Financial Info

Where the Money Goes

The Coldest Night of the Year is a charitable program of Blue Sea Philanthropy USA, a registered 501c3 charity.


Since 2011, the Canadian branch of Coldest Night of the Year has raised over $70 million in support of 200 communities and charity partners serving families, youth, and adults experiencing hurt, hunger, and homelessness.


In 2022, CNOY expanded to the USA with a goal of building a lot of buzz, revenue, and awareness for the CNOY cause. February 2023 was year two of CNOY USA, and 21 locations successfully raised over $675,000.


Charity partners in the Coldest Night of the Year benefit from accessing our leadership and coaching, and our national turn-key event with its fundraising and promotion infrastructure that saves money on staff time, development costs, cash flow risk, insurance, receipting, and ongoing management.


Whereas a typical direct-services charity has program costs like feeding, shelter, or counseling, our direct charity program costs include both our event grants as well as items like program staff, signage, event gear, winter toques, and the fundraising portal. The sum of all Coldest Night of the Year charity grants plus our direct event costs equals our total charitable program.

Financial Details + Payouts

Charity partners earn two sources of revenue in the event. Together these are collected and tabulated to establish their final grant payment.

  • Donation Revenue: All the money fundraised by teams and their participants.
  • Sponsorship: All community sponsorship revenue earned from local businesses who sponsor the event.
Charity Partner Payout Schedule

At the conclusion of the event, Blue Sea Philanthropy USA tallies all of the revenue earned by each charity partner and pays out a grant based on how much was raised in each location using the schedule below.

Total Raised by Charity

Payout %

$200,000 plus

85%

$100,000-$200,000

80%

$50,000-$100,000

75%

$0-$50,000

70%

Notes:

  • Payout percentage is cumulative.
  • Payout is calculated on total donation revenue and sponsorship.
  • Locations who raise $10,000 or more in business sponsorship receive 85% of their sponsorship earnings assuming the location raises a minimum of $20,000 in donation revenue.
Got questions about the Coldest Night of the Year USA?
help@cnoy.com | 1.877.743.3413