The Arthritis Society

What The Arthritis Society does

Arthritis Society Canada, operating under the legal name "Arthritis Society Canada" and previously known as "The Arthritis Society," is a federally registered Canadian charitable nonprofit (Charitable Number: 10807 1671 RR0003) founded in 1948 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The organization serves Canadians affected by arthritis — currently estimated at more than 6 million adults (1 in 5) — alongside healthcare professionals and arthritis researchers. Its mission is delivered across four pillars: funding research into causes and cures, advocating for improved access to care, developing innovative programs and tools, and providing trusted information and support to patients and caregivers.

The portfolio combines digital self-assessment tools (Symptom Checker, Arthritis Risk Factor Assessment), educational content (Medication Reference Guide covering 42 medications, Flourish blog, monthly Arthritis Talks Webinars), peer support infrastructure (Arthritis Connections online support groups hosted on Jane/Zoom, the toll-free bilingual Arthritis Line), and clinical services (the Ontario-only Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program, AREP). The Arthritis Society is Canada's largest charitable source of arthritis research investment, having cumulatively funded over $250 million in research since 1948, and currently invests $7 million annually in research grants and career awards.

The organization is funded through four streams: individual public donations, corporate sponsorships (including tiered "Champions" such as AbbVie, Pfizer Canada, Lilly Canada, Merck Canada, Novartis Canada, and OTC partners like Tylenol/J&J), government funding (notably the Ontario Ministry of Health), and special fundraising events. All programs and resources are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Operating infrastructure spans four regional offices (Toronto for Ontario, Dartmouth for Atlantic Canada, Vancouver for BC & Yukon, and Montréal for Quebec) and is governed by a Board of Directors with executive leadership under President and CEO Trish Barbato. The charity holds Imagine Canada's Standards Program accreditation — held by fewer than 200 of Canada's roughly 85,000 charities.

Name

The Arthritis Society

Legal name

Arthritis Society Canada

Website

https://arthritis.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Arthritis Society Canada is a federally registered national charity, founded in 1948, that funds arthritis research (over $250M cumulatively), delivers free patient education, peer support, and digital tools, and provides rehabilitation services to the 6 million+ Canadians living with arthritis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Health Support Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Wellness & Patient Communities (MPACAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chronic Condition Lifestyle Coaching (Non-Clinical) (HSADAGAH), Caregiver Support, Coaching & Training (HLADALAG)

Keywords

• Arthritis research funding
• Patient support services
• Chronic disease advocacy
• Peer support programs
• Health education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: Donations from individual Canadians supporting arthritis research and programs.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Support from pharmaceutical companies and corporations including AbbVie, Pfizer, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, and others.
3. Special Events: Fundraising events organized by the organization and provincial divisions.
4. Government Funding: Support from government departments and agencies at federal and provincial levels.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Arthritis Society Canada is a national charitable organization that funds arthritis research, advocates for better care access, and provides free educational programs, peer support, and self-management resources to Canadians living with arthritis. The organization delivers digital self-assessment tools, monthly educational webinars, peer-led online support groups, a bilingual telephone information line, a comprehensive medication reference guide, and clinical rehabilitation services in Ontario to help people identify, treat, and live well with arthritis.

