Actua
Actua is a Canadian national charity that delivers STEM education programs to 500,000 youth annually across 600 communities through a network of 43 universities and colleges, focusing on underrepresented groups including Indigenous youth, girls, Black youth, and youth with disabilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersOttawa, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Actua does
Actua is a Canadian national charity founded in the mid-1990s and headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that delivers STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education programs to Canadian youth ages 6-26. The organization operates a network-driven delivery model comprising 43 university and college member institutions that execute programs in 600 communities across all provinces and territories, reaching 500,000 youth annually and 6 million youth since inception. Its core product portfolio includes the National Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) program, National Girls Program, National Black Youth in STEM Program, Actua in the North, Go Where Kids Are, the newly launched National Youth with Disabilities Program, and the AI-Ready Generation initiative. Supporting programs include the Future Skills Instructor Program (employing 1,000 undergraduate students annually), the Educator Professional Learning Program for K-12 teachers, and the Learning Hub digital resource platform. Programs cover AI literacy, coding, cybersecurity, digital agriculture, biotechnology, and oceans, with content co-developed with partners including MIT RAISE, Ocean Networks Canada, Protein Industries Canada, and EMILI.
Actua does not sell products or services; all programs are delivered free of charge to participants. The organization's revenue model is based on multi-year government grants (including the $38.4M Strategic Science Fund over five years and CanCode 4.0 allocations), corporate and foundation partnerships (25+ named funders including Microsoft Elevate, Suncor, TD, Toyota, Enbridge, CIBC, Scotiabank, Mastercard, Cargill, and Lockheed Martin Canada), and individual donations via CanadaHelps. The 'for youth by youth' model employs undergraduate students as relatable STEM instructors, creating a national talent pipeline and differentiating Actua from traditional educational institutions. The organization is led by Co-Founder and CEO Jennifer Flanagan, with a Board of Directors providing governance, and has a core staff of 11-50 supported by 1,000 annual undergraduate instructors and a broader volunteer/community network.
Actua firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Actua
- Legal name
- Actua
- Website
- https://actua.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Actua is a Canadian national charity that delivers STEM education programs to 500,000 youth annually across 600 communities through a network of 43 universities and colleges, focusing on underrepresented groups including Indigenous youth, girls, Black youth, and youth with disabilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Actua industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs (EDANAJAF)
Keywords
Where Actua is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ottawa
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Actua business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Government Funding: Actua receives significant funding from the Government of Canada including $38.4 million over five years through the Strategic Science Fund, and participates in the CanCode program ($39.2 million allocated to 22 organizations in 2025 for digital skills training). Government funding supports national programs targeting digital literacy, AI skills, and STEM education.
- Corporate and Foundation Partnerships: Over two decades, Actua has developed relationships with corporate and foundation funders including Suncor Energy Foundation, TD Bank Group, Toyota Foundation ($1 million re-investment), Enbridge, CIBC, Deciem, Scotiabank, Cenovus, Imperial, Microsoft Elevate, Cargill, Mastercard, The McCain Foundation, TC Energy, CIRA, COVEO, Keyera, NGen, Lockheed Martin Canada, 3M, Motorola, Olay, and others. These partners provide financial support and often donate time and expertise.
- Donations and Philanthropy: Actua accepts donations through CanadaHelps at actua.ca/give. As a registered charity (Registration #: 140573320RR0001), Actua relies on public donations to support programs.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Actua product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Actua is a Canadian national charity that delivers STEM education programs to youth ages 6–26 through a national network of 43+ university and college members and its own Outreach Team, offering camps, classroom workshops, after-school clubs, educator training, and community outreach free of charge to participants. Programs include targeted equity-centered offerings (National Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM), National Girls Program, National Black Youth in STEM, National Youth with Disabilities Program) and cross-cutting digital literacy and AI initiatives such as the AI-Ready Generation curriculum and Cyber Smart Education.
