Heads Up

Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation - February 2025

Registered as a charity in August 2013, based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation says it recognizes the need to help support active duty emergency responders, and also to support and never forget the families and children of those emergency responders that died in the line of service or by suicide.

But here's some additional information you may find helpful.

• In 2023, Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation raised $1.198 million from Canadian donors and spent $56,717 on its charity programs. That's only 6%.
• In contrast, it spent $685,525 on fundraising. Its filing shows that it pays external fundraisers (most likely telemarketers) to make phone calls to raise money. 
• Canadian charity rules state that charities must spend most on charity programs. Not sure what's going on here. It is not a one-year blip but an ongoing trend at Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation since 2020.

This information comes from the annual filings Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation submitted to the CRA Charities Directorate. You can check for yourself here. Its website domain has expired so no additional information was found. 

Thanks, Don W for your public service.

Ci Tip: Please, always be extra, extra careful about giving money to charities over the telephone. Always give yourself time to do your homework. 

Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association - August 2024

Registered as a charity in June 1985, Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association seeks a Canada where Canadians with cerebral palsy and related disabilities have access to and are inspired to achieve personal excellence and embrace lifelong participation in sport and physical activity. It also seeks for Canada to be a leading nation in boccia. That’s right. CCPSA is also the national sports organization for boccia.  Its charity registration number is 13318 0596 RR0001.

Here’s some other information you may find helpful:

• Two Canadians from vast distances apart contacted Charity Intelligence with questions. One received an official-looking “pledge form” in the mail, asking for a payment to honour a pledged donation. Except the donor had made no such pledge.
• The other donor got a telephone call from a CCPSA “representative”(telemarketer?) asking for a donation. The person on the phone said that 100% of the donation would go to CCPSA. Yet according to CCPSA’s filings with the Charities Directorate, only 47% of donations go to CCPSA after its external fundraisers/telemarketers are paid. In fiscal 2024, CCPSA paid $484,004 to external fundraisers who raised $849,285 in donations (see Section C, Question C7).

This information comes from Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association's annual filings with the CRA Charities Directorate.

Thanks Ray M and Cheryl H for your public service.