Doctors Without Borders Canada is a top-rated, 5-star charity. It has High impact and is a Top International Impact charity. Doctors Without Borders is consistently one of Charity Intelligence's top pick charities in emergency situations and crisis response, with a great track record in speed, effectiveness and reporting. 

Founded in 1971, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is one of the world's largest international aid charities. It aims to provide medical care around the world in regions where it’s required and of limited availability. It has 24 national offices that work in more than 75 countries. MSF’s charter states that the charity provides assistance based on need, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, or political affiliation.

Doctors Without Borders Canada (MSF Canada) is the Canadian branch of MSF. In F2023, MSF Canada spent $97.8m on programs, including $81.7 million on international programs and $16.1 million spent in Canada.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 International Aid Impact Charity.

A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.

MSF Canada's F2023 annual report has not been released at the time of writing, so Ci has used the reporting of MSF International to report the following information. 

MSF International provides a breakdown of activities by country. The five program areas receiving the most funding in F2023 were Africa, Asia, America, Europe, and Oceana.

In F2023, MSF International spent €866 million in programs in Africa, accounting for 58% of  MSF International's total program spending. The Democratic Republic of Congo received the most funding of all countries in Africa, receiving €139 million.  In the Democratic Republic of Congo, MSF International provided 2.6 million outpatient consultations and vaccinated 1.5 million people against measles in response to an outbreak. It treated 780k cases of malaria and is providing care to 1.4k people with advanced HIV.

Its next largest program area was Asia, receiving €439 million, 30% of MSF International’s program spending. Yemen received the most funding (€110 million). In Yemen, MSF provided 497k outpatient consultations and assisted with 37k births. It provided 12k individual mental health consultations, treated 13k people for measles, and admitted 12k children to inpatient feeding programs.

MSF International’s programs in America received €98 million in funding, accounting for 7% of overall program spending. Haiti received the most funding out of all American program areas, receiving €50 million. In Haiti, MSF facilitated 38k emergency room consultations, treated 5,780 people for intentional physical violence, and assisted with 1,420 total deliveries.

MSF International’s programs in Europe received €61 million, accounting for 4% of its overall program spending. Its programs in Ukraine received the most funding, receiving €31 million. In Ukraine, MSF International offered 167k outpatient consultations, 22k individual mental health consultations, and evacuated 1,300 patients.

The remaining program spending was in Oceana (0.3%) or was unable to be directly attributed to any one program (1%).

MSF Canada is a Major 100 charity, one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations, with $98.0m in donations in F2023. It also received $15.1m in government funding, making up 12% of revenues.

Administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 17% of donations. This results in a total overhead spending of 20%. For every dollar donated, 80 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending.

Doctors Without Borders Canada has reserve funds of $24.2m. This is enough to cover program spending at F2023 levels for just under three months.

MSF Canada used external fundraisers. In F2023, it paid external fundraisers $8.8m to raise $30.6m at a cost of $0.29 per dollar raised.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Doctors Without Borders for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 19, 2024 by Ben Dobozy