Product overview
Actua is a Canadian STEM outreach nonprofit organization operating as a platform-plus-network model. The core offering consists of national programs delivered through a network of 43 universities and colleges, including specialized programs for Indigenous youth (InSTEM), girls (National Girls Program), Black youth, and youth with disabilities. Supporting these national programs are program areas focused on Digital Literacy and AI, Industry Innovation (Digital Agriculture, Biotechnology, Oceans), and Career Readiness. Actua provides educator professional development through its Educator Professional Learning Program and offers resources via the Learning Hub. The AI-Ready Generation initiative serves as a cross-cutting AI literacy framework integrated throughout programming, with the National Youth with Disabilities Program representing the latest addition launched in 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- National Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM) Program Canada's first National Indigenous Youth in STEM program that engages 40,000 First Nations, Inuit and M\u00e9tis youth annually across 200+ Indigenous communities through culturally relevant STEM experiences, in-school workshops (grades K-12), land-based summer camps (grades 1-6), and for-credit land-based learning.
- National Girls Program Over twenty-year-old all-girls STEM program that inspires girls and young women to pursue STEM fields through role-model instructors, bias-free learning environments, and inclusive programming including camps, clubs, conferences and career fairs, with 25,000 girls in all-girls programs annually and 225,000 in co-ed programs.
- National Black Youth in STEM Program National program providing intentional engagement opportunities for Black youth through camps, clubs, workshops and events designed with Black role models to dismantle barriers and stereotypes and empower exploration and excellence in STEM fields.
- National Youth with Disabilities Program National program reimagining STEM learning environments to be truly accessible while celebrating creativity, problem-solving and ingenuity that youth with disabilities bring, delivered through the national network in collaboration with community partners and subject-matter experts.
- Actua in the North Community-based programs engaging 10,000 youth annually in Northern Canada (Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, Nunavut, Northern Quebec, and Labrador) with customized content showcasing Northern science, Traditional Knowledge, and connections to Northern economic development, including hundreds of school workshops and more than 50 weeks of summer camp.
- Go Where Kids Are Outreach initiative that reaches 150,000 youth annually by partnering with youth-serving organizations (Family Resource Centres, immigrant community organizations, Boys and Girls Clubs, YM/YWCAs) to deliver sustained STEM programming in low-income, under-resourced and rural or remote communities, returning each year to strengthen impact.
- Digital Literacy and AI Comprehensive AI skills and digital literacy programming equipping youth, educators and parents with skills and confidence to safely participate in and lead the digital world as good digital citizens, covering AI literacy, coding instruction, cyber safety, and digital skills training for youth ages 6-26.
- Industry Innovation STEM learning experiences preparing youth for careers in promising industries including Digital Agriculture, Biotechnology and Health Sciences, and Oceans, delivered through K-12 programs focused on plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors in prairie provinces.
- Educator Professional Learning Program Professional development program for K-12 educators, pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and postsecondary faculty, offering workshops, conference sessions, online training and coaching to strengthen STEM teaching practice with focus on equitable and inclusive pedagogies.
- Learning Hub Curated digital platform offering activities, resources and events for STEM learning, including AI foundations, computer science, cyber safety, digital agriculture, maker education and other STEM activities for K-12 audiences.
- AI-Ready Generation Nationwide AI literacy initiative building Canada's AI-ready future by equipping youth, educators and parents with comprehensive AI skills, integrating cyber safety and ethical understanding through activities adapted from MIT RAISE's Day of AI program.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500,000 youth engaged each year across 600 communities
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Actua
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Actua technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Actua partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Protein Industries Canada (PIC)coreActua partners with Protein Industries Canada to address the agriculture industry's growing need for a diverse and skilled workforce. Together with EMILI and Agriculture in the Classroom Canada, they engage K-12 youth in high-impact, hands-on STEM programs focused on plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors in prairie provinces.
- Enterprise Machine Intelligence & Learning Initiative (EMILI)coreEMILI collaborates with Actua and Protein Industries Canada to strengthen the digital agriculture ecosystem in Canada by building skills, awareness and interest in plant-protein, agrifood and digital agriculture sectors among youth.
- Agriculture in the Classroom Canada (AITC-C)coreAITC-C partners with Actua and EMILI to support Protein Industries Canada initiatives focused on building digital agriculture skills and awareness among K-12 youth.
- Ocean Networks CanadacoreSince 2016, Actua's Outreach Team has partnered with Ocean Networks Canada to co-develop learning activities and content for northern programs in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, including STEM classroom kits and summer camps. The partnership leverages ocean observing systems data and diverse ways of knowing.
