Windsor charities say donations are drying up. Is Trump's trade war behind it?

Some Windsor, Ont., charities say donations they rely on have either ceased or decreased in the past six months — and they worry the trend may continue as recent tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump add to economic uncertainty for the border city. 

With few alternatives for funding and increasing demand for charitable services, the ability to ask for more is becoming increasingly challenging. 

"It's been more consistent messaging from donors who say they have to stop donating," said Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin, executive director of the local shelter Downtown Mission.

"Locally there's so many things for us [specifically] that come into play as a border city, whether being dependent on the automotive market or tariffs. I think it's troubling and problematic that we have to reach out to donors who are potentially struggling themselves." 

Ponniah-Goulin says sometimes donors choose to take a break and come back, but she has to reach out and ask in times like these. 

Feeding Windsor-Essex is another charity with concerns. The organization targets food insecurity, providing community meal programs for seniors and youth in need. Over the last 11 years, the organization has gone from serving 12,000 meals to 200,000 in the last year.

"It's a very hard situation. Anytime I [say] we might have to cut [a] program, I've got three or four people standing in front of me with tears in their eyes," said Feeding Windsor-Essex's executive director Rodger Fordham.

LISTEN | Charities in Windsor say donations are down:

Afternoon Drive6:12Charities in Windsor say donations are down

Two Windsor charities are among several who say donations are drying up. Afternoon Drive's Josiah Sinanan hears from them and looks at the data that could be leading the trend.

The organization says they are less reliant on individual donors because they run several social enterprises and services, like Serenity Coffee House on Whelpton Street, to help fund their mission — but their donor base remains critical. 

Fordham says demand is not slowing down and costs are going up.

"We just don't have the funds to expand. And I get it," he said. "I used to get a lot of support from unions, but I don't think I've seen a union cheque in a year and a half. They're trying to deal with a situation where they don't even know what the numbers are going to be tomorrow."

According to Statistics Canada, charitable donations increased by nearly 12 per cent in Canada from 2022 to 2023, nearly returning to pre-COVID levels. It's a data point that Toronto-based Charity Intelligence says needs to be considered.

"We saw that donations have gone up in the last year, despite the fact that we are hearing that more than ever donations are down," says Liam Chapleau, a charity analyst with the group. 

The company collects data from audited financial statements of over 800 charities across Canada, crossing several sectors. Chapleau says their data showed a seven per cent increase year over year, with this year projected to be similar. 

"There is an expectation that because people are feeling more strapped for cash, they have less cash on hand and would give less. In reality, we look [our data] from COVID and in 2020 and 2021, donations rose in those two years." 

But more recent numbers are still yet to be determined by both Statistics Canada and Charity Intelligence, as tariffs take effect in 2025.

For Fordham and Ponniah-Goulin, the picture looks different. 

"Whether it's an individual, a family or a corporation, they are seeing less income. That's less revenue to donate to charities, which is unfortunate because on the flip side we see an increase of people needing that support," said Ponniah-Goulin.

The Downtown Mission's food bank and youth centre are strictly operating with a combination of donations and grants, which Ponniah-Goulin says are also more limited or not available from the government in the way they used to be. 

"I think it would be great if we as a country had sustainable funding for organizations like ours that provide an essential service to people. Unfortunately, we have to reach out to donors for financial support to keep going." 

That ask, and the potential of donor fatigue, weighs heavy for Fordham as well.

"You can't go back to a donor and say a fundraiser didn't raise as much [as you'd hoped] and you didn't get what you were getting. It's a tightrope," Fordham said. "As discretionary income shrinks, things start to drop off the list."

Chapleau says that Windsor in particular may see more of an impact when it comes to U.S. policy and is not surprised that organizations in sectors like homelessness may need to ask for more help, even if countrywide donations do increase.

"The homelessness rate has also increased and a lot of these charities are over capacity as well," he said. "[But] there are a lot of charities out there and all of them are wanting your money."

He encouraged donors to check a charity's financial statements and balance sheets before they give, especially in tough economic times, to make sure charities are using donations responsibly and that money is having the greatest possible impact. 

For local charities, Ponniah-Goulin says that any amount helps. If you cannot donate financially, you can always look for volunteer opportunities or donations of other resources, like clothing.