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Canadian charitiesAlso receives grants — funding profile →

Toronto, ON · Private foundation

The McLean Foundation

The purpose of THE MCLEAN FOUNDATION ('foundation') is to make donations to registered canadian charitable organizations with a particular emphasis on projects showing promise of general social benefit but which may initially lack broad public appeal.

C$2.2M
Granted FY2024still arriving
138
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
Regions reached
C$100k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02Your edgeRead
03Your fieldRead
01What you fund
01FY2024 · 138 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under C$10k52 grants · C$259k
  • C$10k–50k78 grants · C$1.4M
  • C$50k–250k8 grants · C$615k
C$10,000
Median grant
1
Regions reached
C$65M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE CANADA INC.C$100,000
CANADIAN CLIMATE INSTITUTEC$100,000
UNITED WAY OF GREATER TORONTOC$90,000
FINANCE ENGAGE SUSTAINC$75,000
ECOJUSTICE CANADA SOCIETYC$75,000
CLEAN ECONOMY FUNDC$75,000
WILDSIGHTC$50,000
CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP IN CANADAC$50,000
TORONTO SYMPHONYC$40,000
NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADAC$35,000
FOUNDATIONS FOR SOCIAL CHANGEC$34,000
ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE CANADA INC.C$33,000
SMALL CHANGE FUNDC$33,000
SMALL CHANGE FUNDC$33,000
GREENBELT FOUNDATIONC$30,000
02Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

77%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
C$13M · 320 repeat orgsC$3.9M to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +47% since the first grant, against +22% for the ones you funded once.

320 repeat relationships — 85 still active in FY2024, 235 since wound down; 45 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

320
306

Total granted

C$13M
C$3.4M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+47%
+22%

Still filing today

98%
90%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 75% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; C$555k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as “new.”

Backed again, and grew

  • TN
    THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA
    8× · 2017–2024 · C$375k · revenue +14%
  • ED
    Environmental Defence Canada
    5× · 2019–2024 · C$351k · revenue +86%
  • TS
    TORONTO SYMPHONY
    8× · 2017–2024 · C$300k · revenue +12%

Funded once

  • CC
    Canadian Canoe Museumgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · C$200k · revenue +231%
  • CE
    Clean Economy Fundgraduated
    one grant, 2023 · C$100k · revenue +154%
  • TH
    THE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN FOUNDATIONgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · C$100k · revenue +42%

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent CRA filings.

03Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matches that aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority / Office De Protection De La Nature De Toronto

TRCA works to protect conserve and restore natural resources within its jurisdiction for the benefit of current and future generations. TRCA provides programs and services that support healthy rivers and shorelines sustainable communities…

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2
Wildlife Preservation Trust Canada/

Wildlife preservation canada exists to save animal species at risk from extinction in canada by performing hands-on action for species requiring direct intervention to recover. wpc build canada's conservation capacity by providing…

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3
The Resilience Institute

The organization develops educational programs & conducts active participatory research on climate change & sustainability. Priority program areas include developing the capacity of Indigenous Communities to adapt to climate impacts &…

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4
Why Not Theatre

Why not theatre is an agile international theatre company based in toronto canada rooted in the values of innovation community and collaboration. our work is inventive cross-cultural and reflects our passion for the exploration of…

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5
Vancouver Foundation

Vancouver Foundation leverages the generosity of donors towards projects initiatives and organizations working to create meaningful and lasting impact on our communities. We continued delivering a number of grant programs and initiatives…

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6
Coastal Rivers Conservancy

Coastal Rivers Conservancy (CRC) continued to undertake scientific research to improve knowledge of unique salmon and steelhead populations and habitats within the inner Central Coast of British Columbia. CRC collaborated with government…

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7
Indian Summer Arts Society

Indian Summer Arts Society commissions and presents significant local national and international programming that catalyzes and inspires dialogue and global citizenship and reflects Vancouver's position as a harbour for diverse arts ideas…

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8
Siminovitch Theatre Foundation

The Siminovitch Prize Foundation celebrates inspires convenes and connects theatre artists on a national stage across disciplines geography and language groups. Its portfolio of programs helps groundbreaking artists thrive creatively and…

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9
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - British Columbia

The Marine Conservation Program which plays a leading role in advancing the establishment of a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) across British Columbia. The Northern Terrestrial Conservation Program works collaboratively with…

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10
Freshwater Conservation Canada

Freshwater conservation canada is committed to conserving protecting and restoring canada's freshwater ecosystems and their coldwater resources for current and future generations. programs and projects are delivered by our professional…

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11
Generate Canada Inc.

Generate Canada is a national charity that connects problem-solvers across sectors and value chains to generate solutions to the most complex challenges at the nexus of environment economy and society. The organization’s vision is a strong…

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12
The Chop Theatre Society

The Chop is a Vancouver-based theatre organization that brings together artists to create new works of theatre for audiences locally across Canada and internationally. The organization often works with communities and individuals who are…

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For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Neighbourhood Group Community Services and the most unlike its peers is El Sistema Grey-Bruce (the Big Sound). Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

02the grantee network

690 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2024.

