Our Impact

Here’s what that impact looks like in real life.

Last Year, 29,683 People Strengthened Their Skills Through Our Programs.

Download our Annual Reports and Financial documents

Strategic Plan 2025-2029

Where Are We Going in the Years Ahead?

  • Priority 1

    Deepen our impact

    Expand and strengthen our programs, partnerships, and capacity to deliver meaningful literacy support where it is needed most.

  • Priority 2

    Expand our Influence

    Increase awareness of literacy’s importance, mobilize partners and stakeholders, and strengthen our role as a leader in the literacy sector.

  • Priority 3

    Build our internal capacity

    Strengthen our organization through sustainable funding, engaged staff and volunteers, and continuous improvement.

Our Impact

93%

of children

report improvement in their reading skills

93%

of children

report improvement in completing homework

100%

of adults

report improvement their reading skills

97%

of adults

reported improvements in computer and tech skills

Human Stories

The Real Impact of Literacy

  • “I left school when I was 15, I decided “school wasn’t for me” and I really believed I did not need it to get a job in construction. After 24 years of working in the trades, I now own a local business that successfully employs 13 people to date. Learn Outside the Box (United for Literacy program offered in Winnipeg) gave me the opportunity to attain my Grade 12, assessing where I need help, working at my speed, my availability, my schedule raising 2 daughters, running my company, and various hobbies I’m into. I am thankful for Sunny and Mona (United for Literacy Instructor Coordinators) for this great opportunity!  I was asked “What’s next?” well for me, I took this as a steppingstone to get a Finance degree to build my business further.

    Again, I am so grateful for this experience.”

    Richard, a CAEC graduate from Winnipeg

    Adult Learner

  • “Knowing there are people and organizations such as you who believe in me convinces me to keep pushing for the future I want and means more than words can say! Because of you, I’m proud to say that I will be the first in my family to attend post-secondary school and be a step closer to achieving my academic dreams.”

    Youth learner, Vancouver

    Youth learner

  • “United for Literacy homework support program has had a meaningful and lasting impact on the families residing at our family shelter. By providing a consistent, welcoming space for children to focus on their studies, the program not only supported academic progress but also helped establish a sense of routine and stability during a challenging time. Parents frequently expressed their gratitude, noting how much it relieved their stress and allowed them to focus on other priorities, knowing their children were receiving the help they needed. Your team’s dedication and positive presence made a real difference. We are so thankful for your commitment, compassion and partnership – it has truly enriched the lives of the families we serve. Thank you and your volunteers, from the bottom of my heart. Looking forward to continuing this partnership in the future.”

    Community Partner in Ottawa

    Community Partner

Long term Impact

When you support literacy, you support the foundation of poverty reduction, improved health outcomes, improved civic engagement, and economic resilience. Along with the benefits of strong skills for individuals (e.g., higher earning potential, exploration of interests), the positive change that occurs when a person builds stronger literacy skills is passed from generation to generation, and the benefits are felt community wide.

  • Every 1% increase in literacy skills boosts Canada’s gross domestic – product by $67 billion. Deloitte, 2020.
  • 23% higher average income among adults with strong literacy skills
  • 3x more likely to participate in civic life among people with strong literacy skills.

National Presence

Present Across Canada

British Columbia

11

locations

Learn more

Prairies

40

locations

Learn more

Ontario

35

locations

Learn more

Quebec

45

locations

Learn more

Atlantic Canada

25

locations

Learn more

Northern Canada

8

locations

Learn more

Why choose United for Literacy

97%

of children

say a United for Literacy Program Helped them

100%

of adult

learners felt welcome

97%

of adult learners

felt seen and accepted

91%

of parents

rate our programs “excellent” or “Very Good”

Reports and Publications

Free Downloads, No Form Required

Financial Statements

T3010

Annual Reports

Supported by

Major Donors and Funders

Donors

Thank you for the gift of literacy.

We acknowledge the leadership and generosity of our donors listed below. This list reflects gifts received between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. We also wish to thank those donors who have chosen to remain anonymous. Although we have made every effort to ensure that donors have been correctly acknowledged, if we have erred, please accept our apologies and report the error or omission to 1-800-555-6523 ext. 3324.

