Ovarian Cancer Canada

What Ovarian Cancer Canada does

Ovarian Cancer Canada is the sole national charity in Canada dedicated to eradicating ovarian cancer, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Toronto with operations spanning all 11 provinces and territories. The organization pursues a three-pillar model: funding research (early detection, immunotherapy, clinical trials), delivering free patient and previvor support programs, and advocating for improved access to care and treatment. Its product portfolio includes the OVdialogue peer-powered online forum (built on Higher Logic infrastructure), monthly Teal Tea virtual support groups, one-on-one peer-to-peer phone support, the Patient Partners in Research program (96 engagements), educational Speaker Series, an annual National Symposium, Clinical Trial Support Services, and an expert-developed Prevention Pathway with a digital risk assessment tool that served 1,350 Canadians in 2024.

Underlying technology investments center on the $725,000 NK cell immunotherapy research program at Dalhousie University (led by Dr. Jeanette Boudreau, co-funded with The River Philip Foundation), the broader OvCAN five-year research initiative encompassing pragmatic clinical trials, and an emerging AI-powered treatment planning tool being built alongside the NK cell project. The organization also participates in the Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium's AI Accelerator Grant program, with Amazon Web Services providing in-kind cloud compute credits.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations and fundraising — individual monthly giving, the Walk of Hope ($1.4M in 2024, $1.5M in 2025 with 3,500+ participants), Lady Ball galas (~$450K across Atlantic Canada in 2024), the Ignite for OCC DIY fundraising platform, legacy gifts (Rybkin Family Fund), and government/funder grants including a $3M award from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada's Strategic Science Fund. Fund deployment in 2025 allocated 42% to research, 21% to improving care, 22% to fundraising, 13% to administration, and 2% to marketing and communications. Customer-facing services are provided free of charge with tax receipts issued for donations of $20 or more.

Name

Ovarian Cancer Canada

Legal name

Ovarian Cancer Canada

Website

https://ovariancanada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ovarian Cancer Canada is the only national charity in Canada dedicated to eradicating ovarian cancer, funding research (including NK cell immunotherapy), delivering free peer support and education to patients and previvors, and advocating for improved access to care across all Canadian provinces and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Healthcare / Ovarian Cancer Research and Patient Support

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Ovarian cancer research
• Cancer patient support
• Peer support programs
• Cancer awareness advocacy
• Nonprofit health charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue stream from individual donors, monthly giving programs, and community fundraising events including Walk of Hope, Ignite for OCC personal events, Lady Ball galas, and race series events. Tax receipts provided for donations of $20 or more.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels14 records

Core offering

Ovarian Cancer Canada is a registered Canadian charity that funds ovarian cancer research, provides free patient and caregiver support programs, advocates for improved access to care, and runs nationwide fundraising and awareness events. Core offerings include peer support through the OVdialogue online community and Teal Tea groups, the OvCAN research initiative, prevention pathway risk-assessment tools, clinical trial support services, and flagship fundraising events such as the Walk of Hope and Lady Ball galas.

Product overview

Ovarian Cancer Canada operates as a comprehensive patient support and research organization offering multiple interconnected programs and services. The core portfolio includes OVdialogue (powered by Higher Logic), an online peer support forum; Teal Teas and Peer-to-Peer Support for one-on-one and group connections; Patient Partners in Research for research engagement; Speaker Series and National Symposium for education; Prevention Pathway tools for risk assessment; and Clinical Trial Support Services. Major fundraising initiatives include the Walk of Hope, Lady Ball galas, and Ignite for OCC DIY fundraising platform. Research is advanced through the OvCAN initiative and specific investments in NK cell immunotherapy. The organization does not offer a commercial software product but provides patient-focused programs and resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OVdialogue: Peer-powered online forum and community for people with ovarian or endometrial cancer
• Ignite for OCC
• Walk of Hope
• Lady Ball
• Teal Tea
• OvCAN
• Rybkin Family Fund