Product overview

The Arthritis Society Canada offers a unified portfolio of health information, support, and education services for Canadians living with arthritis. The core offerings include the Symptom Checker and Arthritis Risk Factor Assessment as digital self-assessment tools, complemented by the Arthritis Talks Webinar series and Arthritis Connections peer support groups for ongoing education and community support. The Arthritis Line provides direct telephone access to trained volunteers, while the Medication Reference Guide offers comprehensive information on arthritis treatments. For Ontario residents, the Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program (AREP) provides clinical rehabilitation services. All offerings work together to support Canadians from symptom identification through treatment and daily management of arthritis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Symptom Checker A 6-step interactive digital tool for people who may have arthritis to identify possible symptoms and prepare information to discuss with their healthcare provider. Users answer questions based on their symptoms, receive a printed summary, and can use it to guide conversations with a clinician.
• Arthritis Talks Webinars Monthly webinar series featuring leading arthritis specialists sharing evidence-based strategies for managing arthritis pain, staying active, and maintaining independence. Free to the public and aimed at people with arthritis, caregivers, and healthcare professionals.
• Arthritis Connections (Online Support Groups) Peer support program that brings together people impacted by arthritis to share experiences, gain emotional support, and learn from others through online groups led by trained volunteers. Groups cover osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and joint replacement surgery.
• Arthritis Line Toll-free telephone information service (1.800.321.1433) staffed by trained volunteers who answer questions about arthritis, disease management, and where to access arthritis-related resources. Available Monday to Friday in both French and English.
• Arthritis Risk Factor Assessment Online assessment tool that evaluates factors — including genetics, lifestyle, and other risk factors — to determine whether an individual is at increased risk of developing arthritis.
• Medication Reference Guide Comprehensive reference guide covering 42 medications used to treat arthritis, including information on drug classes, dosages, effectiveness, side effects, and warnings. Covers analgesics, biologics, corticosteroids, DMARDs, JAK inhibitors, and both prescription and non-prescription medications.
• Arthritis Rehabilitation and Education Program (AREP) Clinical rehabilitation service for children and adults living with arthritis in Ontario, providing client-centred rehabilitation services, consultation and guidance on self-management, and individual and group education sessions delivered in-person and virtually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4 million Canadians reached with trusted information annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AbbViecoreOthersArthritis Champion partner providing pharmaceutical support and funding for arthritis research and programs.
• Pfizer CanadacoreOthersArthritis Champion partner supporting arthritis education and research initiatives. Also provides unrestricted educational grants for surgical resources.
• Lilly CanadacoreOthersArthritis Partner providing pharmaceutical sponsorship for arthritis programs and education.
• Novartis CanadacoreOthersArthritis Partner supporting arthritis research and patient education programs.
• Merck CanadacoreOthersArthritis Partner providing pharmaceutical industry support for arthritis initiatives.
• Calgary FoundationcoreOthersArthritis Champion foundation providing community funding support for arthritis programs.
• Vancouver FoundationcoreOthersArthritis Champion foundation supporting arthritis initiatives in British Columbia.
• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care OntariocoreOthersArthritis Champion government partner providing healthcare funding and support.
• Organon CanadaminorOthersArthritis Partner pharmaceutical company supporting arthritis programs.
• Tylenol (Johnson & Johnson)minorOthersArthritis Partner supporting arthritis awareness and education through OTC pain relief partnership.
• United Way GTAminorOthersArthritis Partner providing community support network connections.
• Federated Health CharitiesminorOthersArthritis Partner representing a coalition of health charities.
• Imagine CanadacoreOthersArthritis Society Canada is accredited under Imagine Canada's Standards Program, meeting 73 standards for transparency, accountability and good governance. Only 200 of 85,000 Canadian charities have achieved this accreditation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest disease-specific national charity. Operates the same integrated model of research funding, patient support, advocacy, and information services, and competes directly for Canadian donor dollars and corporate sponsorships.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: National health charity funding cardiovascular research, delivering patient education, and running provincial advocacy. Closely comparable operating model, geographic footprint, and revenue mix to the Arthritis Society.
• Diabetes Canada: National chronic disease charity focused on diabetes research, education, advocacy, and patient support. Comparable in chronic-condition positioning, multi-channel patient engagement, and pharma-sponsor mix.
• MS Society of Canada: National chronic disease charity with a parallel research-grant, peer-support, advocacy, and information portfolio. Comparable in scale, funding model, and chapter/provincial office structure.
• Arthritis Foundation (US): US national arthritis charity with a near-identical mission of research funding, patient education, advocacy, and community programs. Closest single-disease international analogue for benchmarking program model and reach.
• Crohn's and Colitis Canada: Canadian national charity for inflammatory bowel disease using the same research-grant, peer-support, education, and advocacy operating model. Strong comparable for chronic autoimmune-disease positioning.
• ALS Society of Canada: Canadian national charity funding research and delivering patient services for ALS. Comparable in research-grant administration, advocacy model, and reliance on individual donations and corporate partnerships.
• Cystic Fibrosis Canada: National charity funding CF research and supporting patients. Similar in research investment scale, provincial chapter structure, and community-led fundraising approach.
• Lupus Canada: Smaller national charity for lupus, a rheumatologic condition often co-managed with arthritis. Comparable condition-area adjacency and audience overlap with arthritis patients.

Others

• Imagine Canada: Sector umbrella organization that accredits and advocates for Canadian charities. The Arthritis Society is accredited under its Standards Program, making Imagine Canada a relevant ecosystem peer for governance benchmarking and sector-level advocacy alignment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arthritissoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ArthritisSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArthritisSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arthritissociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/arthritissociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Arthritis Society