248-67 Mowat Ave.
Toronto, ON M6K 3E3
President: Dr. Samantha Nutt
Board Chair: Michael Eizenga

Charitable Reg. #:87237 4426 RR0001

STAR RATING

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

[Charity Rating: 5/5]

✔+

FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY

Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.

B+

RESULTS REPORTING

Grade based on the charity's public reporting of the work it does and the results it achieves.

Good

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.

82%

CENTS TO THE CAUSE

For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 82 cents are available for programs.



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OVERVIEW

About War Child Canada:

War Child Canada is a 5-star charity that is financially transparent. The charity has an above-average results reporting score of B+ and reasonable overhead spending of 18%. It is rated Good for demonstrated impact per dollar spent.

Founded in 1999, War Child Canada (WCC) helps children and their families affected by conflict. The charity looks to promote peace by supporting local communities. WCC reports that it hires 99% of its staff locally. War Child International is a global network of three main charities: War Child Canada, War Child Holland, and War Child UK. The three charities share a common mission but were founded and operate independently.

War Child Canada operates in four main countries, listed below. WCC spent $18.7m on its programs in 2024.

Uganda programs received 55% ($9.7m) of international program spending in 2024. WCC states that youth unemployment is estimated at 80% in Uganda. The charity reports it placed 1,376 youths in apprenticeship programs in 2024. It also provided soft skills training to 1,618 youths. 2,297 people participated in its Accelerated Education Program. The charity awarded 138 university scholarships. WCC reports it helped a total of 8,371 people in Uganda in 2024.

Afghanistan programs received 25% ($4.4m) of international program spending in 2024. WCC states that 25% of Afghan children suffer from anxiety, ten times the global average. The charity established 30 child-friendly spaces (CFSs) in 2024. CFSs provide psychosocial support, recreational learning, and life-skills training for children. CFSs helped 1,500 children in 2024. The charity also distributed 2,542 winter kits to children. WCC reports that it reached 15,457 youths through its Multipurpose Youth Centres in 2024.

South Sudan programs received 15% ($2.6m) of international program spending in 2024. WCC reports that it established 60 savings groups in 2024. The charity reports that it provided over 5,700 people with weather information to help them adapt to climate change. It also reports it trained over 1,400 farmers on weather data collection. WCC reports its adult literacy program supported over 9,000 participants.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) received 4% ($691k) of international program spending in 2024. WCC states that violence in DRC has forced over 1.6 million children out of school. The charity supports three education centres in South Kivu. It reports these centres helped 1,073 students in 2024. It also recorded or revised 251 interactive radio instruction lessons.

The remaining 1% ($231k) of international program spending went to programs in Yemen, Sudan, and Iraq.

 

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Results and Impact

WCC reports that in Uganda, it transitioned 1,439 youths into employment. It reports this is 16% of the total youths it reached in 2024.

WCC reports that its 60 savings groups in South Sudan had around 1,500 total members. It reports that the members collectively saved over 800 million South Sudanese pounds ($8.3m CAD).

WCC reports on the results of two of its three DRC education centres. 93% of the students at the Bagira I centre and 97% of students at the Kadutu centre passed the national primary exam.

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not completely represent War Child Canada's results and impact.

Charity Intelligence has given WCC an Good impact rating based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.

Impact Rating: Good

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Finances

War Child Canada’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a best practice. This means its expenses are clearly defined between program, administrative, and fundraising categories.

In 2024 WCC received $12.6m in donations and special events fundraising and $4.7m in international donations. It also received $3.4m in government funding. Government funding is 16% of total revenue.

Administrative costs are 5% of revenues (excluding investment income). Fundraising costs are 13% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 18%. For every dollar donated, 82 cents are available to go to the cause. This falls inside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

WCC spent $18.7m on its programs in 2024 excluding donated goods used, which is 90% of its revenue excluding donated goods. In 2024 it had a deficit of $540k.

War Child Canada has $6.7m in reserve funds (cash and investments). The reserves can cover 36%, or four months of program costs.

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

Updated on July 2, 2025, by Grady Simpson.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
202420232022
Administrative costs as % of revenues 4.7%2.7%4.0%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 13.3%16.0%28.6%
Total overhead spending 18.0%18.6%32.6%
Program cost coverage (%) 36.0%45.4%27.2%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202420232022
Donations 11,3369,0164,741
International donations 4,6654,4935,761
Goods in kind 373223460
Government funding 3,4143,6943,038
Special events 1,2471,154833
Investment income 88216571
Other income (715)4,9571,676
Total revenues 21,20123,70316,579
Program costs - International 17,63715,88711,424
Program costs - Canada 1,099850841
Donated goods exp 373223425
Administrative costs 959626660
Fundraising costs 1,6721,6261,596
Other costs 00(27)
Total spending 21,74119,21314,920
Cash flow from operations (540)4,4901,659
Capital spending 200
Funding reserves 6,7427,6053,337

Note: Deferred adjustment: WCC uses deferred accounting. To show donors information on a consistent basis, Ci adjusted for these deferred revenues. This affected revenue by ($701k) in 2024, $3.4m in 2023, and $1.6m in 2022. Change in grants receivable: Ci adjusted for change in grants receivable. This affected revenue by ($207k) in 2024, $1.4m in 2023, and ($1.3m) in 2022. Unrealized gain (loss): Ci included unrealized gain (loss) on investments reported below the line. This affected revenue by $729k in 2024 and $129k in 2023. T3010: Ci reported government funding and international donations using the charity’s T3010 filing and removed these amounts from Canadian donations. Amortization: Ci included amortization reported below the line. This affected expenses by $12k in 2024, $14k in 2023, and $16k in 2022.

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 693

Avg. compensation: $13,918

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
1
$160k - $200k
2
$120k - $160k
4
$80k - $120k
3
$40k - $80k
0
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2024

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Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

No comments have been added by the charity.

Charity Contact

Website: www.warchild.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 1-866-927-2445

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Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001