Toronto Foundation for Student Success
STAR RATINGCi's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics: |
✔+
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Audited financial statements for current and previous years available on the charity’s website.
A+
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.
88%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 88 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Toronto Foundation for Student Success:
Toronto Foundation for Student Success is a 5-star charity with Good Demonstrated Impact. It has an A+ Results Reporting grade, which is well-above average. The charity's overhead spending and need for funding are both within Ci's reasonable range.
Founded in 1998, Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS) supports children and youth from underserved neighbourhoods in Toronto by helping remove barriers to their education. TFSS provides food, free after-school programs, eye and ear care, and emergency funds for youth in need. According to the charity, one in four children in Toronto lives in poverty and 40% of all children come to school hungry each day. That number increases to 68% in Toronto’s most at-risk neighbourhoods. TFSS states that students who don’t eat breakfast are two times more likely to be suspended, while 78% of students who eat breakfast are on track for graduation. Toronto Foundation for Student Success runs two main programs: Student Nutrition and Beyond 3:30. In fiscal 2024 (year ending July), TFSS spent $28.8m on its programs.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 Impact: Canadian Youth Charities.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity.
The Student Nutrition program received 89% ($25.6m) of program costs in F2024. This program partners with schools to provide food to children in need. TFSS supports 829 Student Nutrition Programs across Toronto. In F2024, TFSS served a total of 31,064,752 meals to 224,203 students. A typical meal contains one vegetable or fruit, one protein, and one whole grain food. The Student Nutrition spending also covers the charity’s Nutrition Pantry program which delivers shelf-stable foods directly to elementary and secondary schools. In F2024 it added 23 schools, now serving 193 total schools. The Nutrition Pantry Program provided a total of 1,806,822 meals to 65,048 students. The value of food delivered to students in this program was $3.9m in F2024.
The Beyond 3:30 program received 7% ($2.0m) of program costs in F2024. This program gives children between the ages of 8 and 14 a safe place for tutoring and extra-curricular activities. The charity offers nutrition, sports, homework, financial literacy, and arts programs. In F2024, 1,299 students registered in Beyond 3:30. The program also provided 70,873 hours of academic support, 3,500 hours of physical activity, and ran 25 programs in 20 different schools.
The remaining 4% ($1.1m) of program costs went toward the charity’s Vision and Hearing, Emergency Fund, and Sight Initiative programs.
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Results and Impact
Toronto Foundation for Student Success’ Student Nutrition program delivered 31,064,752 meals to 224,203 students across 623 schools/community sites. The pantry program supplied 1,806,822 meals to 65,048 students across 193 schools.
Using the charity’s Nutrition program costs and pro-rated admin and fundraising costs for a total of $27.3m, it cost the charity 88 cents per meal provided and $121 per unique student served in F2024.
The Toronto District School Board and TFSS did a survey on participants and parents of its Beyond 3:30 (B3:30) program. The charity surveyed parents of children in grades 3-5 and grades 6-8. The survey found that parents believed B3:30 had a positive impact on their child’s:
Level of participation in school: 95% grades 3-5, 93% grades 6-8
Study habits and attitudes toward learning: 95% grades 3-5, 96% grades 6-8
Ability to complete schoolwork: 90% grades 3-5, 96% grades 6-8
Improved grades: 93% grades 3-5, 100% grades 6-8.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Toronto Foundation for Student Success’ results and impact.
Charity Intelligence has rated Toronto Foundation for Student Success as having Good impact based on demonstrated impact per dollar spent.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 10 Impact: Canadian Youth Charities.
Impact Rating: Good
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Finances
Toronto Foundation for Student Success received $6.5m in donations in F2024 (24% of revenue) and $18.0m in government funding (66% of revenue). The charity spent $28.8m on its programs, which is 111% of cash revenue. TFSS recorded a deficit of $4.1m, meaning it drew on its reserves to fund its operations in F2024.
TFSS spent $436k on fundraising, which is 7% of donations, and $1.4m on administration, which is 6% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 12%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 88 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.
TFSS has $15.2m in reserve funds (cash and investments). These reserves can cover 53%, or six months of the charity’s annual program costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
This charity report is an update that has been sent to Toronto Foundation for Student Success for review.
Updated on May 27, 2025, by Liam Chapleau.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending July
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 5.6% | 3.0% | 2.9% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 6.7% | 2.0% | 0.9% |
| Total overhead spending | 12.3% | 5.0% | 3.7% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 52.9% | 64.2% | 49.2% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 6,511 | 8,818 | 7,278 |
| Goods in kind | 1,155 | 383 | 326 |
| Government funding | 18,003 | 28,196 | 24,999 |
| Fees for service | 86 | 1 | 0 |
| Investment income | 1,411 | 936 | 57 |
| Total revenues | 27,165 | 38,333 | 32,660 |
| Program costs | 25,376 | 27,966 | 24,452 |
| Grants | 3,417 | 2,742 | 3,676 |
| Donated goods exp | 605 | 383 | 326 |
| Administrative costs | 1,443 | 1,124 | 936 |
| Fundraising costs | 436 | 180 | 64 |
| Total spending | 31,276 | 32,395 | 29,453 |
| Cash flow from operations | (4,111) | 5,938 | 3,207 |
| Capital spending | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 15,229 | 19,720 | 13,834 |
Note: 1. Deferred Revenue: Ci adjusted for deferred revenue within both donations and government funding. This was ($4.8m) in F2024, $5.4m in F2023, and $3.1m in F2022. 2. Contributed Capital Assets: Ci moved contributed capital assets from donations into donated goods in kind. This was $550k in F2024 only. 3. Donated Goods in Kind: Ci treated donated goods in kind as a flow-through and removed the amount of donated goods from program costs. This was $605k in F2024, $383k in F2023, and $326k in F2022.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
1 |
$200k - $250k |
0 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
4 |
$80k - $120k |
6 |
$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:
Charity Contact
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