Learning for a Sustainable Future
Learning for a Sustainable Future is a Canadian registered charity, founded 1991/1993 and based at York University, that provides sustainability education programs, professional development workshops, an online resource database (R4R.ca), and policy research for K-12 educators, schools, and students across Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersNorth York, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Learning for a Sustainable Future does
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF-LST) is a Canadian registered charity founded in 1991/1993 and headquartered at York University in North York, Ontario, that operates a portfolio of sustainability education programs targeting Canadian K-12 educators, schools, and students. The organization runs four interlocking program pillars (Teachers, Classrooms, Whole Schools, Awards), supported by an online resource database (R4R.ca), three email newsletters (LSF News monthly, Learning Inside Out weekly, Step Outside bi-weekly), a Mentoring Café virtual series, and an annual in-person professional development retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake. It also conducts research and policy work, most notably the recurring national survey "From Awareness to Action: Canadians on Climate Change and Education" and the annual Dr. David V.J. Bell Memorial Lecture, which feed into knowledge mobilization sessions across Canadian provinces.
The core "technology" is an editorial content layer of curriculum-aligned lesson plans, frameworks, and teaching resources, with no disclosed software platform, mobile application, API, or AI components. R4R.ca functions as the primary self-serve distribution channel for resources. The 2025 product launches include three new lesson plans for grades 3-12 (on Biodiversity & Climate Action, Digital Citizenship/Misinformation/Science, and Weather, Climate & You) developed in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
LSF's revenue model is hybrid and characteristic of a Canadian charity. Primary funding comes from donations from individuals, organizations, and government funders, with stated ethical funding restrictions excluding alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, weapons, pornography, coal, oil, and gas. Secondary revenue is generated through fee-based professional development: individual workshop attendees pay $185 + HST early bird or $220 + HST regular for the annual Summer Professional Development Institute, while custom institutional workshops are quoted based on format, duration, and group size for school boards, teacher federations, and faculties of education. Mentoring Café sessions are offered free to K-12 educators. Customer concentration on the demand side is broad (individual teachers, schools, students, faculties of education), but on the revenue side LSF is dependent on a relatively small pool of government and philanthropic funders, as evidenced by a single disclosed $242,745 grant from Environment and Climate Change Canada in September 2024.
Learning for a Sustainable Future firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Learning for a Sustainable Future
- Legal name
- Learning for a Sustainable Future
- Website
- https://lsf-lst.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Learning for a Sustainable Future is a Canadian registered charity, founded 1991/1993 and based at York University, that provides sustainability education programs, professional development workshops, an online resource database (R4R.ca), and policy research for K-12 educators, schools, and students across Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Learning for a Sustainable Future industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainability Education Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Educational Digital Courseware & Learning Platforms (LMS-Integrated) (MPAJABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Learning & Training Content Development (EDAGAKAC)
Keywords
Where Learning for a Sustainable Future is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- North York
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Learning for a Sustainable Future business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: LSF is a Canadian registered charity that relies on donations from individuals, organizations, and government funders to support its operations and programs.
- Professional Development Workshop Fees: Fee-based professional development workshops for educators, including in-person retreats and custom virtual sessions for schools and school boards.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Summer Professional Development Institute - Early Bird |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Summer Professional Development Institute - Regular |
| Freemium | One time | Mentoring Café Sessions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Learning for a Sustainable Future product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) is a Canadian registered charity that provides sustainability education resources, professional development workshops, and school-wide programs to K-12 educators across Canada. Its offerings include the Teachers, Classrooms, and Whole Schools programs, an online Resource Database (R4R.ca) of curriculum-aligned lesson plans, paid professional development workshops, the Mentoring Café virtual mentoring series, awards, and research and policy work on climate change education.
Product overview
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF-LST) is a Canadian charity that has been working for over 30 years to integrate sustainability education into Canada's school system. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of interconnected programs including: a Teachers Program providing professional development for educators; a Classrooms Program offering events, funding, and resources for students; a Whole Schools Program enabling school-wide sustainability initiatives through the Sustainable Future Schools framework; and an Awards Program recognizing outstanding contributions to sustainability education. LSF also operates a Resource Database with lesson plans and teaching materials developed in partnership with government agencies like Environment and Climate Change Canada. Additional offerings include the Mentoring Café (virtual peer learning sessions), Professional Development Workshops (including an annual in-person retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake), and multiple newsletters (Learning Inside Out weekly, LSF News monthly, and Step Outside bi-weekly). The organization advances its mission through research and knowledge mobilization, including an annual National Survey on climate change education.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sustainable Future Schools: A whole-school initiative focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, where schools sign an official commitment to integrating sustainability into their institutions.
