Breast Cancer Canada

420 East Street
North Sarnia, ON N7T 6Y5
CEO: Kimberly Carson
Board Chair: Shaniah Leduc

Charitable Reg. #:13796 9861 RR0001

STAR RATING

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

[Charity Rating: 1/5]

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements available only through official request for information from Charities Directorate.

F

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.

25%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 25 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About Breast Cancer Canada:

Breast Cancer Canada is a 1-star rated charity with no financial transparency and little reporting on its programs and their results. The charity has persistently high fundraising costs leading to overhead spending outside of Charity Intelligence’s reasonable range. In 2022, fundraising costs were 75% of donations. 

Founded in 1991, Breast Cancer Canada, formerly Breast Cancer Society of Canada, fundraises and provides grants for breast cancer research in Canada. BCSC aims to save lives through education and research. The charity reports that 28,000 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year, and 5,100 will die from the disease. 

In F2022, Breast Cancer Canada spent $774k (55% of program spending) on Breast Cancer Awareness. It is unclear how the charity spent this money. 

Breast Cancer Canada also spent $634k on research (45% of program spending). In F2022, its largest grants went to London Health Sciences Foundation ($250k), Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation ($84), and Ontario Institute for Cancer ($51k). Breast Cancer Canada's grant to London Health Sciences Foundation funded nine projects by researchers in training in F2022. The funding was awarded to masters, Ph.D., and post-doctoral students from Western University.

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Results and Impact

Breast Cancer Canada partially funded Dr. Gregory Czarnota’s breast cancer research project in 2018. Dr. Czarnota, from Sunnybrook Research Institute developed a radio imaging technology that can predict how a tumour would respond to chemotherapy treatment. The technology accurately predicted the effects of chemotherapy treatment for 90% of the participant pool. 

The research project also looked at low-intensity ultrasounds to make tumours more susceptible to small amounts of radiation. Researchers found that tumours were ten times more responsive to low doses of radiation therapy after the ultrasound. 

While Charity Intelligence highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Breast Cancer Canada's results and impacts.

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Finances

Financial Transparency: X. Breast Cancer Canada is not financially transparent. Its 2022 audited financial statements were received from the CRA Charities Directorate through access to information. 

In fiscal 2022, the year ending March, Breast Cancer Canada's fundraising events raised $18.2 million, four times the $4.5 million raised in 2021. Its fiscal 2022 fundraising costs similarly increased to $13.6 million from $4.0 million in fiscal 2021. This is a fundraising cost of 73.4% that far exceeds the CRA's guidance spending cap of 35%. 

With fundraising costs of 73% and administratives costs of 2%, Breast Cancer Canada's total overhead costs are 75%. For every dollar donated, 25 cents is available to the cause. This is well outside reasonable limits. The CRA rules require that the majority of a charity's spending be charitable. Fundraising is not charity work.

Of the $18.9 million Breast Cancer Canada received in fiscal 2022, less than 1% was spent on grants to cancer research. Breast Cancer Canada gave $534,000 to cancer research and spent an additional $873,000 on its inhouse programs that raise public awareness of breast cancer.

Breast Cancer Canada has made a material reporting error in its T3010 annual filing. It reports spending $14.8 million on its charity programs and $0 on fundraising costs. Breast Cancer Canada's audited financial statement report that its fundraising costs are $13.8 million. 

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

Updated February 21, 2024 by Kate Bahen and Emily Downing. 

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending June
202220212020
Administrative costs as % of revenues 2.0%3.4%13.6%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 73.4%78.0%47.3%
Total overhead spending 75.4%81.4%60.9%
Program cost coverage (%) 286.6%169.6%96.4%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202220212020
Donations 642526296
Government funding 04241
Special events 18,2364,540915
Investment income (60)95(4)
Total revenues 18,8185,2031,248
Program costs 873364278
Grants 535306203
Administrative costs 381172170
Fundraising costs 13,8543,952573
Total spending 15,6434,7931,223
Cash flow from operations 3,17541025
Capital spending 908
Funding reserves 4,0341,135463

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 4

Avg. compensation: $104,049

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
0
$80k - $120k
0
$40k - $80k
4
< $40k
1

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2021

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

The following comment is from a previous profile (2014). Additional comments may be forthcoming. 

Inspired by one family’s search for a cure, the Breast Cancer Society of Canada’s mission is to engage in grassroots fundraising that supports patient focused research for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.  We are not the only organization funding cancer research, however, our focus and method is quite unique.  Rather than looking for specific research projects and researchers, we seek out high calibre research teams that are located in cancer treatment centers, close to the patients. We offer them managed grants to advance research projects into the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of breast cancer.  Each team has the same dream –  working together to improve the quality of life for all breast cancer patients. This team approach fosters creativity and collaboration between institutions and medical experts.   As these teams are located in cancer treatment centers there is a closer connection to the needs of the patients; researchers and clinicians work hand in hand. After all, if research does not help the patient what is the point? Our research grants are used in a variety of ways, customized by the individual team for maximum impact at their center.   The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has been doing this type of research funding since 1993. It is our hope we will be able to continue this work until breast cancer is eliminated entirely.

 

For more information please visit www.bcsc.ca.

 

Sources: 

Karen Greve-Yonge, Greg Thomson Cancer in Canada, Charity Intelligence report, April 2011: in 2006, non-pharma/non-corporate research funding to cancer research was $400 - $600 million. 

Charity Contact

Website: www.bcsc.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 519-336-0746

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001