Learning for a Sustainable Future

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.

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

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

• Sustainability education
• K-12 curriculum resources
• Teacher professional development
• Environmental education programs
• Whole-school sustainability

Headquarters

HQ city

North York

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Environment and Climate Change CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create lesson plans on biodiversity, climate action, digital citizenship, and weather/climate for grades 3-12.
• The Learning PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSusan Langley, former LSF board member, previously worked as National Director at The Learning Partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/lsf_lst
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5Q7OgTBAzvZyp9JFdfMJJQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/lsf.lst.ca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/learning-for-a-sustainable-future
• Instagraminstagram.com/lsf_lst/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Learning for a Sustainable Future