Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
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.
n/r
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.
78%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 78 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society:
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is a 4-star rated charity. It has an A- Results Reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending and need for funding are both within Ci's reasonable range.
Founded in 1963, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) works to protect Canada’s land, freshwater, and oceans. Its main goal is to help Canada protect 30% of its land and oceans by 2030, with the ultimate goal of 50%. CPAWS states that at least 30% to 70% of land and ocean systems need protection to sustain vital ecosystems. CPAWS consists of a national office in Ottawa and 13 regional chapters. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society runs two main programs: Conservation and Conservation Awareness. CPAWS spent $12.8m on its programs.
A Charity Intelligence 2024 Top 100 Rated Charity
Conservation: Conservation programs represented 94% ($12.1m) of program spending in F2024. CPAWS works with government agencies to protect Canadian wildlife, parks, and oceans, and prevent climate change. In F2024, CPAWS supporters sent over 3,000 letters to government officials demanding 30% of Canada’s land and oceans be protected by 2030. CPAWS supporters also sent over 2,200 letters requesting the government of Canada to draft a strategic plan for nature. The charity’s Executive Director, Sandra Schwartz, presented Bill S-14 to the Senate Committee. Bill S-14 enables the expansion, creation, and management of national parks, national urban parks, and national marine conservation areas. In F2024, CPAWS developed a report that graded each province and territory on its progress to protect 30% of its land and water.
Awareness: Awareness programs made up 6% ($819k) of program spending in F2024. CPAWS produced two video tributes related to its involvement in COP 15 and IMPAC5. COP15 is an international biodiversity conference held under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. IMPAC5 is the fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress.
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Results and Impact
The government of Nova Scotia protected the Archibald Lake Wilderness Area after CPAWS campaigned for its protection. This area is home to 37 rare species and seven endangered species.
In F2024, the First Nations Leadership Council and governments of British Columbia and Canada signed an agreement that will provide $1 billion in government funding to permanently protect 1.3 million hectares of old-growth forests in British Columbia.
In F2024, CPAWS met with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland to recommend increased funding to support Canada’s commitments on nature. The charity reports that some of its key priorities were included in the 2024 budget.
While Ci highlights these key results, they may not be a complete representation of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s results and impact.
This charity is not yet rated on impact. This shows as n/r and does not affect its star rating.
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Finances
Ci consolidated the financial statements of Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and its associated foundation.
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society received $6.0m in Canadian donations and $3.9m in international donations. The charity also received $5.4m in government funding, representing 35% of revenue. CPAWS spent $12.8m on its programs, which is 83% of revenue, and recorded a surplus of $309k.
CPAWS spent $750k on fundraising, which is 12% of donations, and $1.5m on administration, which is 10% of revenue (excluding investment income). Total overhead spending is 22%. For every dollar donated to the charity, 78 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
CPAWS has $17.6m in reserve funds (cash and investments), of which, $3.5m is donor endowed. Excluding donor-endowed funds, the charity’s reserves can cover annual program costs for 1 year and 1 month. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.
CPAWS uses external fundraisers. Its T3010 filing with the CRA only reports the amount paid to fundraisers, but not the amount collected. This is a mandatory filing. In F2024, CPAWS paid $63k to external fundraisers.
This charity report has been sent to Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society for review.
Updated on June 2, 2025 by Liam Chapleau.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 9.9% | 9.1% | 7.7% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 12.4% | 11.0% | 10.4% |
| Total overhead spending | 22.3% | 20.1% | 18.1% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 111.0% | 118.5% | 158.7% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 6,035 | 6,180 | 5,913 |
| International donations | 3,852 | 4,029 | 3,107 |
| Government funding | 5,443 | 3,825 | 2,117 |
| Investment income | 336 | 1,446 | (34) |
| Other income | (285) | 1,120 | 2,942 |
| Total revenues | 15,380 | 16,600 | 14,044 |
| Program costs | 10,649 | 10,450 | 7,083 |
| Grants | 2,184 | 2,128 | 1,500 |
| Administrative costs | 1,488 | 1,378 | 1,077 |
| Fundraising costs | 750 | 680 | 618 |
| Total spending | 15,071 | 14,636 | 10,278 |
| Cash flow from operations | 309 | 1,964 | 3,766 |
| Capital spending | 56 | 49 | 26 |
| Funding reserves | 17,557 | 18,195 | 16,826 |
Note: 1. Consolidation: Ci removed transfers between the operating charity and the foundation. This affected revenue and expenses by ($92k) in F2024, ($46k) in F2023, and ($31k) in F2022. 2. Deferred Revenue: Ci reported deferred revenue within other revenue, which was ($1.2m) in F2024, $843k in F2023, and $2.6m in F2022. 3. Subsidiary: Ci included the loss / gain on investment in subsidiary, which was $321k in F2024, $1.3m in F2023, and ($289k) in F2022. 4. International Donations: Ci reported international donations from the charity’s T3010 filing with the CRA. This amount was removed from Canadian donations.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
0 |
$250k - $300k |
0 |
$200k - $250k |
1 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
3 |
$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
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 613-569-7226