How to find a registered charity to support

Are you interested in supporting a charity, but aren't sure which one? Perhaps you have a specific community or cause in mind and would like to learn more about the charities operating in those areas?

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) maintains Charities Listings to help you find and research charities that are of interest to you. Once you have found a charity that meets your criteria, you can get basic details about it and access its annual Registered Charities Information Return.

If you are ready to search for a charity now, you can go directly to the Charities Listings.

If you would like instructions on how to use the CRA Charities Listings, the following information will help you.

Explanation of search fields
Using keywords to search for charities
Using category codes to search for charities
Searching for a charity in your community
Narrowing your search further: Using multiple fields

Explanation of search fields

There are six fields that you can use to search for charities. By filling in as many of these fields as you can, you are more likely to find a charity that meets your criteria.

1. Charities Listing: The Charities Listing provides a drop-down menu with several choices. Choose "Canadian Registered Charities" to search for a registered charity.

2. Charity Name: This field is for the name of the charity. If you do not know the name of the charity, you can use this field to search for a charity using keywords.

3. Designation: The CRA assigns a designation based on a charity's structure, its source of funding, and its mode of operation. You can select one of the three designations to narrow your search:

A. public foundation
B. private foundation
C. charitable organization

4. Category Code: The CRA assigns a two-digit category code to each registered charity. This code indicates the charity's overall purpose. You can use this field to search for charities in specific categories.

5. City, Province, Postal Code: These fields allow you to search for charities using geographical information.

6. BN/Registration Number: All registered charities are issued a Business Number/ Registration Number, which you can enter in this field.

Using keywords to search for charities

You can search for a charity that supports a specific cause using keywords:

• Start by choosing Canadian Registered Charities from the first drop-down menu.
• Next, type your keyword in the Charity Name field. For example, suppose you wish to find charities related to disaster relief. Type the word "disaster" in the Charity Name field.
• Select Search.

Your search will return all registered charities that have the word "disaster" in their names, in the following format:

P/T = Province or Territory
D = Designation

Note
Other organizations might be providing disaster relief services that could be of interest to you as a donor, but "disaster" might not appear in their names. To search for these organizations, you could use category codes.

Using category codes to search for charities

You can also use category codes to search for a charity that supports a specific cause. The CRA assigns a two-digit category code to each registered charity to indicate its overall purpose. There are five main groupings of category codes:

Codes 01 to 19 Health and welfare
Codes 20 to 29 Education
Codes 30 to 49 Religious
Codes 50 to 59 Community
Codes 60 to 99 Others

To search for charities using category codes:

• Start by choosing Canadian Registered Charities from the first drop-down menu.
• Next, select Category Code description and look for the description most closely related to the cause you want. For example, you will find "02 - Disaster Funds" if you are looking for disaster relief.
• Enter the corresponding code into the search field. In this example, enter "02" for Disaster Funds.
• Select Search.

Your search will return all registered charities in the "02 : Disaster Funds" category, in the following format:

P/T = Province or Territory
D = Designation

Note
When searching this way, consider trying more than one category. The CRA assigns category codes on registration, but a charity's focus may change over time or grow to include other categories. There are often many ways to reach the information you wish to find, so keep your options open.

Searching for a charity in your community

If you know you want to support a charity in a certain area or location, follow these steps:

• Start by choosing Canadian Registered Charities in the first drop-down menu.
• Next, enter the location using the City, Province, or Postal Code fields. You can use all or part of a postal code.
• Select Search.

Your results will list registered charities that:

• are based in that location; or
• maintain a head office in that location but that might deliver services beyond that community.

Note
Your search results might not list every charity operating in your community. For example, a charity may operate in your community but have its address in a different community.

Narrowing your search further: Using multiple fields

To narrow your search even further, you can enter data in more than one search field. For example, you can fill in the category code as well as a location, or you can specify one of the three designations.

Remember, the more fields you use, the more likely it is that you will find a registered charity that meets your criteria.

Search the Charities Listings