- R4R.ca
- Mentoring Café
- Connecting Curriculum to Community
Products and services
- Teachers Program A program supporting K-12 educators in transforming their teaching practice to advance sustainability education across all grades and subjects, delivered through professional development, classroom resources, and ongoing engagement.
- Classrooms Program Events, funding and support for K-12 classes or clubs interested in leading sustainability initiatives at school.
- Whole Schools Program (Sustainable Future Schools) Whole-school approach under the Sustainable Future Schools initiative that enables school communities to work together towards a sustainable future by formally committing to integrate sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals across the institution.
- Professional Development Workshops Fee-based professional development workshops for educators, including an annual 2-day institute in Niagara-on-the-Lake and custom virtual or in-person workshops for school boards, teacher federations, and faculties of education on climate change, outdoor learning, sustainability education, and inquiry-based learning.
- Mentoring Café Virtual café series connecting K-12 educators to share experiences and support learning in outdoor curriculum and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Resource Database (R4R.ca) Comprehensive online database of sustainability education resources and lesson plans (Resources for Rethinking) for K-12 educators across Canada, including curriculum-aligned materials and lesson plans developed in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
- Summer Professional Development Retreat (Niagara-on-the-Lake) Annual two-day professional development retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, featuring hands-on learning, collaborative planning, and practical strategies for sustainability education.
- LSF Resources (Classroom Resources)
Quantifiable outcome
- Three new lesson plans created in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada for grades 3-12 on biodiversity, digital citizenship, and climate
Companies that use Learning for a Sustainable Future
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Learning for a Sustainable Future technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Learning for a Sustainable Future partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Environment and Climate Change CanadacorePartnership to create lesson plans on biodiversity, climate action, digital citizenship, and weather/climate for grades 3-12.
- The Learning PartnershipminorSusan Langley, former LSF board member, previously worked as National Director at The Learning Partnership.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Learning for a Sustainable Future competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- EcoSchools Canada: Canadian environmental certification and education program for K-12 schools. Most directly comparable peer: overlapping teacher PD, school-wide sustainability frameworks, and Canadian geographic focus.
- GreenLearning Canada: Canadian non-profit running free K-12 environmental education programs, lesson plans, and teacher resources. Directly comparable mission and target audience.
- Earth Rangers: Canadian charity focused on environmental education and engagement for children and youth, with classroom programming. Similar non-profit model and K-12 audience.
- Earth Day Canada: Canadian environmental organization running school-facing ecoAction programs and educator toolkits. Comparable sustainability education mission in the Canadian K-12 segment.
Emerging players
- Pollution Probe: Canadian environmental charity with education programs including school curricula on sustainability topics. Comparable non-profit model with overlapping teacher resources.
Broad incumbents
- Canadian Wildlife Federation: Large Canadian conservation organization offering K-12 wildlife and ecology educational resources. Overlaps in nature/sustainability curriculum for Canadian schools but is much broader in scope.
- David Suzuki Foundation: Major Canadian environmental non-profit with K-12 educational programming and climate change curriculum. Wider advocacy mandate but competing for the same educator mindshare.
- Sierra Club Canada Foundation: Canadian branch of a global environmental NGO with education/outreach programming. Adjacent in mission, broader in advocacy scope, and competes for environmental education funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Learning for a Sustainable Future social profiles
Digital presenceLearning for a Sustainable Future financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Learning for a Sustainable Future leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Learning for a Sustainable Future funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Learning for a Sustainable Future 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 Learning for a Sustainable Future
What does Learning for a Sustainable Future do?
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) is a Canadian registered charity that provides sustainability education resources, professional development workshops, and school-wide programs to K-12 educators across Canada. Its offerings include the Teachers, Classrooms, and Whole Schools programs, an online Resource Database (R4R.ca) of curriculum-aligned lesson plans, paid professional development workshops, the Mentoring Café virtual mentoring series, awards, and research and policy work on climate change education.
Is Learning for a Sustainable Future a public or private company?
Learning for a Sustainable Future is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Learning for a Sustainable Future founded?
Learning for a Sustainable Future was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Learning for a Sustainable Future based?
Learning for a Sustainable Future is headquartered in North York, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Learning for a Sustainable Future make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are professional Development Workshop Fees.
Who are Learning for a Sustainable Future's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are EcoSchools Canada, GreenLearning Canada, Earth Rangers and Earth Day Canada. Pollution Probe is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Canadian Wildlife Federation, David Suzuki Foundation and Sierra Club Canada Foundation.
Does Learning for a Sustainable Future have an API?
No public API is recorded for Learning for a Sustainable Future.
What industry is Learning for a Sustainable Future in?
Learning for a Sustainable Future's product category is Sustainability Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJABAH, Educational Digital Courseware & Learning Platforms (LMS-Integrated), with a secondary code of EDAGAKAC, Corporate Learning & Training Content Development. Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.