Book Clubs for Inmates Inc./ Circles de livres pour detenues Inc.
Charitable organization · Toronto, Ontario · BN 804170009RR0001 · Support of Schools and Education · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-12-31. Split of total expenditures ($2,031,437) as filed with the CRA.
Book Clubs for Inmates Inc./ Circles de livres pour detenues Inc. is a charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario, classified by the CRA under support of schools and education. In its fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, it reported $2M in revenue and $2M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 82% from donations, 16% from other charities. In 2024, 18 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $249K.
Compared with 632 education charities of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 65% of peers. Its fundraising cost per donated dollar was lower than 96% of that peer group. Its highest-paid positions fell in the $40,000–79,999 range (2 positions in that band). The charity reported 2 permanent full-time positions.
It reported gifts to 56 qualified donees totalling $1.6M in 2024, the largest being $118K to Federal Penitentiary - Stoney Mountain Institution. Revenue has grown substantially over its filings on record here, from $221K in 2020 to $2M in 2024. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 5 names.
In its own words
Establishing book clubs for inmates of federal penitentiaries to enhance the education of inmates and improve their chances of success upon release. The book club offer intellectual stimulation to inmates in an environment with limited choices. Children of inmates reading program (chirp) to build and enhance a healthier parent/child relationship develop literacy and listening skills increase vocabulary and attention spans for children and promote a love of learning in children through the consistent presence of a parent and books.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2M | $2M | $207K | $3,361 | $1.6M | $458K |
| 2023 | $890K | $729K | $249K | — | $447K | $486K |
| 2022 | $345K | $327K | $178K | — | $119K | $337K |
| 2021 | $206K | $152K | $124K | $400 | — | $319K |
| 2020 | $221K | $205K | $173K | $472 | — | $265K |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Granted $1.6M to 56 qualified donees — largest 25 shown:
- Federal Penitentiary - Stoney Mountain Institution$118K
- Federal Penitentiary - Collins Bay$110K
- Federal Penitentiary - Joyceville$87K
- Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre$83K
- Federal Penitentiary - Bath$73K
- Federal Penitentiary - Edmonton Institution for Women$67K
- Thunder Bay Correctional$57K
- Federal Penitentiary - Millhaven$56K
- Federal Penitentiary - Bowden$53K
- Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre$52K
- Federal Penitentiary - Nova Institution for Women$44K
- Children's Book Bank$40K
- Maplehurst Correctional Complex$37K
- Federal Penitentiary - Monteith Correctional$37K
- Federal Penitentiary - Central East Correctional Centre$37K
- Federal Penitentiary - Beavercreek$37K
- Warkworth Institution$33K
- Federal Penitentiary - Edmonton Institution for Men$32K
- Federal Penitentiary - Kenora Jail$32K
- Central North Correctional Centre$31K
- Federal Penitentiary - Grand Valley$31K
- Ontario Correctional Institute$28K
- Federal Penitentiary - Fort Francis Jail$26K
- Regional Psychiatric Centre$23K
- Federal Penitentiary - Grande Cashe Institution$23K
Received $249K from 18 charities:
- Canadahelps Canadon$52K
- Canadahelps Canadon$52K
- Robert Kerr Foundation$42K
- Gerald Sheff & Shanitha Kachan Family Foundation$25K
- BenefAction Foundation$21K
- The Winnipeg Foundation$15K
- Indigo Love of Reading Foundation$10K
- The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation$10K
- The Jim and Lorna Blair Charitable Foundation$5,000
- Airlie Foundation$5,000
- Waterloo Region Community Foundation$3,700
- Makeway Foundation$2,500
- Canadian Online Giving Foundation$2,039
- The Henry White Kinnear Foundation$2,000
- Charitable Gift Funds Canada Foundation$1,000
- United Way East Ontario / Centraide Est de l'Ontario$760
- United Way Elgin Middlesex$553
- PayPal Giving Fund Canada$108
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
What it pays
Its ten highest-paid positions, by band:
- $40,000–79,9992 positions
- Permanent full-time positions2
- Total compensation, all staff$149K
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Joanie McEwen (director); Erna Redekopp (director); Max Binnie (chair); Caroline Buckshot (director); Stephanie Sinclair (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Book Clubs for Inmates Inc./ Circles de livres pour detenues Inc.’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 804170009RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.