash and term deposits) which covers 121% or around 14 months of its annual program spending.

Profile updated by Julian Dranitsaris on August 23, 2024. Comments and corrections may be forthcoming.