What Thunderbird Partnership Foundation does

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation is a Canadian national nonprofit foundation, organized as a division of the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation (NNAPF/FANPLD), that supports First Nations communities across Canada in addressing substance use and mental wellness through culture-based, strengths-based, and trauma-informed programs. Headquartered in Bothwell, Ontario, with a staff of 11-50, the foundation serves as the de facto national steward of the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) and National Youth Solvent Abuse Program (NYSAP) treatment centre network, and operates four foundational national frameworks: Honouring Our Strengths (HOS), the Indigenous Wellness Framework (IWF), the First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework (FNMWC), and the Responding to Crisis in First Nations Communities framework.

The foundation's core technology is the Addictions Management Information System (AMIS), an online national database deployed to NNADAP and NYSAP treatment centres that hosts the proprietary Native Wellness Assessment (NWA) instrument — a whole-person, strengths-based assessment measuring the effect of cultural interventions on wellness over time. Supporting digital channels include the free Thunderbird Wellness mobile app (iOS/Android, launched April 2021), the Mino Bimaadiziwin podcast (launched April 2022), a bilingual (English/French) WordPress website conforming to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and three youth-focused partner microsites (SoaringTogether.ca, WisePractices.ca, CultureForLife.ca).

Thunderbird's business model is fundamentally grant- and program-funded rather than commercially transacted. Its primary revenue stream is government and institutional grants (Health Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, with $402,358 disclosed from the Government of Canada in July 2023) supplemented by program funding arrangements with the Assembly of First Nations. Core offerings — the NWA instrument, mobile app, resource library, and most frameworks — are provided free of charge to First Nations communities. Ancillary revenue derives from optional print and shipping fees for hard-copy wellness bundles, training program delivery (with pricing not publicly disclosed), and naloxone kit fulfillment via an Airtable order form. Customer segments consist of NNADAP/NYSAP treatment centres, First Nations communities across Canada, Indigenous youth, frontline addiction and mental wellness workers, and federal/provincial government partners.

Name

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation

Legal name

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation

Website

https://thunderbirdpf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation is a Canadian national nonprofit foundation that supports First Nations communities across Canada through culture-based substance-use and mental-wellness programs, operating the AMIS national database, the proprietary Native Wellness Assessment, national training networks, and frameworks endorsed by Health Canada and the Assembly of First Nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Mental Wellness Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Community Food Services (624210), Landscaping Services (561730), Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (622210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous wellness programs
• Substance use treatment
• Mental wellness frameworks
• Cultural assessment tools
• Community health training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bothwell

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government / institutional grants and program funding: As a non-profit foundation (a division of the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation / Fondation autochtone nationale de partenariat pour la lutte contre les dépendances), Thunderbird is funded through institutional relationships with bodies such as Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and partnership work with the Assembly of First Nations. Programs referenced include NNADAP, NYSAP, and related substance use / mental wellness initiatives.
2. Free distribution of digital resources and wellness bundles: Thunderbird provides downloadable resources (guidebooks, toolkits, fact sheets, annual reports) at no charge, with optional paid print and shipping costs for hard copies ordered via form. The NWA instrument is free for First Nations communities to use. No commercial subscription or licensing fee is disclosed.
3. Training program delivery: Culture-based, trauma-informed training courses delivered in-person and through Virtual Training Hubs and online course sign-ups, building a national network of regional First Nations trainers across Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation develops and distributes culture-based mental wellness and substance use resources, assessment instruments, national frameworks, training, a mobile wellness app, and operates the Addictions Management Information System (AMIS) national database for NNADAP and NYSAP treatment centres across Canada. Its core offerings — including the proprietary Native Wellness Assessment (NWA), national frameworks (Honouring Our Strengths, Indigenous Wellness Framework, First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum), training courses, and the Thunderbird Wellness app — are provided free of charge to First Nations communities and treatment centres.

Product overview

Thunderbird Partnership Foundation operates a coordinated portfolio of national products, frameworks, and services that together support First Nations mental wellness, substance-use treatment, and life promotion, anchored by culture as foundation. The portfolio is best understood as a platform of interrelated modules: the Addictions Management Information System (AMIS) is the national data platform used by NNADAP and NYSAP Treatment Centres, hosting the Native Wellness Assessment (NWA) instrument for longitudinal wellness measurement; the Thunderbird Wellness App is the consumer-facing mobile delivery channel for those assessments and culturally-grounded harm-reduction content; the Honouring Our Strengths (HOS), Indigenous Wellness (IWF), and First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum (FNMWC) frameworks are the foundational national frameworks that guide program design; the Mino Bimaadiziwin Podcast, Thunderbird Trainings (including Virtual Training Hubs), the Resource Library, Wellness Bundles, Naloxone Resources, and the Treatment Centre Statuses service extend those frameworks into media, learning, and operational practice; and the youth-facing sub-brands SoaringTogether.ca, WisePractices.ca, and CultureForLife.ca, together with the Indigenous Pattern Library, broaden the foundation's cultural and youth engagement work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thunderbird Wellness App: Free mobile app promoting a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to supporting Indigenous wellness, including support for substance use and addictions. Available on iOS and Google Play.
• Mino Bimaadiziwin
• Native Wellness Assessment (NWA)
• Addictions Management Information System (AMIS)
• Honouring Our Strengths (HOS)
• Indigenous Wellness Framework (IWF)
• First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework (FNMWC)
• SoaringTogether.ca
• WisePractices.ca
• CultureForLife.ca