Become a partner

$500,000+

$100,000+

$50,000 - $99,999

$25,000 - $49,999

$10,000 - $24,999

$5,000 - $9,999

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Bruce Munro Wright
Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO)
CLICK (Contributing to Lives of Inner City Kids Society)
E-L Financial Corporation Ltd.
Fredericton Community Foundation Inc.
George and Helen Vari Foundation
Government of New Brunswick
Guelph Community Foundation
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba
Leonard Foundation
The Mariano Elia Foundation
Mawer Investment Management Ltd.
Susan Manwaring
McLean Foundation
Norman and Margaret Jewison Charitable Foundation
Nova Scotia School of Adult Learning
Pelzer Family Fund at Calgary Foundation
Kathleen A. Provost
Saint Mary’s University
Squamish First Nation
St. Thomas University
Sudbury Community Foundation
Techno Culture Club
Thunder Bay Community Foundation
Torys LLP
United Way of Thunder Bay
United Way/Centraide of Central New Brunswick
Université de Moncton

$2,500 - $4,999

Steve Bernstein
B-Line Technical Services Inc.
CDW Canada
Chalmers Community Renewal Initiative
John D. Coburn
First North Consulting
Fundata Canada Inc.
Fundserv
Greater Saint John Community Foundation
L. Neil Gower
Hamilton ETFs
IFSE Institute
Infinite Investment Systems Ltd.
Intact Financial Corporation
Kenora and Lake of the Woods Community Foundation
Kite Vancouver Development Initiative Association
Peter Morgan
North Bay and Area Community Foundation
Rotary Club of Winnipeg
Selkirk Community Renewal Corporation
Softchoice
Terrace Bay Action Centre
University of Alberta
Weyerhaeuser Canada
Mary Wheeler
Michele Wright

$1,000 - $2,999

Anonymous
Olin and Suzanne Anton
Annette Balgord
BC Hydro
Yassir Berbiche
Bilijk (Kingsclear) First Nation
Blattel Family Fund – OCF
Walter and Christine Boyd
Brian and Linda Brownlee
Josephine Campbell
Canadian Medical Foundation
Janet Chandler
Brian R. Clark
Community Foundation of Nova Scotia
Concordia University Student Association
Julia Deans
Elmwood Community Resource Centre
Ext. Marketing Inc.
Stephen Faul
Morten Friis
Mike Gallagher
The Gryphon
Hamber Foundation
ICTC eTalent Canada
Institute of Corporate Directors
Johnston Research Inc
Erin Julihn
Patricia Kennedy
Lifetime Charitable Foundation
Mary McDougall Maude
Kevin McGuire
Janet McMurtry
Dr. Catherine Milne
Northwestern Alberta Foundation
Cara-Marie O’Hagan
Anne Parker
Penguin Random House Canada Limited
Eric Plato
Kathleen Pomrenke
The Rotary Club of Brandon # 1344
Janice Rubin
Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority
Sitansisk (St. Mary’s) First Nation
SMEx
Stantec
Starbucks Foundation Charitable Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation
Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation
Christine Thomlinson
Welamukotuk (Oromocto) First Nation
Wellington Altus Group Solutions Inc.
John Wiltshire
Winnipeg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Foundation
Wotstak (Woodstock) First Nation

