January, 2024
Dear CASSA Community,
We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our journey towards creating a more inclusive and empowered future for South Asian communities. The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) has recently been granted charitable status, marking a pivotal moment in our commitment to advancing social justice and racial equity.
Our Charitable Purposes
CASSA’s charitable purposes align with our longstanding mission to facilitate the economic, social, political, and cultural empowerment of South Asians. Our new status enables us to further these goals through the following avenues (our specific charitable purpose statements are copied at the end of this document):
- Advancing Equity & Inclusion: Providing workshops, classes, seminars, conferences, and educational aids, and developing resources and tools on critical subjects such as anti-racism, anti-oppression, racial justice, gender-based violence, gender equity, economic development and empowerment, health equity, and South Asian heritage to the public.
- Research Initiatives: Conducting and/or funding research in the fields of social justice, anti-racism, anti-oppression, gender-based violence, health care, information systems, access to social services, and South Asian heritage. Disseminating the results of this research to the public will empower informed decision-making.
- Charitable Giving: Receiving and maintaining funds to support charitable organizations and qualified donees.
Our Unwavering Commitment
While CASSA’s legal status has evolved, our core values and commitment to the South Asian communities are unchanged. We continue to be a resource for training, information, research, mobilization, coordination, and leadership on social justice issues affecting South Asian communities. Our mandate is to foster economic, social, political, and cultural empowerment. We are here to facilitate social change, build alliances, and work collaboratively with those who share our vision of an inclusive Canada.
Over the last three decades of being in operation, CASSA has been constantly evolving to be responsive to the needs of the communities we serve. As our scope and demand expand, charitable status will allow CASSA to be the sustainable and robust organization our communities need us to be.
Looking Ahead
CASSA’s 5-10-year goal includes expanding our reach into other provinces with significant South Asian populations. As we establish a National Head Office, we aim to convene, discuss synergies, strategize, and cultivate future partnerships with member agencies. Our collective mission is to build a Canada free of discrimination, racism, and hate—where all communities are free from marginalization and fully empowered to shape Canada’s future.
We are grateful for your ongoing support as we embark on this exciting chapter. Together, we can create lasting positive change and make strides towards a more equitable and just society. Thank you for being a crucial part of the CASSA community and we look forward to our continued partnership.
In Solidarity,
Samya Hasan
Executive Director
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
CASSA’s new charitable purpose statements as approved by the CRA.
The purposes of the corporation are:
- To advance education by providing workshops, classes, seminars, conferences, and educational aids on subjects such as anti-racism, anti-oppression, gender-based violence, gender equality, economic development, health care, and South Asian heritage to the public;
- To advance education by conducting and/or funding research in the fields of social justice, anti-racism, anti-oppression, gender-based violence, health care, information systems, access to social services, and South Asian heritage, and disseminating the results of the research to the public; and
- To receive and maintain a fund or funds and to apply all or part of the principal and income therefrom, from time to time, to charitable organizations that are also registered charities under the Income Tax Act (Canada) and/or to the following qualified donees under the Income Tax Act (Canada): registered national arts service organizations, municipalities in Canada,
