Charities To File Declaration Form for Government’s Matching Donations to Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund

Updated November 27, 2013 – the deadlines for making eligible donations and filing the declaration form have been extended to December 23, 2013, and January 10, 2014, respectively.  

Typhoon Haiyan has devastated Tacloban city and surrounding areas in the Philippines. With the current death toll surpassing 3,600, some officials estimate that the eventual toll may exceed 10,000. Canadian donors have been touched by these reports and are looking for ways to help.

Many Canadian charities are providing emergency relief to those in need (for information about how you can support some of those charities, see our listing of Certified Members that are responding to the crisis).

The federal government of Canada has announced that, for every eligible dollar donated to registered Canadian charities in response to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan, it will set aside one dollar for the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.

This is a separate relief fund administered by the government which will provide assistance to specified organizations. These organizations will be selected by the government based on its own criteria. As such, the recipient charity collecting donations does not itself receive a matching dollar from the government, although it may be able to apply to the relief fund with a proposal for funding.

In order to be eligible for a matching donation to the government’s relief fund, the donation must be made by an individual between November 9 and December 23, 2013 and must be:

• monetary in nature (not to exceed $100,000 per individual);
• made to a registered Canadian charity that is receiving donations in response to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan;
• specifically earmarked for response to Typhoon Haiyan.

In order for the donation to be matched by the federal government for its Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund, the registered charity that received the donations must complete a declaration form and file it with Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD). This would apply to charities that solicit the donations directly for their own humanitarian work, as well as to charities that collect donations and then transfer them to another Canadian registered charity to carry out the work (i.e. as a gift to a qualified donee). Where such a transfer occurs, the charities should co-ordinate with one another as to who will be making the declaration to ensure the funds are not declared twice.

Charities should only complete this declaration if they are satisfied that the donations meet the above eligibility requirements and are used in response to the humanitarian crisis related to the impact of Typhoon Haiyan. The form must be received by the DFATD on or before January 10, 2014.

The form can be found on DFATD’s website: Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund 2013 Declaration Form. Charities should note the following information from DFATD about eligible donations, set out in the declaration form:

“Eligible donations can include amounts from a fundraising event undertaken to raise money from individuals in response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from Typhoon Haiyan. This fundraising may be undertaken by corporations, government bodies (provincial, territorial or municipal), schools, faith-based organizations, clubs, social groups, businesses, unions, partnerships, incorporated or nonincorporated entities, or charitable organizations. However, any donations made from the existing resources of the above-mentioned entities (i.e. donations that were not raised from individuals specifically in response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from Typhoon Haiyan), or any donations that were made by the above-mentioned entities to augment an amount raised during a fundraising activity or event, are not eligible.

Please note that donations collected by a registered Canadian charity and given to another such organization should be declared only once
to DFATD, to ensure no double-counting of donations.

In-kind donations are not eligible for the Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.”

CCCC encourages charities that are soliciting donations in response to this crisis to review the DFATD’s website and, if appropriate, file the necessary declaration form to maximize the impact of their donors’ contributions.

For more information, see the DFATD’s websites:

• Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund
• Typhoon Haiyan: Questions and Answers
• Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund 2013 Declaration Form