Imagine Canada Celebrates Newest Group of Charities to Earn "Symbol of Trust"

The Standards Program continues to reflect diversity within broader sector, welcoming Canada’s largest Muslim charity to achieve accreditation.

Imagine Canada, the umbrella for Canada’s charities and nonprofits, today welcomed the most recent group of 9 organizations to join the growing number of charities and nonprofits accredited under its national Standards Program, including Islamic Relief, Canada’s largest Muslim charity and relief organization.

We congratulate each organization for this accomplishment. With their achievement they join a community of more than 240 nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to operational excellence, featured in the July print and digital issue of Maclean’s magazine. We also applaud the 34 organizations that have completed their reaccreditation process.

“It’s no small feat for an organization to earn Standards Program accreditation. It’s a rigorous, peer-reviewed process that is meant to build Canadians’ trust and confidence in the charitable sector,” says Bruce MacDonald, president and CEO of Imagine Canada. “The organizations accredited to date reflect a broad spectrum in size, scope and geography. Each one takes governance, accountability, and transparency very seriously. We’re proud to have them on board.”

Newly Accredited Organizations

Accommodation, Information and Support, Inc.
Canadian Mental Health Association – Ontario Division
Christian Horizons
Collective Community Services
Islamic Relief Canada
Mercy Ships Canada
Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation
Scleroderma Canada
VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation

Reaccredited Organizations

Aspen Family and Community Network Society
Aurora Cultural Centre
BC Cancer Foundation
Calgary Foundation
Capacity Canada
CARE Canada
Cuso International
Edmonton Community Foundation
Edmonton Food Bank
Feed Nova Scotia
Food Bank of Waterloo Region
Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation
Help Lesotho
Hospice Palliative Care Ontario
Hospice Wellington
John Howard Society of Canada
John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington
National Service Dogs
Parkinson Canada
Peace Arch Hospital and Community Health Foundation
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
Rick Hansen Foundation
Ronald McDonald House Charities Toronto
Royal Ontario Museum Governors
Sage Seniors Association
SEMAFO Foundation
Special Olympics Ontario
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation
The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver
The WorkPlace Group
Threads of Life – Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support
UNICEF Canada
United Way Halton & Hamilton
Whistler Community Services Society

See the full list of accredited organizations.

About the Standards Program

The Standards Program awards accreditation to charities and nonprofits that have demonstrated they have met the required standards in five fundamental areas: board governance; financial accountability and transparency; fundraising; staff management; and volunteer involvement. The goals of the Program are to increase organizational excellence and transparency in these areas and to strengthen public trust in individual organizations and the sector as a whole.

Terms of Accreditation and Compliance

Accredited organizations are required to complete full reaccreditation on a five-year basis. Compliance during the accreditation period is monitored through an annual process that requires organizations to submit evidence demonstrating selected standards are being met. Compliance is also monitored through investigation of complaints.

The Standards Program is made possible with financial contributions from founding and presenting sponsor Canada Life; and funding from the Lawson Foundation.

For more information, contact:

Julie Lebel

Manager, Communications

416-597-2293, ext. 319

jlebel@imaginecanada.ca