The Kinsmen Foundation's fundraiser Telemiracle raises millions of dollars in donations each year. Yet little information is provided about how these donations are spent. Kinsmen Foundation is a 0-star rated charity.

Founded in 1971, Kinsmen Foundation works to improve the quality of life of people in Saskatchewan by raising money to purchase medical equipment and fund medical travel expenses. Grants for equipment may be awarded to individuals or care homes for people with special needs, with past purchases including walkers, accessories to make vehicles more accessible, wheelchairs, specialized bathtubs, and systems to lift people. The charity notes that people traveling out of province for organ transplants can receive more than $20,000 from Kinsmen Foundation to subsidize their travel, food, and accommodation expenses.

Kinsmen Foundation raises money through Telemiracle, an annual 20-hour talent show and telethon. The Foundation reports that in the 45 years since the first Telemiracle in 1977, the event has raised more than $145 million. Kinsmen Foundation reported that $5.5m was raised through Telemiracle in F2020. The charity did not provide information for the Telemiracle held in F2021.

Of the total $3.4m Kinsmen Foundation granted in F2021 (including $640k not dispersed by year-end), which is down $1.4m since F2019, $740k is outlined in the Foundation’s T3010 filing with the CRA. These grants were awarded to other registered charities in Saskatchewan, with the largest grants received by St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation ($300k), Saskatchewan Prevention Institute ($120k), Royal University Foundation ($100k) and Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan ($100k). The charity does not report on the remaining $2.7m in grants.

Charity Intelligence has scored Kinsmen Foundation as a zero in financial transparency because the charity has failed to provide full financial statements when requested. The financial analysis completed by Charity Intelligence uses the most recent financial statements available to Ci, from the CRA, at the time of writing this report.

Kinsmen Foundation received donations of $6.4m in F2021, an increase of $1.1m from F2020 ($5.3m). Administrative costs are 11% of revenues less investment income, and fundraising costs are 18% of donations. For every dollar donated, 71 cents go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Kinsmen Foundation has $12.6m in funding reserves, of which $39k is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the foundation could grant for 4.4 years at the F2021 level using reserves.

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

Updated on May 24, 2022 by Angelina Curwin.