Simon Fraser University
Publicly funded institution · Burnaby, British Columbia · BN 118520725RR0001 · Teaching Institutions · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-03-31. Split of total expenditures ($980,420,766) as filed with the CRA.
Simon Fraser University is a charitable organization based in Burnaby, British Columbia, 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 $1B in revenue and $980.4M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 46% from government. In 2024, 106 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $10.8M.
Compared with 733 education institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 62% of peers. Its highest-paid positions fell in the $350,000 and over range (4 positions in that band). The charity reported 3,800 permanent full-time positions.
It reported gifts to 4 qualified donees totalling $8,965 in 2024, the largest being $5,000 to Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
In its own words
Sfu offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the faculties of applied science arts and social services beedie school of business education environment health sciences sciences and communication arts and technology. The university conducts research within each faculty of various disciplines and operates a work study program in a variety of disciplines. As well simon fraser university offers short courses workshops conferences and distance education programs.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1B | $980.4M | $897.6M | $9.7M | $8,965 | $1.3B |
| 2023 | $909.9M | $872.9M | $786.4M | $7.9M | $570 | $1.3B |
| 2022 | $936.2M | $831.4M | $750.3M | $7.5M | $4,278 | $1.3B |
| 2021 | $837.5M | $784M | $698.7M | $6.8M | $1,175 | $1.2B |
| 2020 | $827.6M | $765.7M | $700.4M | $6.5M | $1,550 | $1.1B |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Granted $8,965 to 4 qualified donees:
- Tsleil-Waututh Nation$5,000
- Mothers Matter Canada$2,300
- Indian Residential School Survivors Society$1,540
- The New Brunswick Community College Foundation$125
Received $10.8M from 106 charities:
- Aqueduct Foundation$1.4M
- Vancouver Foundation$1.2M
- Ivey Foundation$750K
- Y.P. Heung Foundation$605K
- Weston Family Foundation$600K
- Audain Foundation$590K
- Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation$580K
- North Family Foundation$550K
- The Sitka Foundation$450K
- The Waltons Trust$330K
- Charitable Gift Funds Canada Foundation$318K
- The Trottier Family Foundation/la Fondation Familiale Trottier$285K
- Suncor Energy Foundation/fondation Suncor Energie$250K
- United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto$220K
- Max Bell Foundation$206K
- Pacific Salmon Foundation/fondation du Saumon du Pacifique$190K
- Cancer Research Society$172K
- Actua$147K
- United Way British Columbia$141K
- Alzheimer Society of B.C.$132K
- RBC Foundation$130K
- Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation$119K
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada$107K
- Canucks for Kids Fund$100K
- RBC Foundation$100K
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
What it pays
Its ten highest-paid positions, by band:
- $350,000 and over4 positions
- $300,000–349,9996 positions
- Permanent full-time positions3,800
- Total compensation, all staff$656.8M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Simon Fraser University’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 118520725RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.