Roots of Empathy
Publicly funded institution · Toronto, Ontario · BN 896434818RR0001 · Teaching Institutions · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-08-31. Split of total expenditures ($3,918,126) as filed with the CRA.
Roots of Empathy is a charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario, 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 August 31, 2024, it reported $3.8M in revenue and $3.9M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 62% from government, 9% from other charities. Government funding is the majority of its budget. In 2024, 16 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $309K.
Compared with 1,247 education institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 12% of peers. Its fundraising cost per donated dollar was higher than 92% of that peer group. Its highest-paid position fell in the $160,000–199,999 range. The charity reported 48 permanent full-time positions.
Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 8 names.
In its own words
Roots of empathy is an evidence-based classroom (k-g8) program that develops emotional literacy and empathy to reduce aggression and bullying among school children. Seeds of empathy is a program that fosters social and emotional competencies and early literacy skills and attitudes in children 3 to 5 years of age in childcare while supporting early childhood educators with professional development.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3.8M | $3.9M | $2.8M | $208K | — | $2.6M |
| 2023 | $3.7M | $3.6M | $2.7M | $185K | — | $2.7M |
| 2022 | $3.2M | $3M | $2.4M | $108K | — | $2.7M |
| 2021 | $3.6M | $3.4M | $2.4M | $236K | — | $2.5M |
| 2020 | $3.5M | $3.2M | $2.2M | $119K | — | $2.2M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $309K from 16 charities:
- Nelson Arthur Hyland Foundation$78K
- Canadahelps Canadon$57K
- Canadahelps Canadon$57K
- Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation$26K
- United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick Region Inc.\centraide de la Region du Grand Moncton et du Sud Est du Nouveau-New Brunswick Inc.$25K
- The Annual Foundation$25K
- United Way of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc.$15K
- United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto$10K
- Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia$7,500
- Canadian Online Giving Foundation$2,872
- Sisters of Charity Mount Saint Vincent$2,500
- The O'Neill Foundation Inc.$2,000
- Toronto Foundation$1,297
- United Way of Greater Toronto$1,011
- CHIMP: Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada)$999
- Parkwoods United Church—
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
What it pays
Its ten highest-paid positions, by band:
- $160,000–199,9991 position
- $120,000–159,9991 position
- $80,000–119,9994 positions
- $40,000–79,99919 positions
- $1–39,99923 positions
- Permanent full-time positions48
- Total compensation, all staff$2M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Mary Gordon (founder/president); Martha Durdin (director); Garry Green (director); Mary Ito (director); Jonathan Miles (director); Mario Nigro (chair); Lyle Viereck (chair); Dawn Lavell Harvard (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Roots of Empathy’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 896434818RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.