Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Publicly funded institution · Toronto, Ontario · BN 119219251RR0001 · Support of Schools and Education · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-03-31. Split of total expenditures ($52,496,621) as filed with the CRA.
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research is a charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario, classified by the CRA under support of schools and education. It appears on the charity register the way hospitals, universities, and other publicly funded bodies do — to issue tax receipts — rather than as a donation-driven charity in the usual sense. In its fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, it reported $56.3M in revenue and $52.5M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 9% from donations, 69% from government, 6% from other charities. Government funding is the majority of its budget. In 2024, 33 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $4.1M.
Compared with 733 education institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 61% of peers. Its highest-paid position fell in the $350,000 and over range. The charity reported 59 permanent full-time positions.
Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 20 names.
In its own words
CIFAR’s research programs are at the heart of its operations designed to push the boundaries of knowledge and create long-term societal impact. Currently CIFAR supports 15 research programs across diverse fields from artificial intelligence to human development through its unique model of long-term interdisciplinary collaboration. Examples of these programs include 'Humanity’s Urban Future ' which explores the complexities of urbanization in a rapidly changing world and 'Learning in Machines and Brains' which explores cutting edge advances in AI inspired by the human brain. These program…
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $56.3M | $52.5M | $48M | $2.3M | — | $25.6M |
| 2023 | $48.6M | $52.1M | $47.1M | $2.5M | — | $21.7M |
| 2022 | $40.3M | $41.1M | $37.9M | $2M | — | $23.9M |
| 2021 | $30.9M | $30.4M | $28.3M | $1.2M | — | $23.8M |
| 2020 | $43.1M | $40.8M | $38.7M | $1.1M | — | $19.4M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $4.1M from 33 charities:
- The Azrieli Foundation$1.8M
- Mastercard Foundation$355K
- RBC Foundation$252K
- Toronto Foundation$200K
- The Ralph M. Barford Foundation$200K
- The Trottier Family Foundation/la Fondation Familiale Trottier$150K
- Chisholm Thomson Family Foundation$150K
- The Molson Foundation/fondation Molson$100K
- Larry And Judy Tanenbaum Family Foundation$100K
- The Jarislowsky Foundation/la Fondation Jarislowsky$100K
- The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation$100K
- Aqueduct Foundation$97K
- Max Bell Foundation$87K
- Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto$52K
- United Way of Greater Toronto$50K
- Hamilton Community Foundation$50K
- The Bruce H. Mitchell Foundation$50K
- The John and Deborah Harris Family Foundation$50K
- The Illahie Foundation$25K
- The Joan and Clifford Hatch Foundation$25K
- Canadahelps Canadon$21K
- Canadahelps Canadon$21K
- GiftPact Foundation Inc.$11K
- The Calgary Foundation$10K
- Bealight Foundation$10K
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
What it pays
Its ten highest-paid positions, by band:
- $350,000 and over1 position
- $300,000–349,9991 position
- $250,000–299,9992 positions
- $200,000–249,9996 positions
- Permanent full-time positions59
- Total compensation, all staff$8.3M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Scott Bonham (director); Chonnettia Jones (director); Jordan Jacobs (director); Jacqueline Koerner (vice chair); Stephen Lister (director); Irfan Rawji (director); Jason McLean (director); Anne McLellan (vice chair); Patricia Meredith (director); Gilles Ouellette (director); Lawrence Pentland (director); Ann Rooney (director); Barbara Stymiest (immediate past chair); Damon Williams (director); William Young (chair); Indira Samarasekera (director); Jennifer Rattray (director); Stephen Toope (president & ceo); Marie-Lucie Morin (director); Paul Dhall (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Canadian Institute for Advanced Research’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 119219251RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.