Cardus is a Canadian think tank focused on researching traditional Christian approaches to public policy and is a registered charity in both Canada and the United States. The organization focuses on various policy areas including education, faith communities, family, health, and economics. ¹

Background

The Cardus Institute, commonly known as Cardus, is a Canadian think tank focused on researching traditional Christian approaches to public policy. The organization is a registered charity in Canada and the United States. Cardus was initially founded as the Work Research Foundation (WRF) in 1974 by labor activist Harry Antonides, who directed the organization until 1996. Antonides started Comment, WRF’s public theology journal, in 1983. The journal is still a core publication of Cardus as of July 2023. ²

Ray Pennings and Michael Van Pelt, Cardus’ current president and vice president respectively, took over leadership of the WRF in 2000 and rebranded the organization as “Cardus” in 2008. The organization also enveloped another religious-aligned think tank, the Centre for Cultural Renewal, in 2010. ³

Cardus’ first major research project, the Cardus Education Survey, was released in 2011. The project was the world’s largest survey of “the outcomes of Christian and non-government education.” ⁴

The organization absorbed the Institution of Marriage and Family Canada in 2016, and in the same year, started a partnership with the Angus Reid Institute to study faith in Canadian public life. ⁵

Cardus focuses on various policy areas including education, faith communities, family, health, and economics. ⁶

People

Michael Van Pelt, the president and CEO of Cardus, has done advocacy work with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Chamber of Commerce. After being appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the ministry of former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Van Pelt led the board of directors for the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development from 2009 until 2012. He is the founding CEO of the Christian School Foundation, was on the board of directors for the Voortman Charitable Foundation from 2009 until 2017, chaired the board of directors of Fair Havens Ministries, and was a board member of the Kinvest Impact Foundation. ⁷

Ray Pennings, the executive vice president of Cardus, was the national public affairs director of the Christian Labour Association of Canada from 1991 until 2000 and the vice president of research at the Work Research Foundation from 2000 until 2008. ⁸

Financials

According to its consolidated financial statement for 2019, Cardus had a total revenue of $4.7 million CAD (approximately $3.5 million USD) that year with $4.1 million (around $3.1 million USD) coming from contributions, gifts, and grants. The organization’s total expenses amounted to approximately $4.5 million (around $3.4 million USD) that same year. Cardus reported holding assets worth approximately $4.5 million (around $3.4 million USD) as of 2019. ⁹

Cardus is also a registered charity in the United States. According to its 2021 tax return, the organization’s American arm had a total revenue of $243,787, $211,640 of which came from contributions and grants. Its total expenses amounted to $347,596 that year. ¹⁰

1. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
2. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
3. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
4. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
5. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
6. “Our Story, Think Tank, Idea Generation.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/about/our-story/.
7. “Michael Van Pelt.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-van-pelt-8480914/details/experience/.
8. “Ray Pennings.” LinkedIn. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-pennings-16a33612/.
9. ^[1] “THE CARDUS INSTITUTE > consolidated financial statements >YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2019.” Cardus. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://www.cardus.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2019-The-Cardus-Institute-Consolidated-Financial-Statements.pdf.
10. Suozzo, Andrea. “Cardus Inc.” ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Accessed July 17, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/202324150/202203019349301380/full.