Council of Agencies Serving South Asians

What Council of Agencies Serving South Asians does

Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) is a registered Canadian charitable organization founded in 1989 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with satellite offices in Surrey, British Columbia, and Edmonton, Alberta. It operates as a national umbrella body coordinating agencies, groups, and individuals that provide services to the South Asian community in Canada, with a mission to advance the economic, social, political, and cultural empowerment of South Asians through research, advocacy, mobilization, and convening.

CASSA's service portfolio spans community programs (COVID-19 helpline, hate crime reporting, civic engagement campaigns, South Asian Heritage Month, Annual Health Equity Summit, Annual Social Justice Summit, Multicultural Storytelling Festival), applied research (employment equity research, gender-based violence studies, South Asian international students research), policy advocacy and position papers, training and workshops, and published toolkits (#EradicateHate, Legal Education for Refugee Women and Youth, Intercultural Collaborative). Technology is not a core competency; CASSA distributes programming through digital channels (newsletter, blog, podcast, social media across Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube), webinars, and downloadable toolkits, with no proprietary platform.

The revenue model combines a sliding-scale membership program (individuals at $20 per year; organizations and associate organizations on a sliding scale by operational budget) with diversified institutional grant funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation, United Way Greater Toronto, Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Women and Gender Equality Canada, Canadian Women's Foundation, the Ontario government, and a quantified $248,282 grant from the Public Health Agency of Canada dated 2024-08-28. Headcount is reported at 11–50, and the organization publishes monthly newsletters and recurring campaigns, indicating steady active operations under its 2024 National Expansion Strategy.

Name

Council of Agencies Serving South Asians

Legal name

Council of Agencies Serving South Asians

Website

https://cassa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CASSA is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1989 and headquartered in Toronto that serves as a national umbrella organization for agencies, groups, and individuals providing services to South Asian communities in Canada through research, advocacy, training, and coalition-building.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Advocacy and Social Justice Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAG

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

SECONDARYBPADAIAL

Community Health, Health Promotion & Behavior Change (SBCC)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Global Health & Population Programs

SECONDARYTHAHACAA

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

Keywords

• Community advocacy services
• Social justice research
• Settlement support services
• Anti-racism campaigns
• Health equity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Scarborough

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CASSA generates revenue through membership fees charged to individual community members ($20 per individual on a sliding scale) and organizations (sliding scale based on operational budgets).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CASSA is a registered Canadian charity and umbrella organization that convenes agencies, groups, and individuals serving South Asian communities in Canada. It delivers community programs, advocacy campaigns, research publications, and training/workshops focused on social justice, anti-hate, health equity, civic engagement, gender-based violence prevention, and settlement support, while offering membership tiers to individuals and organizations.

Product overview

Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) is an umbrella/non-profit community organization rather than a technology product company. It does not offer a unified software product or platform architecture. Its offerings consist of community programs, advocacy services, research resources, and membership programs, including: research toolkits and papers on equity and employment; advocacy campaigns (anti-hate initiatives, COVID-19 response, civic engagement); training and workshops; project initiatives (sexual and reproductive health, GBV research, vaccine engagement); and membership for individuals and organizations. All offerings are service-based community programs, not packaged software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CASSA Membership Program
• #EradicateHate Campaign Awareness, education, and mobilization initiative aimed at eradicating hate directed at South Asian communities, including a published toolkit and the Anti-Hate Community Leaders Group conversation series.
• COVID-19 Helpline for South Asians Helpline service providing COVID-19-related information, referrals, and relief support tailored to South Asian individuals and families in Canada, complemented by broader COVID-19 relief initiatives.
• Annual Health Equity Summit Annual summit convening researchers, service providers, and community members to address health equity issues affecting South Asian populations in Canada.
• CASSA Annual Social Justice Summit Annual convening on social justice issues affecting South Asian communities, including anti-racism, civic engagement, and systemic equity.
• South Asian Heritage Month Campaigns Annual month-long campaign of events and content celebrating South Asian heritage and advancing awareness of community priorities in May each year.
• Multicultural Storytelling Festival Cultural festival showcasing multicultural storytelling, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, designed to foster intercultural understanding and community connection.
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Program for South Asian Newcomer Women Program providing sexual and reproductive health information, resources, and outreach to South Asian newcomer women in Canada.
• SRH for Queer South Asians Program addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of queer South Asian community members in Canada.
• South Asian International Students Research Project Research initiative documenting the housing, labour, settlement, and well-being experiences of South Asian international students in Canadian higher education.
• Training and Workshops Capacity-building training and workshop offerings for member agencies, service providers, and community members on topics including anti-racism, civic engagement, AI for non-profits, and digital engagement.
• South Asian Justice Network Alberta – Calgary Regional initiative in Calgary that connects South Asian community members with justice, anti-violence, and anti-racism supports.
• Hate Crime Reporting Project Project providing hate crime reporting support, documentation, and advocacy resources for South Asian community members who have experienced hate incidents.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM): Umbrella Muslim community advocacy body in Canada focused on anti-Islamophobia, civic engagement, and community research — closely mirrors CASSA's advocacy, research, and convening model for a distinct diaspora community.
• Urban Alliance on Race Relations: Toronto-based advocacy organization focused on racial equity, anti-racism, and immigrant community support, with research and policy engagement functions similar to CASSA's anti-hate and equity programming.
• Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change (COP-COC): Ontario advocacy coalition addressing systemic racism and poverty faced by racialized communities, with research and policy functions comparable to CASSA's anti-racism and equity work.
• Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC): National umbrella organization for agencies and individuals serving Chinese-Canadian communities, with advocacy, research, and convening functions structurally analogous to CASSA's role for South Asian communities.
• Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA): BC-based umbrella for multicultural and immigrant-serving agencies providing advocacy, research, and sector coordination — directly parallel to CASSA's BC satellite activities and umbrella advocacy model.
• Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association of Toronto: Heritage-based community advocacy and service organization for Japanese Canadians, sharing CASSA's structure as a community-specific umbrella for advocacy, settlement support, and civic engagement.
• Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI): Provincial umbrella of immigrant-serving agencies in Ontario that coordinates advocacy, research, and capacity building across member agencies — directly comparable to CASSA's umbrella function but across the broader immigrant-serving sector.

Others

• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA): National progressive policy research institute producing reports on equity, immigration, and social justice that intersect with CASSA's research and advocacy outputs, though it operates as a think tank rather than a community umbrella.
• Canadian Race Relations Foundation: Federally funded foundation dedicated to eliminating racism and promoting cross-cultural understanding; partners with CASSA and operates overlapping research and education mandates.

Emerging players

• Maytree Foundation: Canadian foundation focused on immigrant and refugee integration policy, with research and advocacy arms that intersect CASSA's settlement and civic engagement mandate but at a policy-funder level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CASSAOnline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvGpF0-MoPxzlY_ntXopROw/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/CASSAOnline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-of-agencies-serving-south-asians
• Instagraminstagram.com/cassaonline/#

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Council of Agencies Serving South Asians