United for Literacy
Publicly funded institution · Toronto, Ontario · BN 107408445RR0001 · Teaching Institutions · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-03-31. Split of total expenditures ($13,588,220) as filed with the CRA.
United for Literacy 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 March 31, 2024, it reported $13.6M in revenue and $13.6M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 15% from donations, 55% from government, 19% from other charities. Government funding is the majority of its budget. In 2024, 55 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $2.6M.
Compared with 733 education institutions of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 15% of peers. Its highest-paid position fell in the $160,000–199,999 range. The charity reported 103 permanent full-time positions.
Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 12 names.
In its own words
United for Literacy is Canada's original literacy organization. Founded in 1899 we recruit and train volunteers and staff to delivery literacy programs to children youth and adults in the communities where help is needed most. In 2023-2024 we delivered programs such as homework clubs and reading circles one to one and group tutoring summer literacy camps and other summer programs literacy upgrading GED preparation courses and more both in person and virtually.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $13.6M | $13.6M | $9.5M | $1.1M | — | $784K |
| 2023 | $12.5M | $12.5M | $9M | $935K | — | $784K |
| 2022 | $10.5M | $10.5M | $7M | $819K | — | $784K |
| 2021 | $8.3M | $8.3M | $5.6M | $734K | — | $784K |
| 2020 | $11.1M | $11.1M | $8.3M | $832K | — | $784K |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $2.6M from 55 charities:
- United for Literacy Foundation Fondation Littératie Ensemble$1M
- The Canadian Red Cross Society$348K
- J and W Murphy Foundation$220K
- RBC Foundation$125K
- Canadian Online Giving Foundation$105K
- The Azrieli Foundation$100K
- Hewitt Foundation$70K
- Tachane Foundation Inc.$50K
- The Winnipeg Foundation$45K
- Charitable Gift Funds Canada Foundation$41K
- The McCain Foundation$40K
- Waterloo Region Community Foundation$30K
- The Victoria Foundation$30K
- United Way Waterloo Region Communities$29K
- The Rotary Club of Calgary - Community Service Fund$25K
- The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation$25K
- BenefAction Foundation$25K
- Graham C. Lount Family Foundation Inc.$20K
- The Edmonton Community Foundation Priv Act$18K
- Canadahelps Canadon$15K
- United Way of Newfoundland and Labrador Inc.$15K
- Hamilton Community Foundation$15K
- Selkirk & District Community Foundation Inc.$15K
- TELUS Friendly Future Foundation$15K
- The Brandon Area Community Foundation Inc.$14K
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
- $120,000–159,9993 positions
- $80,000–119,9996 positions
- Permanent full-time positions103
- Total compensation, all staff$10M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Peter Levitt (director); Anne Parker (chair); John Wiltshire (vice-chair); Neil Gower (secretary); Suzanne Anton (past-chair); Ira Goldstein (treasurer); Hanwakan Blaikie Whitecloud (director); Goshka Folda (director); Kristen Miller (director); Sartaj Sarkaria (director); Linda Tchombe (director); Lindsay Sauder (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from United for Literacy’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 107408445RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.