We are now an incorporated charity in Canada

 After a few false starts and broken promises we have finally attained the blessings of the CRA towards being a fully fledged Charity in Canada.

Starting with the registration of our Non-Profit Corporation in Ontario last year being effective from the 27th of July, 2022 we proceeded to register with the CRA.  I downloaded the forms as the website was having some difficulties and mailed them in only to find out a few months later that they had gone to the wrong address and the forms submitted were outdated!

I renewed my efforts to apply online and finally was successful in December.  The confirmatory email I got back warned me that the average time to have all the documents scrutinized and finalized could take up to 6 months so I sat back for the wait.

Two months later I got a call from an agent assigned to my application that we needed to change some of the wording of our Purposes to slightly broaden the scope of our work from the very narrow definition I had supplied.  Doing so required me to file an Amendment to our Articles of Incorporation with ended up taking almost two weeks.  Another two weeks later after back and forth with a very patient and accommodating agent, who helped me sort out my profile which was not informing me of important updates to my application, I finally received word on March 11, 2023 that our application was successful as of March 6, 2023 but it wasn't until today that I finally received the official documentation confirming our Charitable Status with CRA.

Our Business number with CRA is: 712759703RR0001

After reading through the documentation provided by the CRA, I discovered that we were designated as a Private Foundation since more than 50% of our board is not at 'arms length'.  This restricts our ability to raise funds from the public and after consulting with the CRA agent assigned to our application, we have decided to restructure the board and apply for redesignation as a Charitable Organization.  Although the scrutiny is higher for Charitable Organizations, the restrictions on fund raising and operating a business are less and so are the opportunities for gaining access to grant funding.

However, as it stands, we are eligible to issue tax receipts for donations.  Due to the paperwork involved we have decided to issue receipts for donations of $50 and more, leaving those who wish to donate less than $50 to use the facility of the Canada Helps website which automates the receipting process for a small percentage fee.

You can make any sized donation via Canada Helps but due to their fee structure, we would prefer that larger donations come directly to us either via an e-transfer or cheque.  However all the methods of donation are listed on our website DONATE page.