Canadian Wildlife Federation
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a Canada-based nonprofit charitable organization that delivers wildlife conservation, species-at-risk recovery, and nature education programs nationally through citizen science (iNaturalist Canada), youth engagement (WILD Outside), publications, and partnerships with government, academia, and Indigenous communities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersKanata, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Canadian Wildlife Federation does
The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is a Canada-based nonprofit charitable organization headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, operating with 51–100 employees to deliver wildlife conservation, species-at-risk recovery, and conservation education programs nationally. Its core products span print and digital magazines (Canadian Wildlife and WILD), the iNaturalist Canada citizen science platform (co-led with Parks Canada and NatureServe Canada, hosting over 17.2 million observations from 206,711 participants covering 41,383+ species), the WILD Outside youth conservation program for ages 13–18, WILD Webinars for grades 4–6, the Hinterland Who's Who video series, the Canadian Centre for Nature-based Education (launched October 2025), and species-specific initiatives covering salmon, right whales, monarchs, bats, and turtles. Technology dependencies are primarily third-party: iNaturalist's Auto ID computer vision for species suggestions, Esri Canada GIS for habitat and species monitoring (including a 2025 education GeoPortal), and the Convio/Shopify platforms for donations and e-commerce.
CWF's revenue model is donation-driven and structurally diversified across individual giving (single, monthly, in-honour, in-memory, legacy/bequests), corporate sponsorships (RBC Foundation, Rogers Foundation, InFocus Canada, Willowbrook, Lee Valley, Hydro Ottawa, Highway 407 ETR, and others), government grants (e.g., $625,119 from Fisheries and Oceans Canada via BCSRIF), magazine subscriptions, merchandise sales, and Adopt-an-Animal kit purchases. The organization reports a 75% charitable spending / 6% administrative / 19% fundraising cost allocation. Customer segments span the general Canadian public, youth ages 13–18, educators and students, and citizen scientists — with most programs delivered free to participants and a hybrid segmentation approach across persona-based outreach. CWF maintains Imagine Canada accreditation, has received multiple regional awards (Nature Inspiration 2021, Emerald Award 2022), and operates an extensive partnership ecosystem including Indigenous communities, federal and provincial government bodies, academic institutions (University of Waterloo MOU), and a 35-member Canadian Grasslands Coalition.
Canadian Wildlife Federation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Legal name
- Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Website
- https://cwf-fcf.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a Canada-based nonprofit charitable organization that delivers wildlife conservation, species-at-risk recovery, and nature education programs nationally through citizen science (iNaturalist Canada), youth engagement (WILD Outside), publications, and partnerships with government, academia, and Indigenous communities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Canadian Wildlife Federation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wildlife Conservation Nonprofit Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ), Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK), Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)
Keywords
Where Canadian Wildlife Federation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kanata
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Canadian Wildlife Federation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: The primary revenue source is donations from individual Canadians. CWF offers multiple donation options including single donations, monthly giving, in-honour donations, in-memory donations, and legacy giving (bequests).
- Adopt-an-Animal Program: Sale of adopt-an-animal kits where $20 from every purchase funds species at risk work. Revenue from selling symbolic animal adoption packages.
- Magazine Subscriptions: Revenue from annual subscriptions to Canadian Wildlife and WILD magazines, available in print and digital formats.
- Merchandise Sales: Sales through CWF's online shop including merchandise, bird seeds (Wild About Birds line), and branded products.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Partnerships with corporations including RBC Foundation (Tech for Nature), Rogers Foundation, and others who provide financial support for specific programs.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Canadian Wildlife Federation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Canadian Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit charitable organization that delivers wildlife conservation and conservation education programs across Canada. Its core offerings include citizen science through the iNaturalist Canada platform, national youth engagement via the WILD Outside program, nature-based education through WILD Webinars and curriculum-linked resources, species at risk recovery (salmon habitat restoration, Right Whale conservation, pollinator programs), and conservation magazines (Canadian Wildlife and WILD). Funding comes primarily from individual donations, supplemented by magazine subscriptions, merchandise sales, adopt-an-animal symbolic adoptions, and corporate sponsorships.
Product overview
The Canadian Wildlife Federation offers a portfolio of conservation-focused products and programs centered around wildlife education, citizen science, and habitat conservation. Core offerings include Canadian Wildlife and WILD magazines (print and digital), the WILD Webinars online learning platform (45-minute conservation webinars for grades 4-6), and iNaturalist Canada citizen science platform for species observation tracking. The organization runs youth engagement programs including WILD Outside (ages 13-18 conservation service program) and Canadian Conservation Corps, alongside public education initiatives like Hinterland Who's Who video series and Gardening for Wildlife. Downloadable resources include wildlife wallpapers, coloring pages, and educational booklets. The flagship Reflections of Nature Photo Contest and partnerships like the Canadian Centre for Nature-based Education (CCNbE) and Esri Canada GIS initiatives round out the portfolio. The organization also operates species-specific programs for Right Whales, Salmon, Monarchs, Bats, and Turtles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Canadian Wildlife Magazine: Wildlife photography and conservation articles magazine available in print and digital versions.
