The Brian and Joannah Lawson Family Foundation
Private foundation · Toronto, Ontario · BN 829613215RR0001 · Foundations
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-12-31. Split of total expenditures ($6,914,428) as filed with the CRA.
The Brian and Joannah Lawson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Toronto, Ontario, classified by the CRA under foundations. In its fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, it reported $17.8M in revenue and $6.9M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 79% from donations. In 2024, 1 other registered charity reported granting it a combined $15K.
Compared with 380 grantmaking charities of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 72% of peers.
As a grantmaker, it reported gifts to 12 qualified donees totalling $6.6M in 2024, the largest being $4M to Trinity College. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 4 names.
In its own words
The primary purpose of the foundation is to disburse the income from its investments and gifts received to qualified organizations to further the philanthropic objectives of brian and joannah lawson and their offspring. The foundation may from time to time apply a portion of these funds for other charitable objectives including initiatives that will improve the impact of food systems on human health and the environment.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $17.8M | $6.9M | — | — | $6.6M | $192.7M |
| 2023 | $14.3M | $2M | — | — | $1.5M | $172.7M |
| 2022 | $2.4M | $6.1M | — | — | $5.8M | $134.7M |
| 2021 | $89.3M | $3.1M | — | — | $2.8M | $181.7M |
| 2020 | $18.1M | $5.6M | — | — | $5.2M | $94.9M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Granted $6.6M to 12 qualified donees:
- Trinity College$4M
- Right To Food$705K
- The Governing Council of the University of Toronto$500K
- Upper Canada College$415K
- The New Farm Centre for Climate Action$265K
- ST. Clement's School$200K
- Canadian Organic Growers Inc.$200K
- Farmers for Climate Solutions$150K
- Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario$100K
- Cultivate Canada Society$50K
- Power to Give Foundation$15K
- Rosedale United Church$15K
Received $15K from 1 charity:
As reported on the donors’ own T3010 qualified-donee schedules.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Brian Lawson (director); Joannah Smith Lawson (director); Tristan Lawson (director); Alexander Lawson (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from The Brian and Joannah Lawson Family Foundation’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 829613215RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.