Country Report 2020: Canada

Abstract

Data on cross-border giving are not systematically collected in Canada, but it is possible to obtain figures using other information provided. CanadaHelps, an online giving platform that facilitates donations to thousands of Canadian non-profits, collects data on individuals’ donations through its platform. Cross-border giving is measured as the percentage of total donations that go to organizations in its ‘international’ category. This category includes Canadian-based organizations supporting global causes, such as poverty eradication, disaster response and relief, and promotion of human rights (CanadaHelps, 2020). Philanthropic Foundations Canada collects data on the distribution of grant dollars and other activities by both public and private foundations in Canada, sourced from Imagine Canada’s compilation of data from the Canada Revenue Agency. A percentage of these grant dollars were allocated to international recipients and can be multiplied against total foundation grant dollars for cross-border giving (Philanthropic Foundations Canada, 2020; Philanthropic Foundations Canada, 2017).