- WILD Magazine
- WILD Education
- WILD Outside
- WILD Webinars
- Canadian Centre for Nature-based Education (CCNbE)
- iNaturalist Canada
- Hinterland Who's Who
- Love Your Lake
- Reflections of Nature
- Canadian Conservation Corps
- Great Canadian Camp Out
- Great Canadian Bioblitz
Products and services
- Canadian Wildlife Magazine CWF's flagship magazine featuring spectacular wildlife photography and conservation articles from across Canada, available in both print and digital formats.
- WILD Magazine Companion magazine focusing on Canadian wildlife and wild spaces, available in traditional print or digital format.
- WILD Webinars Online learning platform providing 45-minute webinars on conservation, wildlife, and habitat topics, primarily for students in grades 4-6, featuring the Hinterland Who's Who species series.
- iNaturalist Canada Citizen science platform enabling Canadians to record and share wildlife observations, with automatic species identification supporting over 100,000 species and contributing to a national biodiversity database used by scientists worldwide.
- WILD Outside National conservation-based community service and outdoor adventure program for youth ages 13-18, offering conservation activities, outdoor recreation, and leadership development across Canada.
- Hinterland Who's Who Iconic species video series created in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, featuring wildlife fact sheets and educational video content about Canadian species.
- Canadian Conservation Corps Youth conservation program providing experiential learning opportunities for young Canadians to engage in conservation work and leadership development.
- Adopt-an-Animal Program Conservation support program allowing donors to symbolically adopt wildlife species, with proceeds (including a $20 price point) funding species at risk recovery efforts.
- Love Your Lake Lake stewardship program helping Canadians assess and improve the health of their lakes through citizen science and community engagement.
- Gardening for Wildlife Educational initiative providing resources and guidance for creating wildlife-friendly gardens supporting pollinators, birds, and native species.
- Fish Passage Program Conservation initiative restoring aquatic connectivity by removing barriers and installing fish passages to enable species migration.
- Canadian Centre for Nature-based Education (CCNbE) Ottawa-based initiative promoting hands-on, nature-based learning across Canada, focusing on collaboration, environmental literacy, and outdoor education access for underserved communities.
- Corporate Sponsorship Program Sponsorship and partnership program through which corporations such as RBC Foundation (Tech for Nature), Rogers Foundation, InFocus Canada, Willowbrook Nurseries, Lee Valley Tools, Brome, and others provide financial support for specific conservation programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17+ million wildlife observations recorded by 206,000+ participants documenting 41,000+ species
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Canadian Wildlife Federation
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Canadian Wildlife Federation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Canadian Wildlife Federation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Esri CanadacorePartnership providing funding and developing digital tools to support nature-based education and wildlife conservation. Includes creating an education GeoPortal and utilizing GIS technology to monitor species and habitats, especially for endangered species like the North Atlantic Right Whale.
- University of Waterloo (Faculty of Environment's School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability)coreMemorandum of understanding to collaborate on biodiversity conservation and educational innovation. Supporting development of CWF's Canadian Centre for Nature-based Education and launching 'The Real Value of Nature and Wildlife' study to quantify nature's contribution to Canada's economy.
- Lower Nicola Indian Band's Land GuardianscorePartnership with Indigenous community for fish passage planning and restoration work in the Lower Nicola watershed. Removed defunct irrigation dam on Clapperton Creek in 2024, restoring 2.6 km of habitat.
- Canadian Grasslands Coalitioncore35-member coalition launched 'The Secret Life of Grasslands' public awareness campaign to conserve Canada's rapidly disappearing native grasslands.
- Hydro OttawaminorPartnership on Power South Nepean project including a new power station on 24 acres of land, with habitat conservation components.
- Highway 407 ETRminorPartnership to restore critical pollinator habitat in Ontario.
- Evolugen by Brookfield RenewableminorPartnership supporting clean energy transition with conservation co-benefits.
- iNaturalist.orgcoreTechnology platform partnership providing the iNaturalist.ca platform enabling Canadians to record and share wildlife observations. CWF leads the Canadian implementation with partners Parks Canada and NatureServe Canada.
