Wilder Institute
Public foundation · Calgary, Alberta · BN 897123139RR0001 · Foundations · website
Source: T3010 return, FPE 2024-12-31. Split of total expenditures ($10,540,023) as filed with the CRA.
Wilder Institute is a public foundation based in Calgary, Alberta, classified by the CRA under foundations. In its fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, it reported $11.7M in revenue and $10.5M in expenditures.
Its funding that year was roughly 8% from government, 73% from other charities. In 2024, 20 other registered charities reported granting it a combined $8.6M.
Compared with 380 grantmaking charities of similar size, its share of spending on mission — charitable programs plus grants to other charities — ranked above 23% of peers. Its fundraising cost per donated dollar was higher than 99% of that peer group. Its highest-paid position fell in the $160,000–199,999 range. The charity reported 30 permanent full-time positions.
Revenue has grown substantially over its filings on record here, from $5.2M in 2020 to $11.7M in 2024. Its filed list of directors and trustees shows 18 names.
In its own words
Promoting the welfare of animals and protecting the environment for the benefit of species and the public by conserving wildlife biodiversity ecosystems and natural habitats through activities directed toward saving supporting or protecting endangered animals and the environment; and advancing education on the welfare of animals and plants by conducting research on the conservation of wildlife biodiversity natural habitats and the preservation of the environment and disseminating the results of that research to the public.
Ongoing-program description from its T3010 filing, verbatim.
The ledger, 2020–2024
| Year | Revenue | Spending | Programs | Fundraising | Gifts out | Net assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11.7M | $10.5M | $7.6M | $1.7M | — | $17.9M |
| 2023 | $9.7M | $8.9M | $6.8M | $1.1M | — | $16.7M |
| 2022 | $6.6M | $7.3M | $5.7M | $793K | — | $15.9M |
| 2021 | $7M | $6.5M | $4.2M | $665K | — | $16.7M |
| 2020 | $5.2M | $4.6M | $3.5M | $528K | — | $15.2M |
Revenue printed in red where the year ran a deficit. Fiscal years by period end.
Money between charities, 2024
Received $8.6M from 20 charities:
- The Calgary Zoological Society$8M
- Heromado Foundation$125K
- Canadahelps Canadon$93K
- Canadahelps Canadon$93K
- The Calgary Foundation$50K
- The Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation$30K
- Power of One Foundation$30K
- Gordon and Patricia Gray Animal Welfare Foundation$30K
- United Way of Calgary and Area$21K
- Calgary CO-Op Community Foundation$20K
- Kenneth M. Molson Foundation$20K
- The Scotlyn Foundation$15K
- Kanovsky Family Foundation$10K
- Raymond James Canada Foundation$10K
- Chinook Foundation$8,000
- Canada Gives$7,000
- Assiniboine Park Conservancy Inc.$2,000
- Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation$1,059
- Charitable Gift Funds Canada Foundation$1,000
- CHIMP: Charitable Impact Foundation (Canada)$25
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
- $80,000–119,9998 positions
- Permanent full-time positions30
- Total compensation, all staff$5.9M
Schedule 3 of its 2024 return. The CRA discloses bands, not names or exact salaries.
Directors & trustees (2024)
Jennifer Koury (board chair); Thomas Lui (treasurer); Jason Clifton (board vice-chair); Bill Fisher (secretary); Cindy Ady (director); Barb Carra (director); Harvey Doerr (director); Laura Gill (director); Denise Hamilton (director); Jeff Hart (director); Rachel Moore (director); Sheila O'Brien (director); Nuvyn Peters (director); Karen Prentice (director); Sonya Savage (director); Perry Spitznagel (director); Renate Weller (director); Hunter Wight (director).
As listed on its 2024 return.
Check the source
Every figure on this page is from Wilder Institute’s own T3010 filings, published by the Canada Revenue Agency. Verify against the CRA’s charities listing (search BN 897123139RR0001), or read how we compute the receipt.