How do you know if a Canadian charity is legitimate?

The short answer

Almost every registered Canadian charity is legitimate. It holds a CRA registration, it pursues the charitable purposes it registered for, and the CRA revokes only a few dozen registrations a year for cause, out of more than 85,000. Even in a year when that number rises, it is a fraction of one percent. The real question is whether it does what it says, and whether it is right for you.

Last reviewed 2 min read

A more helpful frame is to begin with two questions. Does the charity reliably deliver what it promises to deliver. And is that promise the thing you want to fund.

With that said, here is a baseline. Four things any charity should clear, and you can check them in ten minutes.

  1. Its CRA filings are current. The CRA's list of charities shows registration status and the last return filed. While you are there, check that the description of its purpose on the CRA record reasonably matches what it says it does on its own site. That means it is telling the government the same thing it is telling the public.
  2. You can reach a human, fast. A phone number, a direct email, and a website that says what they do. A website costs almost nothing now, so not having one is a choice.
  3. The financial statements are audited, or at least reviewed by an accountant. Very small charities may have neither. Ask why, and accept a good reason.
  4. It can answer three questions clearly: what are you trying to change, how do you know it is working, and what do you need money for this year.

Green flags, once the baseline is clear.

  1. It communicates without being asked: an annual report, a newsletter, with real numbers rather than only stories.
  2. It can describe impact in terms it actually measures, not "a life changed for $3.29." It knows where people started and where they ended up.
  3. It can say why its approach should work.

A few red flags where we think you should proceed with caution.

  1. Contact information is hard to find.
  2. It cannot state its core goals or its main funding needs in plain terms.
  3. The answer to "how do you know it is working" is always an anecdote.

None of these get to the heart of quality. That is a longer conversation, and the cause pages are where it starts. This will tell you, in ten minutes, whether a charity is worth that conversation. If you want a standardized, comprehensive way to do it quickly, we recommend WellCheck.

Questions people also ask

How many Canadian charities lose their registration for cause?
In the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, 26, out of 85,360 registered. Most of the 2,088 revocations that year were for failing to file (1,146) or were voluntary (916).
Is that number rising?
Yes. The Investigative Journalism Foundation counted 40 charities that lost registration after a CRA audit in the first half of 2026, at least double the pace of any year in the past decade. Against 85,000 charities it is still a fraction of one percent.
Does CRA registration mean a charity is good?
No. It means the purposes are charitable at law and the paperwork is in order. Quality and fit are yours to judge.
How do I check if a charity is registered?
Search the CRA's list of charities by name or business number. It shows status, filings, and the public part of the annual return.
Is a review engagement good enough?
For a small or mid-sized charity, usually. It is a lighter check than an audit, done by an accountant. No statements at all is the thing to ask about.

Sources: CRA, Report on the Charities Program 2024-2025CRA, List of charitiesInvestigative Journalism Foundation, "CRA records big jump in charity revocations so far this year," 2026, via Blumbergs