Founded in 1968, Plan Canada is the Canadian branch and fundraising arm of Plan International. Plan International works to advance the rights of children and equality for girls around the world. Plan was founded during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. During World War II, it was known as Foster Parents Plan and aimed to help displaced children across Europe. As Europe recovered, Plan pivoted to focus on international development.

Plan International today is a partnership of 20 national branches that raise money for projects in more than 75 countries. Plan Canada is the second-largest partner and raises 18% of Plan International’s global revenues (Plan Germany is the largest, raising 22%). Plan Canada works to help children around the world in nine core areas: child protection, climate change, education, economic empowerment, emergencies, gender equality and inclusion, health, water and sanitation, and youth engagement. In F2020, Plan Canada funded 1,838 projects and reached 6,084,849 children across all of its programs.

In F2020, Plan Canada’s three largest programs were Maternal and Child Health, Emergencies and Food Assistance, and Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Maternal and Child Health made up 39% of total program spending in F2020. Plan Canada aims to improve health outcomes for women and girls by equipping local hospitals and raising awareness of maternal health. It reports that it reached 4,482,632 children through health and disease prevention programs in F2020. It also reached 1,022,199 children and new mothers through health education and awareness projects.

Emergencies and Food Assistance programs were 18% of program spending in F2020. During the year, Plan Canada ran 171 disaster response projects, including covid-19 relief programs. It states that it provided more than one million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the Asia-Pacific region in F2020. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it also distributed more than 440,000 food kits.

Sexual and Reproductive Health represented 13% of programs in F2020. During the year, the charity distributed 9,000 dignity kits, which included reusable sanitary pads and soap, to girls in refugee settlements. It also led monthly sessions to reduce stigma and teach both girls and boys about menstrual hygiene and sexual health.

The remaining 30% of program spending included Education (12%), Child Protection (8%), Women’s Rights (4%), Economic Security (3%), Sponsorship (3%), and Water and Sanitation (1%).

In F2020, Plan Canada spent $21.5m of its program costs in Canada (excluding amortization), or 15% of total cash program expenses. The charity states that Canadian spending includes costs of personnel, travel, and other expenses related to supporting its international programs. This spending also included costs incurred in Canada for promoting youth and public engagement in international development. Plan Canada states that it engaged 14,669 Canadian youth in its programs during the year.

Plan Canada is a Major 100 charity, one of Canada’s largest charities in terms of donations. In F2020, Plan Canada received $103.6m in Canadian donations, down from $106.2m in F2019. Around 68% of donations were for child sponsorships and 32% were general contributions. Plan Canada also received $66.5m in international donations, or 28% of revenues, and $43.5m in Canadian government funding, or 18% of revenues. In F2020, the charity received $25.5m in donated goods, such as food, bed nets, and medicine.

Administrative costs are 7% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 31% of Canadian donations. This results in total overhead spending of 38%. For every dollar donated, 62 cents go to the cause. This falls outside of Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. Plan Canada previously fell within the reasonable range in F2019. However, its fundraising expenses increased by 19% in F2020, rising from $27.2m to $32.6m.

Plan Canada has $77.9m in funding reserves, of which $3.6m is donor-endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, Plan Canada can cover 51% or over six months of annual program costs.

In F2020, Plan Canada provided $132.3m in funding to Plan International. 

Plan Canada used external fundraisers in F2020. The charity paid $16.2m to raise $46.3m through external fundraisers, at a cost of $0.35 per dollar raised.

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

Updated on May 31, 2021 by Eric Zhao.