- Parks CanadacorePartner in iNaturalist.ca implementation alongside CWF and NatureServe Canada.
- NatureServe CanadacorePartner in iNaturalist.ca implementation alongside CWF and Parks Canada.
- Ocean Tracking Network (OTN)coreCollaboration on North Atlantic Right Whale research and conservation, including joint webinars with CWF's senior conservation biologist Dr. Sean Brillant.
- Defenders of WildlifeminorEnvironmental advocacy partner in criticizing U.S. proposal to relax whale speed restrictions to protect North Atlantic Right Whales.
- Canadian Whale InstituteminorConservation partner in advocating for continued whale protection measures including speed restrictions for vessel traffic.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Canadian Wildlife Federation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- World Wildlife Fund Canada: Canada's largest international-affiliated wildlife conservation nonprofit, competing for the same donor base across species-at-risk, habitat protection, and policy advocacy. Highly comparable mission, geographic scope, and revenue model (donations + corporate partnerships).
- Nature Conservancy of Canada: Canada's leading private land conservation organization, also nonprofit and donation-funded, with overlapping priorities in species-at-risk recovery and habitat protection. Comparable national footprint, donor base, and conservation programs.
- Ducks Unlimited Canada: Canadian wetland and waterfowl conservation nonprofit with similar national scope, government and corporate partnerships, and citizen-science engagement. Directly comparable in funding model and species-habitat conservation approach.
- NatureServe Canada: Biodiversity data and conservation science organization that co-implements iNaturalist.ca with CWF. Overlapping mission in species-at-risk science and biodiversity data infrastructure, making it both a partner and a tightly comparable peer.
- National Audubon Society: US-based bird and wildlife conservation nonprofit with magazine, citizen science, and education programming closely mirroring CWF's portfolio. Strongly comparable revenue mix (memberships, donations, retail) and program structure.
Emerging players
- Earth Rangers: Canadian youth-focused environmental charity with a younger-skewing member base and similar donor-driven model. Competes most directly with CWF's WILD Outside and Canadian Conservation Corps programs for youth and family engagement.
Broad incumbents
- Wildlife Conservation Society: Global wildlife conservation nonprofit operating field programs and zoos. Shares CWF's species-at-risk focus and citizen-science orientation, but operates at much larger scale and across more geographies, including some Canadian-relevant work.
- The Nature Conservancy (US): Largest global conservation nonprofit, with overlapping interests in habitat protection, science-driven conservation, and corporate partnerships. Not Canada-focused but relevant benchmark for scale, fundraising sophistication, and program breadth.
Regional players
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB): UK's largest nature conservation charity with membership, magazine, citizen science, and education models nearly identical to CWF. Operates in a different geography but is a highly relevant structural and operational benchmark.
- Parks Canada: Federal agency that co-implements iNaturalist.ca and shares conservation and education mandates in Canada. Not a donor competitor but a key strategic partner and a benchmark for national-scale nature-based programming in Canada.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Canadian Wildlife Federation social profiles
Digital presenceCanadian Wildlife Federation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canadian Wildlife Federation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Canadian Wildlife Federation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canadian Wildlife Federation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Canadian Wildlife Federation
What does Canadian Wildlife Federation do?
Canadian Wildlife Federation is a nonprofit charitable organization that delivers wildlife conservation and conservation education programs across Canada. Its core offerings include citizen science through the iNaturalist Canada platform, national youth engagement via the WILD Outside program, nature-based education through WILD Webinars and curriculum-linked resources, species at risk recovery (salmon habitat restoration, Right Whale conservation, pollinator programs), and conservation magazines (Canadian Wildlife and WILD). Funding comes primarily from individual donations, supplemented by magazine subscriptions, merchandise sales, adopt-an-animal symbolic adoptions, and corporate sponsorships.
Is Canadian Wildlife Federation a public or private company?
Canadian Wildlife Federation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Canadian Wildlife Federation founded?
Canadian Wildlife Federation was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Canadian Wildlife Federation based?
Canadian Wildlife Federation is headquartered in Kanata, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Canadian Wildlife Federation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are adopt-an-Animal Program, magazine Subscriptions, merchandise Sales and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Canadian Wildlife Federation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are World Wildlife Fund Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada, NatureServe Canada and National Audubon Society. Earth Rangers is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Wildlife Conservation Society and The Nature Conservancy (US). Regional players are Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Parks Canada.
Does Canadian Wildlife Federation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canadian Wildlife Federation.
What industry is Canadian Wildlife Federation in?
Canadian Wildlife Federation's product category is Wildlife Conservation Nonprofit Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAGAB, Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection, with a secondary code of BPAGAIAJ, Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare). Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8600.