Ontario’s Nonprofit Sector
Ontario’s nonprofit sector is the largest nonprofit sector in Canada and is diverse – from arts and culture, housing, sports and recreation, faith, child development, community health care, the environment, and more. Nonprofits are at the forefront of advocating and making change for a greener, more equitable economy and an inclusive society.
As a sector, Ontario nonprofits receive less than half of their revenues from governments, generating income through program fees, membership programs, corporate funding, and more. Nonprofits reinvest all surpluses in their missions and leverage government revenues through private grants and donations, the sale of goods and services, and volunteer efforts to create additional value for the communities they serve.
Through their job creation and local spending activities, nonprofits generate considerable economic impact above and beyond the extensive value of the social, cultural, and environmental programs and services they provide to Ontarians.
The numbers above are from the most recent data about the nonprofit sector, Statistics Canada, 2019. The previous figure of 1 million workers was based on Ontario analysis of 2003 data from the National Survey of Nonprofit and Voluntary Organizations.
Learn more about the nonprofit sector in Ontario and other provinces and territories in Canada.
Nonprofit Appreciation Week
Celebrate Ontario’s nonprofits during Nonprofit Appreciation Week. The third week of February is now an opportunity to show appreciation for nonprofit workers and their dedication to serving communities all across our province.
Other Resources
Connect Nonprofit Jobs
Connecting people and jobs for thriving communities
Connect Nonprofit Jobs is a job board for Ontario’s nonprofits! It’s Ontario’s province-wide site connecting talented workers with employers who are on the decent work journey and value nonprofit sector professionals.
ONN Resource Centre
Resources for the sector, by the sector
The ONN Resource Centre builds on the base of Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Knowledge Centre. It is a dynamic platform of resources produced by and for Ontario’s nonprofit sector. The focus is to support leadership, staff, volunteers and supporters of the sector, as they serve their communities, strengthen their organizations, manage activities, and increase their impact.
Advocacy in action: Letters of welcome to cabinet ministers
As part of ONN’s advocacy work, we reach out to government officials to keep them up to date on our policy priorities and to seek out their support. When cabinet ministers change portfolios, it’s important to keep the conversation going, sometimes via letters of welcome that not only introduce your organization, but also frame relevant policy asks. For example, in the summer of 2021 and 2019, ONN reached out to new ministers after the provincial government announced a cabinet shuffle. You can read our letters in the publications sections of each advocacy page.
Ontario’s regional networks
As a network, we are pleased to share resources about other networks working at a regional level:
- Chatham-Kent Nonprofit Network : CKNN’s mission is to engage with and advocate for nonprofit and charitable organizations that work for the public benefit in Chatham-Kent. Its goal is to bring together the nonprofit sector of Chatham-Kent to find its collective voice and to demonstrate its value to the community.
- Pillar Nonprofit Network : Pillar strengthens the impact of the nonprofit sector. It connects the three pillars- nonprofit, business and government – to create community impact. It sparks innovation.
- Toronto Nonprofit Network : TNN is a new and growing city-wide network of more than 100 nonprofit organizations from a wide range of sectors including social services, arts and culture, health, education and sports and recreation. It brings the diverse voices of the city’s nonprofit sector to government, funders and business to create and influence systemic change.
