Calgary Health Foundation
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.
B-
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.
58%
CENTS TO THE CAUSE
For a dollar donated, after overhead costs of fundraising and admin/management (excluding surplus) 58 cents are available for programs.
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OVERVIEW
About Calgary Health Foundation:
Calgary Health Foundation is a 2-star charity. It is financially transparent and has a B- results reporting grade, which is below average. Its overhead spending is 42%, which is not within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for more than nine years, which is above Ci’s reasonable range.
Founded in 1996, Calgary Health Foundation (CHF) fundraises for various hospitals and health centres in Calgary, Alberta. Its funds go to Alberta Health Services (AHS), which is the province-wide health authority in Alberta. AHS distributes the funding across Foothills Medical Centre, Peter Lougheed Centre, Rockyview General Hospital, South Health Campus, Carewest Care Centres, and other community health centres in Calgary. It also funds research at the University of Calgary. The money it raises pays for health projects, patient care, wellness, and medical research.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025 (F2025), CHF granted $20.7m. The charity funds three main areas: Capital Projects and Equipment; Programs, Education and Other Organizations; and Research.
Capital Projects and Equipment got 52% ($10.7m) of grants in F2025. These grants aim to equip hospital staff with the necessary technology to deliver quality patient care. In F2025, CHF supported the purchase of three Hamilton T1 transport ventilators and a lung simulation mannequin. This equipment helps ventilation for patients who need air transport from their home to acute care sites. It also helped fund MitraClip technology, which makes it easier for patients to undergo open-heart surgery.
Programs, Education and Other Organizations got 31% ($6.5m) of grants in F2025. These grants aim to enhance wellness through therapy programs and to improve staff and public education of health issues. CHF also funds hospital programs not related to major capital expenditures. In F2025, CHF hosted a Women’s Health Symposium event on International Women’s Day to promote women’s health education, which had over 300 attendees.
Research got 17% ($3.5m) of grants in F2025. These grants fund research at the University of Calgary to progress medical care. In F2025, CHF funded the Calgary Endoscopic Spine Surgery, Research, and Advancement (CESSRA) program. This research initiative aims to reduce the impact on spine surgery patients.
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Results and Impact
In F2025, the CESSRA program that Calgary Health Foundation funds found that with an endoscope, a long thin flexible tube with a camera on the end, doctors can access the affected areas in the spine without disrupting any other anatomy. It allows surgeons to make an eight-millimetre incision instead of a two to five-centimetre incision used in traditional spine surgery.
While Ci highlights this key result, it may not completely represent CHF’s results and impact.
Ci has not calculated CHF’s impact. This shows as n/r and does not affect the star rating.
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Finances
CHF received $17.0m in donations and special event fundraising in F2025, which is 33% of total revenue. This is a 96% increase from the $8.7m in F2024. In F2025, it earned $12.9m in investment income, which is 25% of revenue. The charity granted $20.7m in F2025. It granted $17.3m to Alberta Health Services and $3.5m to the University of Calgary. CHF recorded a surplus of $21.1m (40% of revenue) in F2025.
CHF spent $4.7m on fundraising costs, which is 28% of donations. It spent $5.5m on administrative costs, which is 14% of revenue. CHF has total overhead spending of 42%. For every dollar donated to CHF, 58 cents are available to go to the cause. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of 65-95.
CHF had net lottery revenue of $14.3m after expenses of $21.3m. This means that for every dollar given towards the lottery, 40 cents went to the charity.
CHF has $212.8m in reserve funds (cash and investments). It has donor endowments of $28.4m. Excluding donor-endowed funds, CHF’s reserve funds can cover 955% or over nine and a half years of its annual grant costs. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of three years or less.
In F2025, Calgary Health Foundation had investment returns of 6%. It is 45% invested in cash. Its investment returns have averaged 6% over the last five years.
For the next fiscal year (F2026), CHF has contractual obligations of $29.9m; $16.9m for funding obligations, $12.4m for lottery prizes, and $555k for operating leases. The charity’s funding obligations include approved projects but do not disclose what these projects entail.
This report is an update that has been sent to Calgary Health Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.
Updated on July 17, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.
Financial Review
Fiscal year ending March
|
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative costs as % of revenues | 14.2% | 11.2% | 9.6% |
| Fundraising costs as % of donations | 27.7% | 65.4% | 52.2% |
| Total overhead spending | 41.8% | 76.6% | 61.8% |
| Program cost coverage (%) | 955.3% | 1,161.3% | 985.1% |
Summary Financial StatementsAll figures in $000s |
2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 16,390 | 8,214 | 9,768 |
| Goods in kind | 431 | 428 | 427 |
| Government funding | 5,298 | (5,338) | 24 |
| Lotteries (net) | 14,341 | 13,797 | 14,321 |
| Special events | 659 | 497 | 953 |
| Investment income | 12,907 | 14,554 | 1,924 |
| Other income | 2,055 | 2,344 | (3,035) |
| Total revenues | 52,081 | 34,497 | 24,383 |
| Grants | 20,722 | 15,738 | 17,159 |
| Donated goods exp | 10 | 5 | 40 |
| Administrative costs | 5,548 | 2,234 | 2,152 |
| Fundraising costs | 4,715 | 5,698 | 5,601 |
| Total spending | 30,996 | 23,674 | 24,952 |
| Cash flow from operations | 21,086 | 10,823 | (569) |
| Capital spending | 609 | 0 | 0 |
| Funding reserves | 212,760 | 192,688 | 181,479 |
Note: 1. Ci included lottery expenses net of lottery revenue, affecting revenue and expenses by ($21.3m) in F2025, ($19.6m) in F2024, and ($21.1m) in F2023. 2. Ci adjusted for grants payable, affecting expenses by ($5.3m) in F2025, ($235k) in F2024, and $1.9m in F2023. 3. Ci adjusted for deferred revenue, affecting revenue by $2.0m in F2025, $2.3m in F2024, and ($3.1m) in F2023. 4. Ci included unrealized gains (loss) on investments, affecting revenue by ($1.6m) in F2025, $7.1m, in F2024, and ($4.1m) in F2023. 5. Ci included investment management fees net of investment income, affecting revenue and expenses by ($445k) in F2025, ($337k) in F2024, and ($367k) in F2023. 6. Ci adjusted for government grants receivable, affecting revenue by $298k in F2025, ($5.3m) in F2024, and ($nil) in F2023.
Salary Information
$350k + |
0 |
$300k - $350k |
1 |
$250k - $300k |
1 |
$200k - $250k |
3 |
$160k - $200k |
0 |
$120k - $160k |
5 |
$80k - $120k |
0 |
$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
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