Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation is a 3-star charity. The charity has a A- Results Reporting Grade, which is above average. The charity's reserves can cover its annual program costs for eight years. For every dollar donated to the charity, 77 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 1988, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation (CAMH Foundation) is the fundraising arm for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto, Ontario. CAMH is the largest mental health and addiction hospital in Canada. The charity reports that around 450 million people across the globe struggle with mental illness, making it the leading cause of disability worldwide. It reports that one in five Canadians experience mental illness. According to CAMH Foundation, 4,000 Canadians per year die by suicide, an average of almost 11 suicides per day.

The charity grants to CAMH in five main areas: Research, Capital and Redevelopment, Programs, Education, and Public Awareness. In F2024 it also distributed grants to other charities. CAMH Foundation reports it granted $69.3m in F2024. Based on actual cash spending, Ci calculates that the charity granted $39.9m in F2024.

Capital and Equipment represented 63% of grants in F2024. CAMH is amid a 25-year redevelopment plan. The charity is in the fourth and final phase. The fourth phase will build three new CAMH buildings, two focused on patient care and one focused on research. The patient care buildings, also known as the McCain Complex Care and Recovery Building, and the CAMH Crisis and Critical Care Building, will provide inpatient and outpatient services and a 24/7 emergency department. These buildings are expected to be completed by Q2 2027. The two new buildings will span 600 square feet and will feature 235 inpatient beds, a 300-seat auditorium, and a therapeutic neighbourhood for patients. The research centre, also called the Temetry Discovery Centre, will house 1,400 research staff. The charity has yet to break ground on the research centre.

Research represented 30% of grants in F2024. The foundation funds mental health research in three areas: brain science, policy and prevention, and personalized care. In F2024, the charity highlighted research breakthroughs in drug development for postpartum blues, drug development to treat MS patients, and slowing alzheimer’s and dementia cognitive decline. In F2024, CAMH published 1,014 articles in peer-reviewed journals. CAMH reports it has 2,325 global research collaborations in 193 countries.

Hospital Programs represented 6% of grants in F2024. CAMH offers a wide variety of clinical care services to patients including medical assessments, brief interventions, inpatient programs, outpatient programs, day hospital services, continuing care, and family support. In F2024, CAMH led the launch of Canada’s 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline. In F2024, CAMH recorded over 16,000 emergency department visits, 13,500 psychotherapy sessions, 83,000 virtual care visits, and 8,000 rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) appointments. CAMH treated 40,405 patients in F2024.

The remaining amount of grants is dispersed to other qualified donees (<1%), Education (1%), and Public Awareness (<1%). Other qualified donees include The Hospital for Sick Children Foundation, University of Toronto, and Workman Arts.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation is a major 100 charity, one of Canada’s largest in terms of donations. In F2024, it received $94.6m in donations and special events revenue in F2024, a 50% increase compared to F2023. CAMH Foundation spent $39.9m on its grants, which is 34% of revenue. In F2024, the charity recorded a surplus of $57.0m, which is 48% of revenue.

CAMH Foundation reports administrative and fundraising costs combined. Fundraising and administrative costs are 23% of revenue. For every dollar donated to the charity, 77 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

CAMH Foundation has $334.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments), a 21% increase compared to $276.7m in F2023. The charity has $26.6m in donor-endowed funds. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover 797%, or just under eight years of its annual program costs.

CAMH Foundation’s $311.0m in investments returned $24.6m, at a return of 9%. Over the past 13 years, the charity's investments returned an average of 4%.  

CAMH Foundation paid external fundraisers $3.4m to raise $6.1m. The cost to raise a dollar using external fundraisers is 55 cents. It is likely cheaper to donate to CAMH Foundation through its website than through external fundraisers.

As of F2024, CAMH’s financial statements no longer disclose the organization that performed the audit.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to CAMH Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 19, 2024 by Liam Chapleau.