Products and services

• Native Wellness Assessment (NWA) A proprietary, whole-person, strengths-based assessment instrument that measures the effect of cultural interventions on a person's wellness, tracking change in wellness over time across all genders, age groups, and cultures. Free for First Nations to use for their community members/clients; available through AMIS.
• Addictions Management Information System (AMIS) An online national database used by NNADAP and NYSAP Treatment Centres. A modern information system that improves client data collection, analysis, and reporting, and hosts the Native Wellness Assessment (NWA) instrument.
• Thunderbird Wellness App A free mobile app on iOS and Android promoting a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to supporting Indigenous wellness. Provides culturally based information about wellness and support for substance use and addictions, including opioid and methamphetamine content, treatment, prevention, stigma reduction, and harm reduction.
• Thunderbird Trainings Training courses developed from a culture-as-foundation, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Delivered in-person, online, and through Virtual Training Hubs to build a national network of regional First Nations trainers across Canada.
• Honouring Our Strengths Framework (HOS) A national framework that addresses substance use issues among First Nations people in Canada, outlining a renewed continuum of care.
• Indigenous Wellness Framework (IWF) A foundational framework developed by Elders and Knowledge Keepers describing wellness from an Indigenous point of view.
• First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework (FNMWC) A foundational framework dealing with mental wellness among First Nations people in Canada, grounded in culture, presenting a shared vision for First Nations mental wellness programs and services and practical steps to achieve that vision.
• Resource Library A library of guidebooks, toolkits, fact sheets, infographics, and annual reports available as free downloads with hard copies available via an order form. Includes Wellness Bundles grouped by topic (Opioid/Methamphetamine Crisis, Cannabis, Worker Wellness, FNMWC, Cultural Wellness, Youth Wellness).
• Wellness Bundles Curated collections of resources addressing specific topics: Opioid/Methamphetamine Crisis, Cannabis Education, Worker Wellness, First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum, Cultural Wellness, and Youth Wellness. Available as free downloads and as orderable hard-copy bundles.
• Naloxone Resources & Order Naloxone Naloxone education resources plus an order form (hosted on Airtable) for obtaining naloxone kits, supporting harm-reduction response to opioid overdoses.
• Treatment Centre Statuses A list of treatment centres across Canada and the services they are currently offering, supporting NNADAP and NYSAP service navigation.
• Mino Bimaadiziwin Podcast A free podcast ("Mino Bimaadiziwin" meaning "living the good life" in Anishinaabemowin) that explores Indigenous addictions and mental health issues, featuring leading voices in Indigenous wellness.
• Virtual Training Hubs Virtual hubs where community health workers can find peer support, reflect on best and wise practices, and consolidate Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Members access hundreds of resources on culture, health and wellness, substance use, and pandemics.
• Indigenous Pattern Library A library of patterns reproduced from referenced historical materials and new submissions from artists and communities, with each pattern attributed to its source community. Governed by OCAP® and CARE principles for Indigenous data sovereignty.