Each one resolved to its own CRA returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2024, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover.

6
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
211
Early backer (in before they grew)
674/690
Grantees still filing
495/690
Grew since you first funded

Showing your 200 largest grantees by grant value.

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%C$100kC$1.0MC$10MC$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetUNITED WAY OF GREATER TORONTO — C$720,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetTHE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA — C$375,000 over 8y, 0.4% of budgetEnvironmental Defence Canada — C$351,000 over 5y, 2.5% of budgetTORONTO SYMPHONY — C$300,000 over 8y, 0.3% of budgetThe Nature Conservancy of Canada — C$265,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CORPORATION OF MASSEY HALL AND ROY THOMSON HALL — C$250,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetTHE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM FOUNDATION — C$225,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetCANADIAN CLIMATE INSTITUTE — C$202,500 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetSMALL CHANGE FUND — C$202,000 over 5y, 3.2% of budgetCanadian Canoe Museum — C$200,000 over 1y, 11% of budgetUNITED WAY OF THE LOWER MAINLAND — C$195,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetThe Canadian Red Cross Society — C$190,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetMakeway Charitable Society — C$184,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetFoundation for Environmental Stewardship — C$175,000 over 2y, 5.8% of budgetECOJUSTICE CANADA SOCIETY — C$175,000 over 5y, 0.7% of budgetKawartha Land Trust — C$175,000 over 3y, 8.5% of budgetCHILDREN'S AID FOUNDATION OF CANADA — C$175,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetCanadian Opera Company — C$170,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetThe Governing Council of the University of Toronto — C$160,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetNATURE CANADA — C$152,000 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetSalal Foundation — C$135,000 over 5y, 3.4% of budgetTHE NATIONAL THEATRE SCHOOL OF CANADA — C$120,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetWildsight — C$120,000 over 4y, 2.4% of budgetOcean Wise Conservation Association — C$120,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetTIDES CANADA INITIATIVES SOCIETY — C$120,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetWCS WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY CANADA — C$115,000 over 6y, 0.8% of budgetSTELLA'S PLACE ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT CENTRE — C$110,000 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetCANADIAN PARKS AND WILDERNESS SOCIETY — C$107,000 over 6y, 0.6% of budgetSHAW FESTIVAL THEATRE FOUNDAITON CANADA — C$103,000 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetClean Economy Fund — C$100,000 over 1y, 6.5% of budgetTHE HOSPITAL FOR SICK CHILDREN FOUNDATION — C$100,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCentre for Environmental Leadership in Canada — C$100,000 over 2y, 7.3% of budgetThe Stratford Shakespearean Festival of Canada — C$91,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetMABELLEarts — C$90,000 over 3y, 2.2% of budgetGEORGIA STRAIT ALLIANCE — C$85,000 over 4y, 3.3% of budgetOUR PLACE SOCIETY — C$82,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetTRENT UNIVERSITY — C$80,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetLiving Lakes Canada Society — C$80,000 over 4y, 3.7% of budgetFEDERATION OF ONTARIO NATURALISTS — C$80,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetGREENBELT FOUNDATION — C$80,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION — C$80,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetDAILY BREAD FOOD BANK FOUNDATION OF TORONTO — C$77,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetBIRDS CANADA — C$75,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetONTARIO STREAMS — C$75,000 over 6y, 4.3% of budgetACIAC — C$75,000 over 5y, 3.8% of budgetUniversity of British Columbia — C$75,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GEORGIAN BAY TRUST FOUNDATION INC. — C$70,400 over 3y, 1.5% of budgetThe Sustainability Institute of Canada — C$70,000 over 4y, 4.7% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Catherine and Max…The Henry White Kinne…J.P. Bickell Foundati…The Sitka FoundationThe K. M. Hunter Char…Hodgson Family Founda…Fondation Écho /Echo …Tippet FoundationThe George Lunan Foun…The George Cedric Met…McLean Smits Family F…Hal Jackman Foundation
The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen FoundationON37.6× affinity100 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation · The Henry White Kinnear Foundation · J.P. Bickell Foundation · The Sitka Foundation · The K. M. Hunter Charitable · Hodgson Family Foundation · Fondation Écho /Echo Foundation · Tippet Foundation · The George Lunan Foundation · The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation · McLean Smits Family Foundation · Hal Jackman Foundation

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

On method. Every financial figure here is read directly from the Canada Revenue Agency’s published T3010 data — your own annual information return and the multi-year returns of the 671 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year) — each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program description on its T3010; we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without a BN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears. How we build these →

Generated from your T3010 annual information return for the fiscal period ending 2024-12-31, as published by the Canada Revenue Agency in 2024. Amounts are Canadian dollars, as filed and never converted. Registered as a private foundation under foundations.

Source object 134368364:2024-12-31 · View the T3010 on the CRA register

Play a game based on McLean’s filings →