MakeWay

Name

MakeWay

Legal name

MakeWay

Website

https://makeway.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Sponsors (BPAGAKAF), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

Keywords

• Donor Advised Funds
• Philanthropic Advisory Services
• Charitable Grantmaking
• Impact Investing
• Nonprofit Foundation Services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donor Advised Fund Administration Fees: MakeWay charges fees for fund administration, investment management, and grantmaking support. The fee varies depending on the size and complexity of the fund. They offer Giving Funds, Invested Giving Funds, and Impact Funds with different fee structures.
2. Overhead Cost Recovery: Fees included in fund overhead cost recovery that cover access to advisory team, fund planning support, administrative services (grant processing, donation receipting, compliance), and secure fund management through online portal.
3. Strategic Grantmaking Solutions: MakeWay strategically manages funds for partners and mobilizes grants that advance community-led change. They host over 140 funds advised by both donors and communities to mobilize philanthropy for social and environmental well-being.
4. Philanthropic Advisory Services: Customized advisory services on a fee-for-service basis for philanthropists and institutions seeking deeper engagement, including landscape assessments, grantee recommendations, multi-generational philanthropy support, and social impact strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

MakeWay is a Canadian public foundation that operates as a philanthropic intermediary, providing Donor Advised Funds (Giving Funds, Invested Giving Funds, and Impact Funds including ImpactDAF), strategic Grantmaking services, a Shared Platform offering charitable administrative infrastructure (governance, compliance, financial management, HR, risk management, grant administration), Impact Investing portfolios, Collaboratives for pooled community-advised funding, and Philanthropic Advisory Services. The organization connects funders (philanthropists, foundations, financial advisors) with community-led initiatives across Canada through 140+ advised funds and 40+ shared platform projects, working across seven interconnected strategic priorities focused on environmental and social change.

Product overview

MakeWay is a Canadian public foundation offering a suite of philanthropic solutions organized around a Shared Platform model and multiple funding mechanisms. The core offering includes: the Shared Platform (providing administrative infrastructure for 40+ community projects), Grantmaking services, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) with integrated advisory services, Impact Investing with the ImpactDAF as a flagship product, Collaboratives for pooled community-advised funding, and Phile-based programming across geographies. These offerings work together to connect philanthropy with community-led change initiatives across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shared Platform A shared infrastructure model that provides charitable administrative supports—including governance, compliance, financial management, HR, risk management, and grant administration—to community-led initiatives, allowing changemakers to focus on mission delivery. Currently hosting 40+ projects working on community-led solutions.
• Grantmaking Strategic grantmaking solutions connecting funders with community partners through community and donor advised funds, funding collaboratives, programmatic funds, and impact-invested DAF structures. Manages funds for partners and mobilizes grants to advance community-led change.
• Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) Flexible purpose-led charitable giving vehicles allowing individuals, families, and organizations to make tax-deductible contributions, receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants over time to registered charities aligned with their philanthropic vision. Includes Giving Funds, Invested Giving Funds, and Impact Funds.
• Impact Investing Mission-aligned investment portfolio management using negative screens, ESG ratings, shareholder engagement, and net positive impact investments, including the ImpactDAF as Canada's first fully-customizable 100% impact-invested donor advised fund.
• Collaboratives Collaborative funding models bringing grantmakers and community representatives together to pool resources, share ideas, and shift power dynamics through community-advised funding and pooled funding structures.
• Philanthropic Advisory Services Personalized expert guidance to maximize philanthropic impact, including integrated advisory services included with fund overhead fees and custom fee-for-service offerings for deeper strategic engagement such as landscape assessments, grantee recommendations, multi-generational philanthropy support, and social impact strategy.
• ImpactDAF Canada's first fully-customizable 100% impact invested donor advised fund, providing grantmaking functions of a DAF while activating underlying investments for positive social and environmental impact. Minimum opening donation: $1 million. Time horizon: 5-10 years.
• Northern Program Place-based programming across Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Inuit regions, supporting northern leadership, land and water stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, and Indigenous cultural resurgence.
• BC Program British Columbia place-based programming focused on healthy lands/waters/climate, Indigenous food sovereignty, and community leadership through partnerships with Indigenous communities and changemakers.
• Sîhtoskâtowin Program Saskatchewan-based program supporting Indigenous-led work in food systems, health/healing, and cultural reclamation through accessible philanthropic pathways for remote and rural Indigenous communities. Launched in 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• $7 million+ granted to 76 community partners by Northern Manitoba Food, Culture, and Community Collaborative
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• New Market Funds SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, MakeWay joined with Vancity Community Foundation, the Bealight Foundation, the Trico Foundation, and Reseau D'Investissement Social Du Quebec to form the New Market Funds Society. NMFS is a community-focused impact investment intermediary with a goal to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of charities in the communities they serve.
• SHAREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakeWay is an active member of SHARE, an organization that mobilizes investors to build a sustainable, inclusive economy. Through the Shareholder Engagement Program, MakeWay leverages their voice as a shareholder to advocate for corporate sustainability policies and practices.
• PatagoniacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPatagonia has partnered with MakeWay to support grassroots environmental action in British Columbia, with a personal connection to Patagonia's founder established over a decade ago.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vancouver Foundation: Canada's largest community foundation, offering donor advised funds, grantmaking, and endowment services in BC. Comparable as a Canadian philanthropic intermediary serving donors and community-led initiatives, with broader geographic and asset scale.
• Toronto Foundation: Major Canadian community foundation providing donor advised funds, grantmaking, and impact investing. Directly comparable as a place-based grantmaking intermediary with DAF and impact investing offerings similar to MakeWay's.
• Calgary Foundation: Alberta-based community foundation offering donor advised funds, grantmaking, and charitable asset management. Comparable business model as a Canadian philanthropic intermediary with DAF services.
• Foundation for Greater Montreal: Quebec's largest community foundation offering donor advised funds, endowment management, and grantmaking. Comparable as a regional Canadian philanthropic intermediary with overlapping DAF and community-led funding offerings.
• Community Foundations of Canada: National umbrella and capacity-builder for 200+ Canadian community foundations, supporting grantmaking and community-led development. Comparable as a Canadian intermediary enabling community-led philanthropy at scale.
• United Way Centraide Canada: Federated giving organization mobilizing workplace donations across Canada to support community initiatives. Comparable in mobilizing pooled philanthropy for community-led change, though broader in scope and donor model.

Direct peers

• Tides Foundation: US-based philanthropic intermediary offering shared platform hosting, donor advised funds, and grantmaking for social change—MakeWay (formerly Tides Canada) was literally a Tides affiliate. Directly comparable model, products, and mission.
• Charitable Impact: Canadian tech-forward donor advised fund sponsor offering online charitable giving accounts. Directly competes with MakeWay's DAF products in the Canadian market with a digital-first, lower-minimum alternative.
• Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: US-based philanthropic advisory and grantmaking services organization providing customized giving solutions and advised fund services. Comparable as a fee-for-service philanthropic advisory and intermediary.

Emerging players

• BenefAction Foundation: Canadian donor-advised fund sponsor offering workplace giving and pooled charitable solutions. Competes with MakeWay in the Canadian DAF market targeting workplace and pooled-giving segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/makewaytogether
• Facebookfacebook.com/makewaytogether
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tides-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/makeway_together

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 MakeWay