Cape Breton University
Publicly funded institution · Sydney, Nova Scotia · BN 119279032RR0001 · Teaching Institutions · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-03-31. Split of total expenditures ($139,735,387) as filed with the CRA.
Cape Breton University is a charitable organization based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, classified by the CRA under teaching institutions. 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 $187.5M in revenue and $139.7M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 20% from government. In 2024, 16 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $7.4M.
Compared with 733 education institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 56% of peers. Its highest-paid position fell in the $350,000 and over range. The charity reported 464 permanent full-time positions.
Revenue has grown substantially over its filings on record here, from $113.3M in 2020 to $187.5M in 2024. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 5 names.
In its own words
Advancement of education degree and diploma programs. Conduct research: natural science & engineering social sciences & humanities canadian foundation for innovation information technology heath petroleum. Provide other program: cultural public education youth programs promotion and protection of health programs preservation & acquisition of cultural work including artwork and literature.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $187.5M | $139.7M | $125.7M | — | — | $216.4M |
| 2023 | $139.5M | $112.7M | $105.2M | — | — | $163.7M |
| 2022 | $99.1M | $88.3M | $83.3M | — | — | $134.9M |
| 2021 | $98.9M | $80M | $71.5M | — | — | $122M |
| 2020 | $113.3M | $89.8M | $84.7M | — | — | $96.2M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $7.4M from 16 charities:
- FDC Foundation$5M
- River Philip Foundation$2M
- Burgundy Legacy Foundation$200K
- Canadahelps Canadon$40K
- Canadahelps Canadon$40K
- Julie Patel Foundation$35K
- The Community Foundation of Nova Scotia Society$24K
- Canadian Online Giving Foundation$23K
- Harrison McCain Foundation$16K
- McCarthy Tetrault Foundation$10K
- Faye and David Huestis Family Foundation Inc.$10K
- J and W Murphy Foundation$6,000
- Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation$2,880
- Enactus Canada$2,549
- Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation$1,000
- Congregation of Notre Dame Visitation Province Inc.—
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
- $250,000–299,9992 positions
- $200,000–249,9996 positions
- $160,000–199,9991 position
- Permanent full-time positions464
- Total compensation, all staff$76.9M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
David Dingwall (president & vice chancellor); Gordon Macinnis (treasurer); Roderick Nicholls (secretary); Denise Allen (chair); Kirk Macrae (vice chair).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Cape Breton University’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 119279032RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.