Quantifiable outcome

• National rollout of the AMIS database to NNADAP and NYSAP treatment centres across Canada
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Chiefs of OntarioflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFN and Chiefs of Ontario support Thunderbird's investigation and continued advocacy for funding opportunities to address substance abuse issues in First Nations communities, as defined in the Honouring Our Strengths Renewal Framework (AFN Resolution 23/2014 and Chiefs of Ontario Resolutions 13/07, 14/28). The 2007 partnership among AFN, Health Canada, and NNAPF led to the development of Honouring Our Strengths (2011).
• Health CanadaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Canada co-led the 2007 review of substance use-related services and supports for First Nations alongside the Assembly of First Nations and NNAPF, leading to the Honouring Our Strengths framework. Health Canada is also a referenced funder of NNADAP and NYSAP programs that Thunderbird supports.
• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerISC is referenced as a tag/program area in Thunderbird's Resource Library, indicating an ongoing institutional relationship supporting Indigenous wellness programming delivered by Thunderbird.
• First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFNIGC is cited as the source of the OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) principles that govern Thunderbird's Indigenous Pattern Library artwork submission and reproduction guidelines.
• Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCited as the source of the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, which Thunderbird applies in its data and artwork governance approach.
• US Indigenous Data Sovereignty NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a source of Indigenous data sovereignty principles informing Thunderbird's approach to data governance.
• Google (Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Analytics is used to automatically gather anonymous usage data (IP address, device/browser type, pageviews) for the thunderbirdpf.org websites, with Google Tag Manager policies referenced in the privacy policy.
• SurveyMonkeycoreTechnology or IntegrationSurveyMonkey is used as a third-party service for Thunderbird's national surveys, including the opioids survey (surveymonkey.com/r/FNOSATI0827) and the cannabis survey (surveymonkey.com/r/CSFA2020).
• Apple App Store and Google PlaycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Thunderbird Wellness mobile app is distributed via the Apple App Store and Google Play, which also collect user information under their own privacy policies.
• NNADAP and NYSAP Treatment Centres (national network)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThunderbird delivers AMIS, the NWA instrument, training, and resources to the national network of National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) and National Youth Solvent Abuse Program (NYSAP) treatment centres.
• SoaringTogether.ca, WisePractices.ca, and CultureForLife.ca (partner microsites)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerThematic partner websites that extend Thunderbird's reach to Indigenous youth and community practitioners; SoaringTogether.ca is rooted in the Indigenous Wellness Framework, WisePractices.ca focuses on life promotion, and CultureForLife.ca targets Indigenous youth.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA): Indigenous-led health organization in British Columbia that designs, delivers, and funds health programs for First Nations, including mental wellness and substance use. Directly comparable to Thunderbird as an Indigenous-led entity operating culturally grounded wellness programs and frameworks, though FNHA is regional and provincial rather than national.
• First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC): National Indigenous-led organization that governs OCAP® principles and operates national First Nations data infrastructure (e.g., RHS, FNES). Directly comparable to Thunderbird because it operates the data-governance and measurement frameworks that Indigenous health programs rely on, and is the source of the OCAP® standards Thunderbird applies.
• Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC): National Indigenous-led organization representing Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people, with active programming on wellness, harm reduction, and MMIWG. Comparable to Thunderbird as an Indigenous-led national body delivering culturally grounded wellness resources and frameworks, with overlapping federal funder relationships.
• Assembly of First Nations (AFN): National advocacy organization representing First Nations in Canada and a co-developer of Thunderbird's Honouring Our Strengths framework. Comparable as a national Indigenous body engaged in policy advocacy and program co-development for First Nations wellness, and an explicit institutional partner of Thunderbird.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA): Canada's national addictions agency providing evidence-based guidance, policy analysis, and workforce resources on substance use. Comparable as a national body shaping substance-use policy and treatment standards, though CCSA is a pan-Canadian mainstream body rather than Indigenous-led.
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH): Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital and research centre. Comparable as a Canadian provider of addiction and mental health treatment, training, and assessment tools, though CAMH operates from a clinical/mainstream perspective rather than an Indigenous-culture-as-foundation model.
• Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA): Nationwide voluntary organization that promotes mental health and supports recovery from mental illness through programs, advocacy, and resource libraries. Comparable to Thunderbird in providing free mental wellness resources, training, and national program infrastructure, though CMHA's mandate is pan-Canadian and not Indigenous-specific.

Emerging players

• Wellness Wheel Medical Supplies: Indigenous-owned medical supply and wellness distributor serving First Nations communities across Canada. Comparable as an Indigenous-led organization distributing wellness resources (including naloxone) to First Nations communities, though focused on physical medical supplies rather than frameworks and data systems.

Regional players

• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) — First Nations and Inuit Health Branch: Federal government branch that funds and delivers First Nations and Inuit health programs in Canada, including NNADAP and NYSAP. Comparable as the primary federal counterpart that Thunderbird partners with for program funding and policy alignment, though ISC is a government body rather than an Indigenous-led foundation.
• Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada: National Indigenous-led organization representing Inuit women, with programming on wellness, harm reduction, and cultural safety. Comparable as a national Indigenous-led organization delivering culturally grounded wellness resources and frameworks, though serving Inuit rather than First Nations communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thunderbirdpf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSHihn_OuwBmearNQFdYs7w
• Facebookfacebook.com/THUNDERBIRDPF
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/thunderbirdpf
• Instagraminstagram.com/thunderbird_nnapf
• TikToktiktok.com/@thunderbird.pf
• Pinterestpinterest.ca/ThunderbirdPF

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Thunderbird Partnership Foundation