Keepers of the Circle

What Keepers of the Circle does

Keepers of the Circle is the operating name of the Temiskaming Native Women's Support Group, a non-profit organization incorporated in 1997 in Northern Ontario, Canada. The organization operates an urban Indigenous Hub from two physical locations — its headquarters at 121 Scott St in Temiskaming Shores and a regional office in Kirkland Lake — with an additional outreach location serving Matachewan First Nation. It delivers onsite and on-the-land programs and services for Indigenous women, gender-diverse individuals, and their families, and has served as the Ontario representative of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) since 2018. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors composed of Indigenous women from local communities, advised by a Council of Wisdom Keepers drawn from First Nations within the Timiskaming District and the Temiskaming Métis Community Council.

The service portfolio centers on the Culture, Confidence, and Competence (CCC) pre-employment training program — a 7-10 week curriculum developed by and for Indigenous women, covering personal development, health and wellness, career exploration, professional development, and sector-specific technical skills in mining, trades, carpentry, agriculture, and green jobs. CCC is augmented by a sector-specific add-on, "CCC in Careers in Motion," which pairs training with a 10-week paid industrial assembly placement at Motion Industries' North Bay facility. Supporting service lines include Indigenous Family Support Services (incorporating the "Nurturing the Seed" developmental support model) and Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health Services clinics at New Liskeard and Kirkland Lake, opened in 2019. The underlying "technology" is the culturally-grounded, strengths-based curriculum itself rather than a software platform; the organization has no app, no API, and no proprietary software product. Legacy program data shows 364 of 478 women (76%) secured employment through the predecessor AWIM program as of March 2020.

Keepers of the Circle is a publicly-funded non-profit with no earned revenue from program participants; all services are delivered free of charge. Revenue is generated entirely through government grants and project-based funding from federal and provincial sources, including a Government of Canada investment of $3,575,246 for 10 forestry and economic resilience projects (announced 2025-09-08), a FedNor/CanNor award of $668,778 (same date), Ontario Energy Board and Natural Resources Canada co-funding for Indigenous-led energy projects, and prior support from Employment and Social Development Canada and Bell Let's Talk. The go-to-market model is community-led outreach combined with event-driven training cycles (7-10 week CCC cohorts with 15-seat capacity), supplemented by employer partnerships for sector-specific work placements. Headcount is 51-100 staff.

Name

Keepers of the Circle

Legal name

Temiskaming Native Women's Support Group

Website

https://keepersofthecircle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Keepers of the Circle is a non-profit urban Indigenous Hub in Northern Ontario, operating since 1997 to deliver culturally-based pre-employment training, family support, and health services to Indigenous women, families, and communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Services

NAICS

American Indian and Alaska Native Tribal Governments (921150), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Tribal Technical & Workforce Development Colleges (Trades/Applied Programs) (EDAHANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Indigenous community services
• Pre-employment training
• Family support services
• Cultural restoration programs
• Indigenous health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Témiscaming

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: The organization receives funding from government sources including Natural Resources Canada, Ontario Energy Board, and CanNor for energy projects and economic resilience initiatives. These grants support specific programs and operational costs.
2. Project-based Funding: Funding for specific initiatives including bio-economy development, community planning, infrastructure projects, and Indigenous-led modular home construction. Funded by Government of Canada investment of $3,575,246 for forestry and economic resilience projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Keepers of the Circle is an urban Indigenous Hub that delivers culturally-based, trauma-informed pre-employment training (Culture, Confidence, and Competence/CCC), Indigenous Family Support Services, and Indigenous Health Services (Mino M'shki-ki) to Indigenous women and their families in Northern Ontario. Programs are offered on-site at its two centers in Temiskaming Shores and Kirkland Lake, on-the-land, and through employer-partner facilities, grounded in the Medicine Wheel, Seven Grandfather Teachings, and a strengths-based perspective.

Product overview

Keepers of the Circle is an urban Indigenous Hub operated by the Temiskaming Native Women's Support Group, offering a portfolio of culturally-based programs and services. The primary offering is the Culture, Confidence, and Competence (CCC) essential skills pre-employment training program (formerly Aboriginal Women in Mining), which provides Indigenous women pathways to employment across sectors including mining, trades, agriculture, green jobs, and carpentry. This core program is augmented by specialized modules like CCC in Careers in Motion, which adds paid work placements through industry partnerships. Supporting services include Indigenous Family Support Services with the Nurturing the Seed developmental model, and Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health Services clinics. The organization operates from a holistic, strengths-based, community-oriented perspective grounded in Anishinaabe teachings and the Medicine Wheel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culture, Confidence, and Competence (CCC): Essential skills pre-employment training curriculum designed to support Indigenous women's economic security and career advancement across industries and in corporate sectors.
• Aboriginal Women in Mining (AWIM)
• Indigenous Family Support Services
• Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health Services

