Sept 2022 Charity & NFP Law Update
In an announcement released on September 21, 2022, the Canada Revenue Agency introduced GCDonate on behalf of Public Services and Procurement Canada. GCDonate is an online platform that advertises the Government of Canada’s surplus moveable assets available for donation. Generally, federal departments and agencies must sell their surplus goods or transfer them to other federal government departments for reuse. Items that are not claimed can instead be donated to eligible groups, including charities, non-profit organizations, Indigenous communities, and other levels of government.
With the introduction of GCDonate, eligible groups will have an online platform to visit to see what goods are available for donation from the federal government. Donated items range from furniture and binders to personal protective equipment and specialized goods, such as fluorometers used for testing lake water.
Eligible organizations will need to register with GCDonate in order to browse available goods, and can sign up for alerts when goods are added to their preferred categories. Goods must be picked up locally with the department offering the goods.