Earlier this year, the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN) conducted a bilingual sector-wide survey with l’Assemblée de la Francophonie de l’Ontario (l’AFO) to assess the state of Ontario’s nonprofit organizations. With nearly 1,500 respondents across the province, the results of the survey reveal much about nonprofits’ financial health, staffing and volunteers, and general operations.

Nonprofits, charities and grassroots groups in Ontario are in the midst of confronting fallout from the pandemic – unprecedented demand for services, a domino effect of record breaking inflation, deepening financial precarity, and a relentless human resources and volunteer crisis. Despite this, organizations remain committed to serving communities.

The ONN and l’AFO assert that there is an urgent need for a coordinated sector response and long-term public policy solutions to not only mitigate challenges nonprofits are facing now, but also to prepare for future emergencies. Without action, the erosion of Ontario’s critical social infrastructure will only speed up.

New to this year’s survey was the addition of indicators documenting Black and/or Indigenous organizations; this effort highlights specific impacts on organizations and groups that are often overlooked and underrepresented in policymaking due to systemic racism and colonialism.

Read the report’s key findings, policy recommendations and calls to action for the non-profit sector here.