Active, committed and faithful people of The Anglican Church of Canada provide leadership, ministry and mission support in 30 Canadian dioceses, 1,792 parishes and 2,954 congregations in communities in every part of Canada, as well as with our partners overseas.

Anglicans give generously of their time, energy,  abilities and financial resources to do the work of God in many ways, helping to make a difference in people’s lives.

The Department of Philanthropy of General Synod works in close partnership with dioceses, parishes and  church institutions in offering gift planning resources, educational events and seminars, consultations and a wide variety of opportunities for making gifts – all for the purpose of ensuring the continuation and growth of vitally important ministries, encouraging Anglicans to be generous and faithful stewards of all God’s gifts.

More and more Anglicans are giving thoughtful attention now to their stewardship of accumulated assets, ensuring that they have valid wills and have planned responsibly for the  security and well-being of their families and the support of those institutions and causes which have been important to them.

As you will see by browsing this site, there are a number of ways to plan your response to God’s generosity through both present and deferred gifts.  Your generosity and thoughtfulness will provide for you and your family and friends a sense of satisfaction and delight in being able to make a very real difference in the life and work of your church and other charitable organizations you may wish to support.

The Anglican Church of Canada, through its parishes, dioceses  and General Synod, and various related institutions, offers many opportunities for expressions of generosity and committed support. The list of outreach projects, programmes and ministries is almost unlimited.  When you add to that the importance of caring for our buildings and properties, church growth and the establishing of new congregations and ministries, you can become very creative in providing for the future of our church, helping to ensure its vitality and effectiveness.

We look forward to hearing from you and would be pleased to provide detailed information about the various ways of making a gift and how a generous act of support will make a very real and permanent difference.

Gift Planning

Gift Planning means finding a way to make an important gift to a cause you believe in while still getting the best tax benefits possible and achieving personal financial goals.

A planned gift to The Anglican Church of Canada can be made outright to the Church for its immediate use, or deferred – arranged now for completion later. Some planned gifts are designed both to support the work of God through the Church and to provide a life income for the donor. Each type of planned gift offers benefits to the donor, and supports the mission of the Church, whether it be a parish, diocese, General Synod, or another Anglican Church of Canada entity or ministry.

This site will help you decide which way of giving best meets your situation and goals.

Gifts for the present

An outright gift of cash is the simplest and can be the best way to give. The church can use your gift immediately for its ministry and  programme or as endowment. You get a receipt for the full amount you have given, which means immediate tax savings.

For example, if your combined federal and provincial tax credit equals 45 per cent, a $ 5,000 gift to The Anglican Church of Canada actually costs you only $ 2,750 since it results in a tax savings of $ 2,250!  (The amount you can claim in charitable donations in any one year is limited to 75 per cent of your net income for that year.  Any amount over that can be carried forward for up to five years.)

When you make an outright gift of listed securities (such as shares, bonds, bills, warrants, debentures, futures, and mutual fund units), you receive a special tax benefit (effective with the May 2, 2006 Federal Budget):  you will not be taxed on any portion of the capital gain.  You will receive a donation receipt for the full amount of your gift of listed securities.

Gifts for the future

The most common type of deferred planned gift is a charitable bequest – a gift which is included in your will. This can be as simple as a sentence or two in your will, or a codicil appended to it. You may give a specific sum of money: (“I give to the Anglican Church of Canada the sum of $_____ to be used for its general purposes.”)

Or you can give certain assets as stocks or parts of what remains in your estate after other bequests have been taken care of. You may, in consultation with the Church, designate how you wish your bequest to be used and you may state if you wish it used immediately or held as endowment.

Your estate will be entitled to a receipt for the full value of your bequest. This may significantly reduce the tax payable with your final income tax return. A tax credit will be available for donations up to 100% of your final-year net income.

A gift of life insurance can provide a significant future gift to The Anglican Church of Canada at a modest present cost to you. This can be done with an existing policy or a new one.

You may give the death benefit of an existing policy just by naming your parish, diocese, General Synod, the Anglican Foundation of Canada, The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, or another related entity as beneficiary. But to receive a current tax benefit, you must also transfer the ownership of the policy to the Church. This entitles you to a donation receipt for its cash value. When you make the Church the owner and beneficiary of a new policy, you receive a donation receipt for each of your premiums. When you die, the Anglican Church of Canada receives the proceeds of the policy.

Gifts that give back

Some planned gifts pay you back by providing you income or allowing you to enjoy the use of your property even after you have given it to the Church.

A gift annuity provides both a gift to The Anglican  Church of Canada and guaranteed payments for life for you or your spouse. The annuity rates depend on your age, but they will usually be higher than G.I.C. interest.  Part of your annuity payments (sometimes all of it) are tax-free. Every donor receives a donation receipt for part of their contribution. The Anglican Church of Canada offers two types of annuities:  the General Synod Charitable Gift Annuity and the Gift Plus Annuity.

A charitable remainder trust is a deferred giving arrangement under which you irrevocably transfer property (cash, securities or real estate) to a trustee. You keep the right to the income from the trust, either for life or a specified number of years, and at the end of that time, the trust principal becomes your gift to the Church. You receive a donation receipt for the present value of this remainder interest. As with other forms of gifts, you may, in consultation with Church gift planning consultants, designate your gift for a particular ministry or as endowment.

A gift of residual interest gives back in a different way. You may, for instance, donate your residence but retain the right to use it while you live. You may give a valuable piece of art, but continue to enjoy it in your lifetime. In each case you  receive a donation receipt for the present value of the residual interest you have given to The Anglican Church of Canada.

Any gift given to The Anglican Church of Canada may be designated to be shared by more than one part of the Church’s life and work.

Feel free to explore this site by using the links to the left.

For more information, please contact:

Archdeacon John M. Robertson
National Gift Planning Consultant
General Synod of The Anglican Church of Canada
Department of Philanthropy
80 Hayden St., Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2
Telephone 416.924.9199 ext. 268
Fax: 416.924.8672
Toll-free: 1.888.439.GIFT (1.888.439.4438)
E-mail