$500 - $999

ABC Fund at Calgary Foundation
ABC Life Literacy Canada
Maureen Anglin
Audemars-Rivero Fund
Babin Bessner Spry LLP
Paul and Kaye M. Beeston
Kaylea Bove
Sandra Jayne Bredin
Angela Briscoe
Ruth Brown
Henry Chang
Luce E. Charbonneau
Marijo Coates
Malcolm M. Collins
Andrew Davidge
Jahanvi Desai
Denny Doljac
Lisa Eckler
Marija Finney
Goshka Folda
Gift Funds Canada
Catherine Graham
Tovi Grossman
Michael Jordan Halbert
Terry Lee and  Catharine Heddle
Beth Horowitz
Tom Howell
Elizabeth Huntsman
Murray Innes
Intact Insurance
Dr. Robert and  Darlene A. James
James and  Diane Kearns
David Lemon
Kyle Leng
Dr. J. Alexander Lowden
Paul Macciacchera
Amber MacKenzie
Rebecca Martinez
Kelly McKeown
Annette McKinnon
Nyssa McLeod
Cathy Mehagan
Susan Morris
Dr. James Morrison
Stephen and  Fran Musial
Niruja Navayogaratnam
Netskope
Nick & Lynn Ross Charitable Foundation
Bessie Okashimo
William Pegg
Rachel Rafelman
Kathleen M. Ramsay
Redbird Therapy Centre
Lindsay Sauder
Second Chance Reads
Michael Sgambelluri
Dr. Celia Rodd and Dr. Atul Sharma
Stimulus
Mathieu Tardif
Elizabeth Taylor
Sarah B. Thompson
Nanci E. Turk
Antonella Vergati
Kate Watson
Mary C. Watson
Donna Woloshyn

Gift In-Kind Donors

AdvisorAnalyst
Advocis
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Calm Air International LP
Captivate
First Book Canada
Let’s Talk Canada
Newcom
North Star Air
Scholastic Classrooms Care
Shrugging Doctor Beverage Company
The Sword and Board
Wasaya Airways

Monthly Donors

Special thanks to the Literacy Leaders Monthly Giving Club. Monthly gifts provide consistent funding for literacy programs.

Christopher Andree
Maureen Anglin
Robert Anglin
Annette Balgord
Sarah Banani
David Banwell
Darby Bayly
Larry Bilokrely
Diana Bouchard
Laura Boudreau
Kaylea Bove
Sandra Jayne Bredin
Angela Briscoe
Jonathan H. Broadberry
Benedicte Brueder
Ruth Bryan
Michele Bussieres
Josephine Campbell
Dr. Robert Campbell
Aileen Cheon-Hayes
Judith A. Collard
Maria Christina Conlon
Amy Copland
Michael D’Costa
Bogna Dembek
Michelle Dharmalingam
David Edney
Stephen Faul
Vanessa Ferguson
Raymond J. Gates
Paul A. Gingrich
Prof. Peter A Goddard
Catherine Graham
Matthew Gray
Tovi Grossman
John Hannigan
Ellen Heaney
Stephen Heeney
Tom Howell
Louisa Howerow
Joanne Huffa
Dr. Carolyn E. Inch
Carol Jamieson
Jacqueline Jolliffe
Lorenzo Carey Jr
Erin Julihn
Sai Niranjan Jyothimahalingam
Zestaline Kim
Sandi Kiverago
Alex Kraas
Tetyana Krukovets
Yuanhui Lang
Tannys Laughren
Patricia Lawler
Sandra Lewis
Norma Lundberg
Rene Malenfant
Louis Derik Marchand
Lynne Massey
Pamela Mazza
Nyssa McLeod
Robyn McMorris
Janet McMurtry
Lois McNabb
Cathy Mehagan
Claudine Mingot
Peter Morgan
Dr. James Morrison
Walter A. Murray
Natasha Ogryzlo
Nobuko Oikawa
Emile Parisien
Anne Parker
Jack C. Pearpoint
Sarah Pendlebury
Jeanne St Pierre
Eric Plato
Kathleen A. Provost
Rachel Rafelman
Kathleen M. Ramsay
Denise Reaume
Virginia Reimer
Meredith Roberts
Peter N. Roberts
Robert Robson
Glenn Rogers
Katrina Rojas
Felicity Ronaghan
Janice Rubin
Rick Rumney
Michael Ruxton
Casey Sabawi
Adrienne Scott
Elizabeth Taylor
Christine Thomlinson
Sarah B. Thompson
Martin Tremblay
Brigitte Tremorin
Melanie Valcin
Hañwakañ Blaikie Whitecloud
Mei Wa Wong
Michele Wright
Haoshi Yu

Invest in Literacy

Your support helps fund programs in communities that need them most.