The Federation is a non-profit, charitable organization, governed by an Executive Committee and Board made up of scholars representing its general assembly members. Its permanent secretariat is based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The Federation's work is sustained by membership fees, revenue from its annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, project funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and other government bodies, and through the support of colleagues, institutional donors and other individuals through the Canadian Endowment for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

The Federation also has a number of steering committees to examine and to make new recommendations on copyright and research ethics, as well as the ASPP management board.

The Federation's by-laws and rules and regulations are available online.

See the Federation's history for a list of past presidents.