MakeWay is a 3-star rated charity. It has average disclosure with a B grade for results reporting. Its overhead spending and need for funding are within Ci’s reasonable range, although it does not report any fundraising costs on its audited financial statements.

MakeWay is a national charity founded in 2000. It supports Indigenous-led and community groups working on environmental issues across Canada. It focuses on remote, northern, and Indigenous communities that have limited access to charitable funding.

MakeWay reports that Indigenous organizations get far less charitable funding than non-Indigenous ones. According to MakeWay, Indigenous charities in Canada receive an average of $132,000 less per year in private donations. In 2019, Indigenous charities received just $1 for every $138 given to non-Indigenous groups. MakeWay also notes a broader environmental problem. It states that 77% of Canadians think something needs to be done about climate change, and 84% are more worried about extreme weather events today than five years ago.

MakeWay runs seven programs: Shared Platform, BC Program, Northern Program, Northern Manitoba Food Culture and Community Collaborative, Cross-Regional Programs and Advisory Services, Saskatchewan Program, and Grants. In F2025, MakeWay spent $55.3m on its programs as well as $8.7m in grants made from donor-advised funds. Grants accounted for $30.9m (including a non-cash grant of $3.7m) or 56% of program spending. Grants were made through each of MakeWay’s programs.

Shared Platform was MakeWay's largest program in F2025. It accounted for $35.9m or 65% of program spending. Small community-led groups often struggle with the admin burden of running a charity. MakeWay handles payroll, accounting, tax filing, and legal compliance on their behalf. This lets groups focus on their work. In F2025, the Shared Platform hosted over 60 projects across Canada. Notable projects include summerlunch+, which has served 287,000 meals to children over a decade, and the Ontario Indigenous Youth Partnership Project, which granted $116k to 22 Indigenous youth-led groups.

The BC Program accounted for $10.5m or 19% of program spending. It grants money and provides support to Indigenous-led groups working to protect land and water in British Columbia. In F2025, the program wrapped up the Indigenous Watersheds Initiative, a three-year program that granted $12.0m to 49 First Nations-led groups across 58 sites. The program also supported over 350 jobs.

The Northern Program accounted for $3.9m or 7% of program spending in F2025. It grants money and provides support to Indigenous-led groups working on environmental and community issues. It focuses on groups in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. In F2025, MakeWay deployed over $9.0m across 15 regions.

The Northern Manitoba Food Culture and Community Collaborative accounted for $1.7m or 3% of program spending. It grants money to Indigenous and community groups working on food and cultural programs in northern Manitoba. In F2025, it ran a Winter Fishing Event for 25 youths aged 9 to 17.

Cross Regional Programs and the Saskatchewan Program accounted for the remaining $3.3m or 6% of program spending.

MakeWay consolidates its financial statements, including both MakeWay Charitable Society and MakeWay Foundation. Ci used the consolidated statements in the analysis below.

In F2025, MakeWay had total revenues of $85.6m. Donations were $67.6m or 79% of revenues. Government funding was $7.4m or 9% of revenues. MakeWay had investment income of $7.1m or 8% of revenues. MakeWay spent $55.3 on its programs and grants plus $8.7m on donor-designated grants. This was 75% of total revenues.

MakeWay reports general and administrative expenses but does not report any fundraising costs in its audited financial statements. In F2025, administrative costs were $13.1m or 17% of revenues (less investment income). For every dollar donated to the charity 83 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

In F2025, MakeWay had a surplus of $8.4m or 10% of total revenues. It spent $582k on capital expenditures. In F2025, it had $117.1m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Its funds can cover 2 years and 1 month of its annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

In F2025, MakeWay reported $10.9m in professional and consulting fees, which is 46% of total employee compensation.

Updated on June 2, 2026 by Raihan Firosh.