New report highlights how identity shapes charitable giving in Canada

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Generosity in Canada is as diverse as the people who call it home

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VANCOUVER, BC, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canada Day is a time to celebrate what unites us, and one of those connections is generosity. From newcomers to indigenous communities, people give in ways that are shaped by their culture, upbringing, and community ties. 

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According to a recent report by Imagine Canada, 79% of multicultural Canadians donated in the past year, often through community, cultural, or faith-based channels. As an online giving platform trusted by more than 200,000 Canadians, Charitable Impact sees the many forms generosity can take. ”One of Canada’s great strengths lies in its diversity,” says John Bromley, Founder and CEO of Charitable Impact. “More than anything, we see diversity represented through our donor-centric giving platform every day. It’s no surprise that giving looks different depending on your background, your values, and your community. These differences should be celebrated and shared.”

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That diversity is also reflected in where donors choose to give. In 2024, religiously affiliated causes became the most supported category on Charitable Impact, surpassing poverty relief. Community-based causes, such as local initiatives and cultural support programs, also rose in prominence, overtaking health-related giving to round out the top five.  

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Giving as an Expression of Culture And Community

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The stories behind giving are as varied as the causes people support. Martina Seo, a vivacious home economics teacher and a second-generation Korean Canadian, remembers her parents giving what little they could to help new immigrants settle. That memory now fuels her own support for different organizations on Charitable Impact, helping vulnerable children and providing community services. “There’s just no point in hoarding what you’ve been blessed with for yourself,” said Seo. “If I have two jackets, why wouldn’t I share one with someone without a jacket? If I have a cookie, why wouldn’t I cut it in half and share it?”

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Dance educator and son of Chinese immigrants, Tim Mah, channels his own story into support for youth arts programs. “When I think back to my youth, I think back to when I was about to start high school, and the school was reaching out to families to ask if their child would like to participate in the high school band,” Mah recalls. “That evening, I listened to a discussion between my mother and my sister and heard, “We can’t afford to send Tim to this band program and afford the rice for next month.” That conversation still resonates.”

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Despite financial strain, Tim’s mother still found ways to give back, raising funds for newly arrived immigrant families through their local Chinese United Church. “I would tag along to sell tickets to the ‘Chowmein Tea’ fundraiser. That experience shaped me.” Today, Tim runs a ​​DARE-2-Dance-Your-Brain program which supports underprivileged kids through dance. Since launching his DARE-2-Danzkool Giving Group in 2014, he’s raised over $75,000 and reached more than 900 students. “Dance gave me confidence and community. Now I give so others can access that same opportunity.” 

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A Platform for Everyone’s Way of Giving

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As a donor-advised fund, Charitable Impact was designed to accommodate the diverse ways Canadians want to engage with giving. The platform offers tools and support that let people give on their own terms, whether anonymously or with recognition, individually or collaboratively, right now or over time.

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“Whether it’s structured or spontaneous, culturally rooted or cause-driven, generosity is one of the most powerful things Canadians have in their toolbox to create change for the things they care about the most,” says Bromley. “No matter who we are or where we are from, we all have something we want to see changed.”