Products and services

• OVdialogue Peer-powered online community forum where people with ovarian or endometrial cancer can connect for information, experience sharing, advice, and encouragement. The moderated discussion board is available 24/7 and covers topics including medications and side effects, anxiety and depression, coping mechanisms, and fear of recurrence.
• Teal Teas Monthly virtual drop-in peer support groups that bring together people living with ovarian or endometrial cancer. Participants share information, experiences, and conversation in a friendly, trusting environment moderated by Ovarian Cancer Canada team members.
• Peer-to-Peer Support Program One-on-one phone, video call, email, or text support connecting individuals with ovarian cancer survivors who have been through similar experiences. Provides emotional support, practical advice, and a confidential space to be heard.
• Patient Partners in Research Program that includes patients at every stage of the research process. Patient partners provide lived-experience perspectives to inform research direction and ensure studies deliver lasting impact for those facing ovarian cancer.
• Speaker Series Educational sessions featuring expert speakers from across Canada sharing knowledge on topics related to ovarian cancer, including the latest research, sexual health, and fear of recurrence management.
• National Symposium Annual educational conference featuring expert presentations on topics such as menopause, complementary therapies, financial supports, and tools to support conversations with care teams.
• Walk of Hope Annual fundraising walk and Canada's largest event dedicated to transforming lives of those facing ovarian cancer. In 2024, more than 3,500 Canadians participated, raising $1.4 million; $1.5 million was raised in 2025.
• Lady Ball Glamorous gala events celebrating women living with ovarian cancer and honouring those lost to the disease. Events have expanded across Atlantic Canada, including Halifax, Charlottetown, and St. John's, raising nearly $450,000 in 2024.
• Ignite for OCC Do-it-yourself (DIY) fundraising program enabling supporters to create their own events and raise funds for ovarian cancer research, advocacy, and support programs. Participants receive online tools and resources including event templates and fundraising pages.
• Clinical Trial Support Services Comprehensive clinical trial resources including FAQ documents, finding assistance through trial navigators, and connections to Canadian Cancer Trials, Clinical Trials Ontario, Health Canada Clinical Trial Search, and international trial databases.
• Patient Resource Guides Expert-developed information resources covering biomarkers, HRD testing, BRCA genetics, treatment options, managing side effects, clinical trials, and prevention pathways. Includes downloadable guides and videos.
• OvCAN Research Initiative Five-year multi-million dollar research initiative funding breakthrough treatments, scientific capacity building, tissue bank expansion, grants for young scientists, and clinical trials. Includes investments in pragmatic clinical trials testing treatments in real-world settings.
• Prevention Pathway Program Prevention effort including a Prevention Task Force of leading experts, digital risk assessment tools, clinical resources for health professionals, and awareness campaigns. In 2024, helped 1,350 Canadians understand their risk and distributed 524 waiting room posters to healthcare providers.
• NK Cell Immunotherapy Research Research investment funding Dr. Jeanette Boudreau at Dalhousie University to advance natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapy toward clinical trials for ovarian cancer treatment, including development of an AI-powered treatment planning tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,500+ Canadians participated in 2024 Walk of Hope raising $1.4 million
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dalhousie UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 May 2026Host institution for Dr. Jeanette Boudreau's NK cell immunotherapy research, aiming to establish Atlantic Canada as a center for clinical trials-grade NK cell therapy production.
• CCRAN (Colorectal Cancer Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborated with CCRAN on KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) reimbursement submission to Canada's Drug Agency, bringing the patient perspective to the drug access process for ovarian cancer patients.
• Ovarian Cancer Research AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborative partner within the Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium; supports the AI Accelerator Grant program funding international ovarian cancer research teams.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Clearity Foundation: US non-profit providing ovarian cancer patients with treatment information and funding translational research. Closely aligns with OCC's research-plus-patient-support model.
• Target Ovarian Cancer: UK charity dedicated to ovarian cancer awareness, early diagnosis, and patient support. Comparable disease-specific mandate and advocacy focus to OCC.
• National Ovarian Cancer Coalition: US-based ovarian cancer organization focused on awareness, education, and survivor support. Comparable program portfolio (peer support, education, advocacy) and shared disease-specific mission.
• Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance: The largest US-based ovarian cancer charity combining research funding, advocacy, and patient support. Direct mission analogue to Ovarian Cancer Canada and a confirmed collaborator in the Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium.
• Ovarian Cancer Action: UK-based ovarian cancer charity funding research and patient programs. Closest UK analogue and direct peer in mission, with comparable program mix of research funding and patient support.

Emerging players

• FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered): US non-profit serving individuals and families with hereditary cancers including BRCA-related ovarian risk. Overlaps with OCC's previvor and BRCA-mutation segments and content library focus.
• Colorectal Cancer Canada: Canadian disease-specific cancer charity providing research funding and patient advocacy. A confirmed OCC collaborator (KEYTRUDA submission) with comparable niche-cancer-charity model.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest cancer charity spanning research, advocacy, and support across all cancer types. Comparable fundraising scale and Canadian footprint, but a much broader mandate than OCC's ovarian-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OvarianCanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/OvarianCancerCanada
• Instagraminstagram.com/ovariancancercanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ovarian-cancer-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Ovarian Cancer Canada