United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington

417 Bagot street
Kingston, ON K7K 3C1
CEO: Bhavana Varma
Board Chair: Mary C. Rae

Charitable Reg. #:12597 8270 RR0001

STAR RATING

Ci's Star Rating is calculated based on the following independent metrics:

[Charity Rating: 4/5]

✔+

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.



My anchor

OVERVIEW

About United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington:

United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington is a 4-star charity. It is financially transparent and has an A- results reporting grade, which is above average. Its overhead spending is 22%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for one year and one month, which is also within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 1941, United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (UWKFLA) grants funds to local charities that aim to reduce poverty, improve mental health, provide resources to children, and combat social issues. It reports there has been a 90% increase in food bank use in Canada. It states 35% of Canadians with mobility challenges experience high levels of social isolation and loneliness. It also reports three in ten parents and guardians cannot afford for their kids to participate in after-school programs and activities.

UWKFLA spent $5.4m on its programs and grants in 2024 as well as $352k in donor-designated grants. UWKFLA grants three program areas: Moving People from Poverty to Possibility, Building Strong and Healthy Communities, and Helping Kids Be All They Can Be. In 2024, its funding served 68,530 individuals: 64,566 in Kingston and Frontenac, and 3,964 in Lennox and Addington.  

Moving People from Poverty to Possibility got 53% of funding in 2024. These programs aim to reduce the impact of poverty and improve access to shelter and affordable housing. In 2024, UWKFLA provided grants to 52 programs and 19 agencies, which served 13,903 people. The food programs it supported served 712,203 meals. In 2024, the programs it funded connected 1,283 individuals experiencing homelessness to community supports.

Building Strong and Healthy Communities got 34% of funding in 2024. These programs aim to connect disabled people with the supports they need, improve mental health, and increase personal safety for sexual assault victims. In 2024, UWKFLA provided grants to 51 programs and 31 agencies, which served 31,929 people. The programs it funded gave support to 3,532 individuals living with physical, sensory or pain-related disabilities. Its funding also allowed 2,721 people access to affordable and culturally appropriate counselling aimed for sexual assault survivors.

Helping Kids Be All They Can Be got 13% of funding in 2024. These programs aim to give children opportunities and resources to reach their fullest potential. These opportunities and resources include nutritious meals, counselling, and after-school programming. In 2024, UWKFLA provided grants to 13 programs and eight agencies, which served 22,698 children and youth. The programs it funded gave 500,000 nutritious snacks and meals to students in JK to grade 12. Its funding gave 323 youths specialized treatment and counselling supports for substance use and addictions issues.

My anchor

Results and Impact

In 2024, United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington allowed 382 women and children to leave violent and abusive relationships through its funding that gave access to safe emergency shelter and supports.

UWKFLA had a five-year initiative that focuses on reducing youth homelessness in Kingston that began in 2014. While it is not reported whether overall homelessness was reduced, between 2014 and 2019 there was a 15% increase in youth staying ten days or less in a homeless shelter, a 10% decrease in youth staying 11-30 days, a 5% decrease in youth staying 31-60 days, and a 4% increase in youth staying 61-90 days. 

Ci has not calculated UWKFLA’s impact. This shows as n/r and does not affect the star rating.

While Ci highlights these key results, they may not completely represent UWKFLA’s results and impact.

My anchor

Finances

United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington’s financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means the charity provides a breakdown of program, administrative, and fundraising costs.

UWKFLA received $4.2m in donations and special event fundraising in 2024, which is 67% of total revenue. In 2024, it received $1.7m in government funding, which is 28% of revenue. This is a 37% decrease from the $2.7m government funding in 2023. UWKFLA spent $5.4m on its programs and grants in 2024, which is 86% of revenue (excluding donor-designated grants). In 2024, it recorded a deficit of $428k.

UWKFLA spent $790k on fundraising costs, which is 19% of donations. It spent $188k on administrative costs, which is 3% of revenue. UWKFLA has total overhead spending of 22%. For every dollar donated to UWKFLA, 78 cents are available to go to the cause. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

UWKFLA has $6.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments). Its reserve funds can cover 112% or one year and one month of its annual program and grant costs. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

This report is an update that has been sent to United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 17, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.

Financial Review


Financial Ratios

Fiscal year ending December
202420232022
Administrative costs as % of revenues 3.3%3.4%3.4%
Fundraising costs as % of donations 18.8%20.2%17.9%
Total overhead spending 22.1%23.7%21.2%
Program cost coverage (%) 112.2%107.2%115.4%

Summary Financial Statements

All figures in $000s
202420232022
Donations 4,0483,9353,962
Government funding 1,7272,7491,798
Business activities (net) 123
Special events 1494658
Investment income 580452(410)
Other income (251)(157)467
Total revenues 6,2547,0275,878
Program costs 8681,7691,254
Grants 4,4844,2214,412
Donor-designated donations 352407416
Administrative costs 188225212
Fundraising costs 790806718
Total spending 6,6817,4287,012
Cash flow from operations (428)(401)(1,133)
Capital spending 4814
Funding reserves 6,0036,4236,540

Note: 1. Ci has reported admin costs as the general and administrative costs allocated to programs. 2. Ci adjusted for deferred contributions, which affected revenue by ($251k) in 2024, ($157k) in 2023, and $467k in 2022. 3. Ci included changes in investment income, affecting total revenue by $362k in 2024, $280k in 2023, and ($519k) in 2022. 4. Ci adjusted for grants payable, affecting total expenses by $419k in 2024, ($332k) in 2023, and ($221k) in 2022. 5. Ci included income from joint ventures in business activities, affecting total revenues by $871 in 2024, $2k in 2023, and $3k in 2022. 6. Ci included endowment contributions, affecting total revenues by ($nil) in 2024, $8k in 2023 and $2k in 2022. 

Salary Information

Full-time staff: 18

Avg. compensation: $81,071

Top 10 staff salary range:

$350k +
0
$300k - $350k
0
$250k - $300k
0
$200k - $250k
0
$160k - $200k
1
$120k - $160k
1
$80k - $120k
1
$40k - $80k
7
< $40k
0

Information from most recent CRA Charities Directorate filings for F2023

My anchor

Comments & Contact

Comments added by the Charity:

No comments have been added by the charity.

Charity Contact

Website: www.unitedwaykfla.ca
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel: 613.542.3166

Print  
Image

Charity Intelligence researches Canadian charities for donors to be informed and give intelligently. Our website posts free reports on more than 800 Canadian charities, as well as in-depth primers on philanthropic sectors like Canada’s environment, cancer, and homelessness. Today over 500,000 Canadians use our website as a go-to source for information on Canadian charities reading over 1.6 million charity reports. Through rigorous and independent research, Charity Intelligence aims to assist Canada’s dynamic charitable sector in being more transparent, accountable and focused on results.

 

Be Informed. Give Intelligently. Have Impact

 

Charitable Registration Number: 80340 7956 RR0001