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What does “cents to the cause” mean?

Cents to the cause is the share of a charity's total spending that went to its charitable programs, expressed as cents of each dollar spent. Across 55,155 Canadian operating charities in F2024 filings the median is 89¢, with half between 73¢ and 97¢.

How it is computed

charitable program spending ÷ total spending

5000 ÷ 4950 on the T3010 · self-reported by the charity, not audited by Charity Compass

Spent, not donated

The figure is about dollars spent, not dollars donated. A charity that raised more than it spent, or that spent from reserves, will show a ratio that does not line up with its fundraising. It also says nothing about whether the programs worked. It tells you where the money went, not what it achieved.

Why it is the headline figure on Charity Compass

It is the one number that can be computed the same way for 55,155 charities from public data, which is far more than any rating agency reviews. That makes it comparable. It is also the figure most likely to be misread, which is why every card shows the T3010 lines, the sector median, a distribution strip, and the self-reported caveat beside it.

When the filing does not add up

Some returns report program spending plus overhead that exceeds total spending. Both figures cannot be right, and the filing does not say which. Charity Compass shows those filings as filed, marks them, and keeps them out of ranked results for that year.

Foundations are different

Public and private foundations mostly grant money to other charities rather than running programs, so their program spending is small by design. Charity Compass shows foundations by the share of spending disbursed to other registered charities instead.

Real examples

Three analyst-rated charities near the 89¢ median, from their F2024 filings:

Chosen as the analyst-rated charities with revenue over $1M whose figure sits nearest the median; not a recommendation.

Common questions

Is 90 cents to the cause good?
It is above the F2024 median of 89¢. Whether it is good depends on the work: a hospital foundation and a legal-aid clinic will not spend the same way. Compare within the same kind of work and read the charity's own reporting.
Is cents to the cause the same as program expense ratio?
Yes. Charity Navigator in the United States calls it program expense percentage; Charity Intelligence in Canada calls it cents to the cause. The arithmetic is the same idea.
Does Charity Compass verify the figure?
No. It is computed from the charity's self-reported T3010 return and linked to the public record so you can check it yourself.

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Figures: CRA List of Charities open data, F2024 release, computed across 72,356 operating charities where the lines exist · self-reported by each charity · last reviewed 2026-09-15. Charity Compass is not affiliated with the CRA or Charity Intelligence.