- Kitikmeot Inuit AssociationcoreKitikmeot Inuit Association partners with Actua to support programming in Inuit communities in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.
- Kakivak AssociationcoreKakivak Association partners with Actua to support youth STEM programming in Inuit communities.
- Nunatsiavut GovernmentcoreNunatsiavut Government partners with Actua to deliver STEM programming to youth in Labrador communities.
- MIT RAISE / Day of AIcoreActua has partnered with MIT RAISE's Day of AI program, a global initiative supporting K-12 learners in navigating an AI-powered world. Actua is adapting their activities for Canadian educators as part of its AI-Ready Generation initiative.
- Forward SummitcoreActua partners with Forward Summit to empower and make space for Indigenous youth in discussions on economic reconciliation. The partnership includes youth delegations participating in land camps and the Forward Summit.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Actua competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Science World British Columbia: Vancouver-based science centre operating STEM programming for youth and educators across British Columbia. Comparable as a Canadian science engagement nonprofit with formal youth and educator programming, though more facility-anchored than Actua's distributed network model.
- Discovery Centre: Halifax-based science centre delivering hands-on STEM programming to Atlantic Canadian youth. Comparable in operating youth STEM outreach and educator support in a defined Canadian region, complementing rather than overlapping Actua's national footprint.
- Ontario Science Centre: Provincial science centre providing STEM experiences for youth, schools and educators in Ontario. Comparable mission but operates primarily as a facility-based institution versus Actua's distributed network delivery model.
Direct peers
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics: Canadian-based science outreach organization running national K-12 STEM education programs including teacher training and youth engagement. Comparable in being a federally supported, university-affiliated STEM outreach entity with national programs.
- Black Boys Code: Canadian non-profit providing technology and coding education programs specifically for Black youth. Comparable in mission and equity-focus to Actua's National Black Youth in STEM Program, with Canadian operations and similar youth demographic.
- Girls Who Code: International nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology through girls-focused coding and AI programs. Directly comparable to Actua's National Girls Program in audience, mission, and equity framing, though U.S.-headquartered.
- Let's Talk Science: Canadian national charitable organization delivering STEM outreach to youth through a network of university and college partners. Directly comparable to Actua in mission, network model, K-12 focus, and equity-driven programming, and the most cited alternative recipient of CanCode funding.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: U.S.-based nonprofit focused on expanding computer science and AI education access in K-12 schools. Comparable as a national-scale CS/AI literacy nonprofit working with schools and teachers, though U.S.-focused and primarily curriculum-led rather than in-person network-driven.
Emerging players
- Iridescent: Global STEM education nonprofit operating Curiosity Machine program with a focus on under-resourced communities and AI literacy. Comparable in delivering equity-centered STEM programs through distributed delivery and educator support.
Others
- NSERC PromoScience: Government of Canada grant program that funds organizations like Actua to deliver STEM outreach to youth. Included as an ecosystem participant rather than competitor, representing a primary funding mechanism Actua depends on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Actua social profiles
Digital presenceActua financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Actua leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Actua funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Actua 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 Actua
What does Actua do?
Actua is a Canadian national charity that delivers STEM education programs to youth ages 6–26 through a national network of 43+ university and college members and its own Outreach Team, offering camps, classroom workshops, after-school clubs, educator training, and community outreach free of charge to participants. Programs include targeted equity-centered offerings (National Indigenous Youth in STEM (InSTEM), National Girls Program, National Black Youth in STEM, National Youth with Disabilities Program) and cross-cutting digital literacy and AI initiatives such as the AI-Ready Generation curriculum and Cyber Smart Education.
Is Actua a public or private company?
Actua is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Actua founded?
Actua was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Actua based?
Actua is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Actua make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Partnerships and donations and Philanthropy.
Who are Actua's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Science World British Columbia, Discovery Centre and Ontario Science Centre. Direct peers are Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Black Boys Code, Girls Who Code and Let's Talk Science. Code.org is listed as a broad incumbent. Iridescent is listed as an emerging player. NSERC PromoScience is listed as an others.
Does Actua have an API?
No public API is recorded for Actua.
What industry is Actua in?
Actua's product category is STEM Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAG, STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.