Newsroom
About the Nonprofit Chamber
the Nonprofit Chamber, formerly Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) is a member-based charitable organization that was established in 2004 to strengthen Calgary’s vibrant nonprofit/voluntary sector, and address sector-related public policy issues in Alberta. The high quality of life enjoyed in our communities is built on many of the programs, activities, and services run by the close to 30,000 nonprofits and charities that make up Alberta’s nonprofit sector. We are proud to support these organizations through our sector research, advocacy, and informed convening and programming activities.
Media Contact
Angie Gélinas
agelinas@thenonprofitchamber.org
What We Do
RESEARCH
Our sector-specific research helps to identify, track, and map cross-cutting issues that affect nonprofits across Alberta, and to better support organizations’ policy work.
ADVOCACY
the Nonprofit Chamber boldly advocates for the nonprofit sector in order to support organizations to thrive in a dynamic and challenging environment.
EVENTS & PROGRAMS
Our events and programs are created specifically for nonprofit professionals to learn, grow, and connect with others in the sector.
BLOG & NEWS
Our blog and news include relevant and timely information on thought leadership, insights, and analysis of happenings that affect the sector.
Sector Stats
For the latest sector stats checkout our State of the Sector Report.
The news featuring the Nonprofit Chamber
Following the conclusion of the spring sitting of the Legislature, Premier Danielle Smith made changes to her cabinet on May 21, 2026. As a strong sector of more than 30,000 organizations, nonprofits in Alberta touch many different ministries. You can view the complete list of changes here.
On Wednesday, September 17, the Premier of Alberta issued new mandate letters to four Ministries: Arts, Culture and Status of Women; Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration; Tourism and Sport; and Forestry and Parks.
Mandate letters are issued at the beginning of a term, and these are new letters coming mid-way through this election cycle, with the next provincial election expected in 2027.
We are working on a detailed look and analysis of these new mandates, which will be out early next week, and in the meantime, here are a few quick takeaways.
Throughout the fall and winter of 2024, the Nonprofit Chamber participated in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs consultation on the Community Organization Property Tax Exemption Regulation (COPTER), which provides Alberta municipalities with criteria and conditions to use for determining property tax exemption eligibility for Alberta nonprofit organizations.
Throughout the consultations, the Nonprofit Chamber emphasized consistency, fairness, and transparency in applying COPTER. The principles governing COPTER were established in 1997 and we urged a review of those principles to more accurately reflect the breadth and depth of the sector, while also increasing the ability for municipalities to achieve the policy intent of supporting nonprofits that contribute to public benefit.
The federal government has opened consultation on draft legislation that would significantly expand its data collection for nonprofits.
Following the conclusion of the spring sitting of the Legislature, Premier Danielle Smith made changes to her cabinet last week. As a strong sector of more than 30,000 organizations, nonprofits in Alberta touch many different ministries. The cabinet changes that most affect our sector are as follows:
The Ministry of Immigration is moving to Jobs, Economy and Trade, and getting a new Minister in Joseph Schow
Childcare has been added to the Education portfolio under Minister Demetrios Nicolaides
Mental Health and Addiction will now be represented by Minister Rick Wilson
Indigenous Relations has a new Minister in Rajan Sawhney
Tourism and Sport has a new Minister in Andrew Boitchenko
The current Ministry of Housing, Community and Social Services under Minister Jason Nixon will see a name change to Assisted Living and Social Services
Earlier this month, Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction announced several changes that respond directly to the feedback from the review, giving charities broader discretion in determining how gaming proceeds are used to support their programs and services.
Starting in January 2024, the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship began a comprehensive review of Alberta’s Personal Information and Privacy Act (PIPA), which is required every 6 years.
PIPA is Alberta’s private sector privacy law. As such, it only applies to nonprofits for information collected, used or disclosed for commercial activity. This principle was established when the legislation came to effect in 2004 and was upheld in the 2015 comprehensive review of the legislation
Budget 2025 was released on Thursday, February 27 and we’ve pulled together high-level highlights for the nonprofit sector in key Ministries. Overall, the budget itself doesn’t make many waves. There are few new major investments, modest increases in many areas, and some decreases in grants available to community nonprofits.
You may have been following Calgary City Council's recent vote to approve property tax exemption for nonprofit affordable housing providers. At the Nonprofit Chamber, we have also been involved in a conversation about property taxes and nonprofits; we have been in consultation with the Province in their review of the policy governing property tax exemption for Alberta nonprofits, the Community Organization Property Tax Exemption Regulation (COPTER). Read about that review and next steps for COPTER in the post.
Alberta’s legislature will resume on Tuesday, February 25th, 2025. You can follow along to the legislature’s activities and watch online here. The provincial budget will be released on February 27th with some early indication from Alberta’s Finance Minister that the budget is likely to reflect some tough choices.
On December 23, 2024, the Government of Alberta launched the Alberta Nonprofit Listings Dashboard, a new, publicly accessible tool designed to provide valuable data about the province's nonprofit organizations in an interactive and user-friendly format.