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For much of the past two decades, the story of Canadian charitable giving has been one of decline. The share of Canadians making donations has fallen significantly, younger generations are less likely to give, and traditional institutions that historically shaped Canadian generosity, particularly religious organizations, have lost influence (see Chapter 4 for more details). In fact, Canada now ranks 46th globally in total donations as a percentage of income [1]. Yet alongside this decline, Canadian philanthropy is undergoing a significant transformation in how, where, and why people give.
The CanadaHelps Giving Report and the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Reports for year 2025 highlight both these challenges and evolutions. The reports show that charitable giving is increasingly concentrated among fewer, aging, wealthy Canadians. Donors are also shifting from institutional giving to local, community-focused giving. At the same time, they are becoming less emotionally connected to their giving and are looking for more evidence-based impact.
The question facing Canada’s charitable sector is not only how to encourage Canadians to give more, but how to sustain a culture of generosity at a time when the institutions, motivations, and patterns of giving are changing.
The changing donor landscape in Canada
The story of Canadian giving has not fundamentally changed, but there are signs that the pace of decline may be slowing.
The 2026 CanadaHelps Giving Report (reporting on 2025 donations) recorded $529 million in donations through its platform, a 10% increase over the previous year – the strongest annual growth since the surge during the COVID pandemic [2]. Perhaps more importantly, donor participation increased by 1%, marking the first increase since 2020. However, this recovery should be interpreted cautiously. CanadaHelps data represents only approximately 4-5% of total charitable giving in Canada and captures only online donations, which may not fully reflect broader giving patterns. Despite this modest rebound, the longer-term trend remains one of declining donor participation, with CanadaHelps reporting that the number of donors remains approximately 20% below 2020 levels.
What continues to define Canadian philanthropy is concentration. Fewer Canadians are giving, but those who continue to donate are giving more. Large donations continue to grow while smaller gifts decline, leaving charities increasingly dependent on older, wealthier donors. As a result, regular monthly donors are becoming even more valuable, while digital giving channels continue to expand as charities seek new ways to engage and retain supporters.
At the same time, there are hints that the donor base may be evolving. CanadaHelps notes that growth is no longer coming solely from affluent seniors, but also from younger households in suburban and mid-sized communities outside Canada’s largest downtown cores. Whether this represents a lasting shift or simply a temporary rebound remains to be seen.
Canadians are changing their giving priorities
Canadians remain generous, but they are increasingly directing that generosity toward organizations where they can see a tangible impact in their own communities.
The CAF World Giving Report 2025 found that 47% of Canadians donated primarily to local organizations, compared with 37% nationally and just 16% internationally. This contrasts with countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, where international giving actually accounts for two to three times more of charitable donations than in Canada [3]. The growing preference for local giving in Canada is echoed in the CanadaHelps data, where donations to local organizations have nearly tripled since 2019, making community-based charities one of the fastest-growing areas of Canadian philanthropy.
This shift reflects a movement away from traditional broad-based giving through established institutions and toward a more targeted approach where donors can see a clear impact. The sectors attracting growing support include social services, environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and arts and culture, suggesting that Canadians continue to support a diverse range of causes when they see them as relevant, meaningful, and impactful.
International giving grew by 11%, but it still accounts for only about 3.5% of total charitable giving and continues to lag well behind the growth seen among local charities [4]. National charities likewise experienced only modest growth.
Perhaps the most significant long-term transformation continues to be the decline of religious giving. Religious organizations once dominated Canadian philanthropy, receiving 46% of all donations in 2007 and 41% in 2013 [5][6]. The CAF World Giving Report now estimates that only 15% of Canadians’ charitable donations are directed toward religious causes, although the sample size of this data is relatively small and biased towards young donors. The relationship between religion and generosity remains strong, though. Canadians who regularly attend religious services donate roughly four times more than those who do not, highlighting the continued role that religious communities have historically played in cultivating a culture of giving [7]. However, as fewer Canadians participate in religious institutions, these organizations are gradually losing their historic central role within Canada’s charitable landscape.
Canadian donors’ expectations are changing
Changing priorities are also changing what donors expect from charities.
The CAF World Giving Report suggests that trust and accountability are becoming increasingly important drivers of charitable giving. 15% of Canadians say they do not trust charities to use their donations wisely, a figure that has remained stubbornly unchanged. When asked what would encourage them to give more, the two most common responses were greater transparency (46%) and clearer evidence that donations make a difference (40%).
This shift is particularly important as younger generations enter the donor landscape. While they may be less likely to give through traditional institutions, they increasingly expect charities to demonstrate transparency, effectiveness, and alignment with their values.
Emotional attachment also appears to be becoming a less powerful motivator. The share of Canadians saying they donate because they feel emotionally connected to a cause has fallen considerably compared with previous surveys. In an era of declining institutional trust, charities are increasingly expected to demonstrate measurable results, communicate openly, and show donors exactly how their contributions create impact.
For charities, this represents more than a fundraising challenge. It requires adapting to a new generation of donors whose expectations differ markedly from those of previous generations.
What’s next?
The latest data presents a mixed picture of Canadian generosity. On one hand, Canada remains a country with a strong culture of giving, with millions of Canadians continuing to regularly support charitable causes every year. On the other hand, the long-term decline in donor participation cannot be ignored. Fewer Canadians are engaging in charitable giving, and the sector is increasingly reliant on a smaller group of committed donors.
The story is not just one of decline, but of transformation. The broad-based culture of charitable participation centered on familiar institutions such as religious organizations, community groups, and established national charities that characterized previous generations is weakening, while new forms of generosity that are more local, more targeted, and more focused on measurable impact are emerging. The challenge for Canada’s charitable sector will be whether it can rebuild a wider culture of giving while adapting to the expectations of a new generation of donors.
[1] https://caf-wgr.webflow.io/explore-the-data#
[2] https://www.canadahelps.org/en/the-giving-report/
[3] https://caf-wgr.webflow.io/explore-the-data#
[4] https://www.canadahelps.org/en/the-giving-report/
[5] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/71-542-x/2009001/chap/ch1-eng.htm?utm
[6] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-652-x/89-652-x2015001-eng.htm?utm
[7] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=4510003801&utm