Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society

What Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society does

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society (KAFS) is a charitable nonprofit organization founded in 1972 and headquartered in Kamloops, British Columbia. It operates with a status-free open-door policy, delivering culturally appropriate programs to Urban Indigenous people and the broader Kamloops community across Tk'emlúps te Secwepemc Territory. Its service portfolio spans six core program lines: Child & Family Services (Early Childhood Development and Family Preservation for families with children 0-6), Elders & Cultural Services (wellness programming including cooking classes, foot care, and cultural activities), Health Services (the Affordable Recreational Community Health/ARCH program and a Substance Use Program with culturally based CBT), the Urban Aboriginal Health Centre (a family practice medical clinic for Aboriginal and marginalized patients without a family doctor on Kamloops' North Shore), Youth & Education (cultural coordination with School District #73 and a youth leadership conference with Thompson Rivers University), and Outreach Services (FNHA and Reaching Home-funded street outreach, harm reduction, and case management). A Mini Storage facility at 48 West Victoria Street provides ancillary storage, laundry, mail reception, and shower facilities for clients in need.

Name

Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society

Legal name

Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society

Website

https://kafs.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KAFS is a 1972-founded charitable nonprofit in Kamloops, BC, delivering free, culturally appropriate programs (child and family services, elders wellness, health, youth education, outreach, and mini storage) to Urban Indigenous and surrounding community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Center Education Programs (EDAAAFAB), Family & Parent Support Services (Parent Coaching, Advocacy) (EDAJALAK), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Indigenous health services
• Youth education programs
• Cultural wellness programs
• Harm reduction outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamloops

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Funded through government sources including MCFD (Ministry of Children and Family Development), Interior Health, BCAAFC (BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres), Parks Recs Kamloops, City of Kamloops, TRU, and School District #73. All programs provided free of charge to clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society (KAFS) is a nonprofit charitable organization that delivers culturally appropriate programs and inclusive services to Urban Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Kamloops, British Columbia. Its service portfolio spans early childhood development and family preservation, elders' wellness and cultural programs, youth leadership and education, a family practice medical clinic (Urban Aboriginal Health Centre), addictions counseling, street outreach, and a mini storage facility with basic amenities for people in precarious housing. All programs are provided free of charge and funded through government grants.

Product overview

The Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society is a charitable organization established in 1972 that provides culturally appropriate programs and inclusive services to urban Indigenous people. The organization operates multiple interconnected service programs including Child & Family Services (Early Childhood Development and Family Preservation), Elders & Cultural Services, Health Services (including the Urban Aboriginal Health Centre), Youth & Education, Mini Storage Units, and Outreach Services. All programs are free, confidential, and provided in a positive safe environment with a status-free open-door policy serving Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child & Family Services

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 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.

• Thompson Rivers University (TRU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership activity for Youth Leadership Conference. Provides annual one-day youth leadership conference at TRU for youth 16-24 years. Explores barriers to post-secondary education, student mental health supports, and mentorship with TRU alumni. Funded through TRU.
• School District #73coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural Education Coordinator provides culturally appropriate services through Four Directions Storefront School and School District #73. Objective to reduce high school dropouts and assist Aboriginal students to graduate. Involved in Aboriginal grad, National Indigenous Day, and cultural events.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA): Vancouver-based Indigenous youth-serving organization offering cultural, educational, housing, and wellness programs for Indigenous youth. Comparable as an urban Indigenous nonprofit in BC, overlapping with KAFS's Youth & Education portfolio.
• Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society: The largest urban Aboriginal friendship centre in BC, delivering cultural, social, health, education, and employment programs to urban Indigenous people in Metro Vancouver. Directly comparable as a BCAAFC-member friendship centre using the same community-led, status-free service model.
• Aboriginal Mother Centre Society: BC nonprofit providing housing, cultural, and family support services for Indigenous women and children. Overlaps directly with KAFS's ECD/Family Preservation and outreach mandates.
• Native Friendship Centre of Montreal: Quebec-based urban Indigenous friendship centre under the NAFC (National Association of Friendship Centres) network offering cultural, social, health, and community programs. Directly comparable in mission and service breadth, though operating under a different provincial/funder system.
• Victoria Native Friendship Centre: BC urban Indigenous friendship centre providing a similar mix of cultural, health, family, youth, and Elders programs in Greater Victoria. Same BCAAFC-affiliated service model and funder ecosystem as KAFS.
• Okanagan Native Friendship Centre Society: BCAAFC member friendship centre serving Indigenous people in the Okanagan with comparable programming (health, family, youth, cultural services). Directly comparable operating model and funder stack in a neighbouring region of BC.

Others

• First Nations Health Authority (FNHA): BC's First Nations-led health authority and a major funder of KAFS's outreach and substance use programs. Included as a funder/ecosystem partner rather than a peer competitor; comparable as an Indigenous-led health and wellness organization.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Native Friendship Centres (NAFC): National umbrella network for Indigenous friendship centres across Canada. Comparable at the network/governance level and as the national counterpart to BCAAFC, but not a direct service-delivery competitor.
• BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC): Provincial umbrella body representing 25+ Aboriginal friendship centres in BC, including KAFS. Comparable as the broader network governing KAFS's accreditation and funding channels rather than a competing direct service provider.

Regional players

• Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS): BC-based Indigenous nonprofit providing cultural support, counselling, and wellness services for residential school survivors and intergenerational trauma. Comparable as a culturally based Indigenous wellness nonprofit serving overlapping populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KAFSBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kamloops-aboriginal-friendship-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Kamloops Aboriginal Friendship Society