Products and services

• Culture, Confidence, and Competence (CCC) A 7-10 week culturally based essential skills and pre-employment training program designed for Indigenous women and gender-diverse people. The program includes five units — Personal Development, Health and Wellness, Career Exploration, Professional Development, and sector-specific technical training (mining, trades, agriculture, green jobs, carpentry). The curriculum was created by and for Indigenous women and serves as the organization's flagship employment-readiness offering, with 364 of 478 women (76%) securing employment through the program as of March 2020.
• CCC in Careers in Motion A partnership program with Motion Industries pairing 7 weeks of CCC classroom pre-employment training with 10 weeks of paid work placement as an Assembler at Motion's North Bay, Ontario industrial equipment manufacturing facility. Includes training in ISO 9001 industrial settings, measurement techniques, assembly skills, welding, hydraulic hose production, industrial painting, and warehouse logistics, with potential apprenticeship sponsorship. Targets Indigenous women seeking careers in industrial equipment manufacturing.
• Indigenous Family Support Services A holistic family support program offering advocacy support, early intervention initiatives, and trauma-informed resources that support Indigenous families and work to break cycles of trauma through decolonization and cultural restoration. Operates from a strengths-based, family-focused, community-oriented perspective along a continuum of care across the lifecycle, with joint and separate services for children and parents and increased services for families involved with child welfare authorities. Connects Indigenous families to the Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health Team for medical advice, services, and referrals.
• Nurturing the Seed A Developmental Support Planning Model for working with Indigenous infants, children, and families. Creates a platform for recognizing differing worldviews and sharing cultural knowledge relating to infant mental health, recognizing diversity amongst Indigenous peoples across Canada. Operated as a sub-program of Indigenous Family Support Services under the Childcare Manager.
• Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health Services Indigenous-led health services clinics offering medical advice, services, and referrals to Indigenous families. Operates clinics at the New Liskeard and Kirkland Lake locations and connects with the Family Support program to provide holistic health care addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being through trained medical professionals.
• Partnership Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 364 of 478 women (76%) secured employment through AWIM program as of March 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Motion IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026Partnership with Motion Industries to deliver Culture, Confidence, and Competence (CCC) pre-employment training combined with paid work placement at their North Bay, Ontario facility. The 7-week training session paired with 10-week paid placement offers careers in industrial equipment manufacturing including potential apprenticeship sponsorship. Training includes ISO 9001 environment skills, measurement techniques, assembly skills, welding, hydraulic hose production, industrial painting, and warehouse logistics.
• Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeepers of the Circle is the Ontario representative of NWAC, providing provincial coverage for Indigenous women's advocacy and services. This relationship connects the organization to national Indigenous women's networks and policy advocacy.
• Mino M'shki-ki Indigenous Health TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership connects Indigenous families to trained medical professionals who can offer medical advice, services, and referrals. The Family Support program connects clients to this health team for holistic care addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ontario Native Women's Association (ONWA): ONWA is an Ontario-based Indigenous women's organization providing family support, violence prevention, and economic empowerment programming across the province. Directly comparable as a peer Indigenous women's services organization serving overlapping communities and populations.
• Indigenous Works: Indigenous Works (formerly CCAB) is a national Indigenous-led organization focused on Indigenous workforce inclusion and employer engagement. Comparable as a peer Indigenous workforce-development organization that connects Indigenous job seekers with corporate employer partners.
• Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society: A Calgary-based Indigenous women's shelter and healing society offering culturally based family support, trauma-informed services, and advocacy. Comparable as a peer Indigenous women-led organization delivering holistic family and cultural healing services.
• Indspire: Indspire is a national Indigenous-led charity delivering post-secondary scholarships, bursaries, and youth career programming. Comparable as a peer Indigenous organization with a strong workforce-development and education mandate and track record of employer and government partnerships.
• Martin Family Initiative: Martin Family Initiative delivers Indigenous education and youth employment programs, including trades and apprenticeship pathways. Comparable as a peer Indigenous-led organization focused on education-to-employment pathways for Indigenous youth and adults.

Broad incumbents

• Congress of Aboriginal Peoples: Congress of Aboriginal Peoples represents off-reserve Indigenous and Métis people nationally. Comparable as a peer national advocacy and service-delivery body serving overlapping Indigenous populations, including women and families outside First Nations communities.
• YWCA Canada: YWCA Canada delivers women's employment training, housing, and family support nationally with Indigenous-specific programming. Comparable as a broader women's-services incumbent whose employment training and family-support programming overlap with Keepers of the Circle's CCC and Family Support offerings.
• Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC): NWAC is the national umbrella organization representing Indigenous women in Canada, of which Keepers of the Circle is the Ontario representative. It is comparable as the national-level policy and advocacy counterpart delivering comparable cultural, social, and economic programs across provinces.

Regional players

• Native Child and Family Services of Toronto: Native Child and Family Services of Toronto is an Indigenous child welfare and family services agency serving urban Indigenous families. Comparable as a regional Indigenous family support and child welfare peer, with similar trauma-informed, culturally grounded service delivery.
• Métis Nation of Ontario: Métis Nation of Ontario is the provincial governance body representing Métis people in Ontario, with employment, training, and community wellness programs. Comparable as a regional Indigenous governance and service-delivery peer whose workforce and family programs overlap with Keepers of the Circle's reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KeepersCircle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/keepers-of-the-circle-twnsg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Keepers of the Circle