True North Youth Foundation is a 3-star charity. It is financially transparent and has a B- results reporting grade, which is below average. Its overhead spending is 41%, which is not within Ci’s reasonable range. Its reserve funds can cover program costs for two years and ten months, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

Founded in 1996, True North Youth Foundation (TNYF) provides educational and character-building programs to youth in Manitoba. It is the community and philanthropic branch of the Winnipeg Jets organization.

Ci's Open Letter to Canadian Donors: Our Mischaracterization of TNYF Inc.

Ci's Formal Apology to TNYF Inc.

Charity Intelligence report: Canada's Pro Sport Teams and their Charities 2018

TNYF spent $5.1m on its programs and grants in the fiscal year ending June 2024 (F2024). TNYF runs three programs: Camp Manitou, Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy, and Project 11. TNYF spent a total of $4.5m on its programs. In F2024, TNYF granted $664k to other charitable organizations.

Camp Manitou got 48% ($2.1m) of program spending in F2024. This is an all-season children’s camp that delivers outdoor programming to youth. In F2024, TNYF completed over 30,000 days of camp. The charity provided 12 cabins and 180 beds for campers.

Winnipeg Jets Hockey Academy (WJHA) got 35% ($1.6m) of program spending in F2024. This program is a partnership with various schools that provides at-risk youth the opportunity to play hockey and receive educational tutoring. It also includes mentorship, field trips, volunteer opportunities, career exploration, and post-secondary preparation. In F2024, TNYF had 20 participating schools and seven teams in WJHA Minor Hockey. These programs served 700 student athletes and 140 players in WJHA Minor Hockey.

Project 11 got 17% ($766k) of program spending in F2024. This program offers weekly lessons and daily activities to build mental health awareness and positive coping skills for students and teachers. Specifically, it targets English Language Arts and Health Education curriculums. In F2024, the charity trained 3,855 educators in Manitoba and 4,600 outside of Manitoba. It had 145 participating schools, benefitting 96,000 students in Manitoba and 115,500 outside of Manitoba.

Across all its programs, the charity has impacted 127,000 youths and collaborated with 60 corporate partners.

True North Youth Foundation’s audited financial statements follow activity-based costing, a financial reporting best practice. This means its expenses are defined between program, administrative, and fundraising costs.

TNYF received $2.5m in donations and special event fundraising in F2024, which is 30% of total revenue. This is a 17% decrease from the $3.0m in donations and special event fundraising in F2023. It got $1.3m from fees for its services, which is 16% of revenue in F2024. It spent $5.1m on its programs and grants in F2024, which is 62% of revenue; $4.5m went to programs and it granted $664k. Its top three grant recipients were CancerCare Manitoba ($77k), Movement Disorder Clinic ($60k), and U-Turn Parkinsons ($60k). TNYF recorded a surplus of $1.8m in F2024 (21% of revenue).

TNYF spent $846k on fundraising costs, which is 34% of donations. It spent $552k on administrative costs, which is 8% of revenue. TNYF has total overhead spending of 41%. For every dollar donated to TNYF, 59 cents are available to go to the cause. This is not within Ci’s reasonable range of 65-95.

TNYF had net lottery revenue of $2.7m after expenses of $5.2m. This means that for every dollar given towards the lottery, 34 cents went to the charity.

TNYF has $14.5m in reserve funds (cash and investments). TNYF can cover 284%, or two years and ten months of its annual program and grant costs with its reserve funds. This is within Ci’s reasonable range.

The charity’s total grant commitments for the next fiscal year (F2025) are $125k. As of F2024, TNYF is committed to grant annually to the Royal Canadian Air Force Association ($50k) and the Pan Am Foundation ($25k) for the next two years. It is also committed to grant to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba ($25k) and the Toba Centre for Children and Youth ($25k) for one more year.

This report is an update that has been sent to True North Youth Foundation for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on August 15, 2025, by Leah DeFrancesco.