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.
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% |