Arthritis Society Canada

393 University Avenue, Suite 1700
Toronto, ON M5G 1E6
President & CEO: Trish Barbato
Board Chair: Duncan Mathieson

Charitable Reg. #:10807 1671 RR0003

STAR RATING

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

[Charity Rating: 3/5]

✔+

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.

48%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 48 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Arthritis Society Canada:

Arthritis Society is a 3-Star charity. It has excellent results reporting, achieving an A grade. For every dollar donated to the charity, 48 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci's reasonable range. 

Founded in 1948, Arthritis Society Canada (Arthritis Society) funds arthritis research, advocates for policy changes, and provides support to improve health among those affected by arthritis. Arthritis is a collection of conditions affecting joints and other tissues. It causes pain, restricts mobility, and diminishes quality of life. Arthritis Society reports that one in five Canadians live with arthritis. Without serious attention to the disease, the charity estimates that one in four Canadians will be living with arthritis by 2040. Currently, there is no cure. Arthritis Society’s national office is in Toronto.

The charity’s F2023 annual report has not been released. Information from its F2022 annual report was used instead.

Arthritis Society spent $10.7m on programs and services and $6.7m on research in F2023, but the charity did not break down program spending any further. 

Research: Informed by patient priorities, Arthritis Society’s research focuses on pain relief, osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis), and inflammatory arthritis. The charity sent 117 grants and awards across Canada. Arthritis Society has 98 active research projects in F2022. These grants support 249 researchers: 97 lead researchers, 94 research trainees, and 58 personnel. The charity’s goal is to fund 95 new innovative research projects by 2025.

Advocacy: Arthritis Society advocates on behalf of Canadians affected by arthritis to drive policy and raise awareness. The charity meets with federal and provincial officials, publishes policy papers, and runs public awareness campaigns. Its advocacy efforts focus on creating a national pharmacare program, enhancing access to care and treatment, and increasing general arthritis knowledge.  Arthritis Society engaged 33 times with policy makers in F2022. The charity reports it influenced 41 public policy decisions in Canada in F2022. 6,989 Canadians raised their voices with Arthritis Society in F2022. The charity’s goal is to make arthritis a top five health concern by 2025.

Innovation: The charity’s innovation program funds social impact projects to accelerate ideas to help people living with arthritis. The charity’s innovation program has three pillars: Research, Social Impact, and an Ideator program. In F2022, Arthritis Society funded 13 strategic operating grants and 12 high risk, high reward Ignite Research grants. The charity sent four Arthritis Ideator awards to Canadians who made significant innovations to arthritis in F2022. The charity's goal is to have three innovation programs by 2025.

Information and Support: Arthritis Society runs information and support programs for people affected by arthritis. Its website is a go-to source of evidence-based information, resources, and online tools to help those living with arthritis manage the disease and reduce its impact on their lives. The charity introduced 21 new digital resources on its website in F2022. Arthritis Society reports 108,000 people subscribe to its Flourish newsletter. In F2022, 65,731 Canadians received direct support through its education and information programs. The charity's goal is to reach three million Canadians each year by 2025. 

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Results and Impact

The charity’s F2023 annual report has not been released. Information from its F2022 annual report was used instead.

Arthritis Society reports that due to its advocacy efforts, Arthritis is now a top six health concern among Canadians, per a third-party survey.

Arthritis Society released a report highlighting the problem of wait times arthritis patients face at the hospital. The charity reports 38% of Canadians did not receive their hip or knee joint replacement surgery within the recommended time of six months. The report provided recommendations to provincial and federal governments. The government included many of Arthritis Society’s recommendations in F2022. In March 2022, the federal government added an additional $2 billion to address the backlogs in arthritis surgeries. Nine provinces implemented the charity's recommended GLA:D education and exercise program. 70% of the patients reported significant improved function.

Every year, several researchers funded by Arthritis Society have their work published in peer-reviewed journals such as Clinical Rheumatology, BMC Rheumatology, and PLOS Medicine. In F2022, the charity funded a research project to find the most effective painkiller for osteoarthritis. 90 different drug formulations were used across 200 clinical trials. The research found that two NSAID pills were the best option for most people with osteoarthritis. For those with knee osteoarthritis, the best option was diclofenac. The publication has been viewed more than 25,000 times and mentioned on social media more than 200 times.  

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Arthritis Society’s results and impact.

Charity Intelligence has not assessed impact on Arthritis Society. This shows as n/r, meaning not rated.

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Finances

Arthritis Society received $21.1m in donations in F2023. This is a 27% increase from F2022 where the charity received $16.6m in donations. The charity received $5.7m in government funding in F2023, representing 20% of total revenue. Administrative costs are 12% of revenue (excluding investment income) and fundraising costs are 40% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 52%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 48 cents are available to go to the cause, which is outside Ci’s reasonable range. The charity has been outside the reasonable range since 2018. 

Arthritis Society has $8.0m in reserve funds, of which $2.4m is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, its reserve funds can cover 32%, or four months of its annual program costs.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to Arthritis Society for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming. 

Updated on July 6, 2023 by Liam Chapleau

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending March
202320222021
Administrative costs as % of revenues 12.1%11.0%10.2%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 39.6%44.9%46.5%
Total overhead spending 51.7%55.8%56.7%
Program cost coverage (%) 32.4%59.5%53.7%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202320222021
Donations 21,09516,59916,941
Government funding 5,7436,5217,508
Investment income 481100(366)
Other income 1,0341,9595,540
Total revenues 28,35425,17929,622
Program costs 10,6689,7498,900
Grants 6,7035,1984,013
Administrative costs 3,3602,7543,045
Fundraising costs 8,3597,4447,883
Total spending 29,09025,14623,841
Cash flow from operations (736)325,781
Capital spending 521600150
Funding reserves 7,97111,1929,225

Note: The charity’s F2023 T3010 is not yet available, the most recent T3010 used is its F2022. Arthritis Society uses deferred accounting. To report to donors on a consistent basis, Ci adjusted for deferred capital contributions. This adjustment is ($638k) in F2023, $105k in F2022, and $3.2m in F2021. Ci adjusted for research awards payable, affecting grants by $466k in F2023, ($48k) in F2022, and $457k in F2021. Arthritis Society does not report amortization on its income statement. Ci removed amortization on a pro-rata basis from program costs, grants, administrative, and fundraising costs as reported on its audited financials. Ci removed investment income from other revenue and included it in investment income.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 129

Avg. compensation: $76,744

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
1
$250k - $300k
3
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
3
$120k - $160k
3
$80k - $120k
0
$40k - $80k
0
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2022

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

No comments have been added by the charity.

Charity Contact

Website: www.arthritis.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 416.979.7228 

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001