Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Christmas Daddies

Christmas Daddies is a volunteer‑driven non‑profit organization that has operated in the Canadian Maritime provinces since 1964. Through its flagship CTV Christmas Daddies Telethon and related fundraising activities, the organization raises money to support children living in poverty in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Funds are channelled to Christmas assistance programs that provide food, toys, gifts and other holiday support for low‑income families.

The legal entity behind the telethon is the C.D. Fundraising Association, a registered non‑profit. While it is not itself a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency, Christmas Daddies has a formal agreement with The Salvation Army, which acts as distribution partner and issues charitable tax receipts to donors.

The primary beneficiaries of Christmas Daddies funding are children from households with limited income across the Maritimes. Donations are returned to the region where they originate—for example, a pledge from Truro is used to support families in the Truro area, while gifts from Cape Breton or Prince Edward Island are reinvested locally. In recent years, the program has supported more than 18,000 children annually and has cumulatively raised over $40 million since the first telethon.

Christmas Daddies works closely with The Salvation Army’s local corps and community and family services units, as well as other community partners such as regional Christmas aid societies and toy drives. These partners manage registration processes, verify eligibility and organize the distribution of hampers, grocery gift cards, toys and other gifts during the Christmas season.

The core funding mechanism is the annual televised pledge‑based variety show broadcast live on CTV Atlantic from Halifax, Moncton, Charlottetown and Sydney. Viewers, community groups and businesses phone in pledges, present cheques on air, participate in 50/50 draws and auctions, or host third‑party fundraising events throughout the year. Christmas Daddies coordinates these efforts, receives and tracks donations, and transfers funds to distribution partners for program delivery.

The organization focuses its support on the three Maritime provinces. Detailed information on how to register for Christmas help is published each year, listing communities and contacts across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Families typically apply through their local Salvation Army office or designated partner agency.

Christmas Daddies communicates openly about its mandate—to provide less fortunate children in the Maritime provinces with gifts at Christmas time, including toys and food—and about its partnership with The Salvation Army. The website explains how donations are processed, where they are used, and who issues charitable tax receipts. Historical totals raised by year and by region are made available to demonstrate the long‑term impact of the telethon and its associated fundraising campaigns.