Jane/Finch Centre

What Jane/Finch Centre does

The Jane/Finch Centre (legal name: Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre) is a Toronto-based registered charity (Charity No. 118972868RR0001) and multi-service community organization that has served the Jane-Finch and Black Creek neighborhoods for over 50 years. Originally formed in 1973 as the Downsview Weston Action Community (DWAG) and renamed in the late 1970s, the organization became a United Way Greater Toronto member in 1980 and today operates as a United Way Anchor agency. Its mission centers on poverty reduction through resident engagement, capacity building, and anti-oppression.

The organization delivers free, culturally responsive programming through approximately ten core service lines: settlement services, the Spot youth centre (ages 13-29), Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving (FEPS), the EarlyON child and family centre, community wellbeing and seniors programming, youth violence prevention, the Sex Trafficking Prevention Group (STPG), community development, and a community resource centre. Sub-brands include The Spot, Corner Commons (an outdoor community space), and the Write Us Off / Bias Training By Us youth-led campaigns. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-driven and runs through physical sites at 4400 Jane Street, a Green Change space at 2999 Jane Street, and EarlyON satellites at Carmine Stefano Community Centre, Jane/Sheppard Library, and Black Creek Library.

The revenue model is a non-profit mix of United Way Anchor agency funding, government grants (City of Toronto, Ministry of the Solicitor General, Ontario Trillium Foundation, federal/municipal sources), tax-receiptable charitable donations, and a $5/year community membership program. All programs are provided at no cost to residents. The organization is led by Executive Director Michelle Dagnino and Board Chair Mustafa El Amin; its workforce is 96% racialized, with 90% of management and 70% of management being women, and the board is 6/9 from racialized backgrounds and 77% women.

Name

Jane/Finch Centre

Legal name

Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre

Website

https://janefinchcentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Jane/Finch Centre is a Toronto-based registered charity and multi-service community organization delivering free settlement, youth, seniors, financial empowerment, and violence-prevention programs to 20,000+ residents annually in the Jane-Finch and Black Creek neighborhoods, funded by United Way, government grants, and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Settlement services
• Youth programs
• Financial empowerment
• Newcomer support

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is a registered charity (Charity No. 118972868RR0001) that accepts tax-receiptable donations. Every gift of more than $25 is tax-receiptable. The organization has run innovative fundraising campaigns such as the #BillItToBezos campaign using Amazon Prime subscriptions for Twitch donations.
2. United Way Greater Toronto Funding: The Jane/Finch Centre has been a United Way member since 1980 and was accepted for a 5-year funding renewal as an Anchor agency, providing sustained programmatic funding.
3. Government Grants: The organization receives funding from various government sources including the City of Toronto's Youth Violence Prevention Grant, Ministry of the Solicitor General for human trafficking prevention programs, Ontario Trillium Foundation grants, and other federal and municipal funding.
4. Community Membership Program: The Jane-Finch Membership Program costs $5 per year for residents 16+ in Black Creek/Jane-Finch communities, providing opportunities to attend AGMs, vote on programming decisions, and participate in membership socials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jane/Finch Centre is a community-based, multi-service non-profit organization delivering free social services to residents of the Jane-Finch and Black Creek neighborhoods in Toronto. Its core offerings include settlement services for newcomers, youth programming (including The Spot Youth Centre), seniors and community wellbeing programs, Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving (FEPS), food security and EarlyON child and family services, youth violence prevention, and the Sex Trafficking Prevention Group (STPG). Services are delivered through multiple physical locations, drop-in programs, one-to-one case management, and community development initiatives.

Product overview

Jane/Finch Centre is a multi-service community-based organization (not a technology company) offering a portfolio of social service programs. The organization operates as a unified service delivery model with interconnected programs including The Spot Youth Centre, Financial Empowerment and Problem Solving (FEPS), Settlement Services, EarlyON Centre, Community Wellbeing and Seniors Program, Youth Violence Prevention Program, Community Development, and the Sex Trafficking Prevention Group (STPG). These programs share a common mission of poverty reduction through resident engagement, capacity building, and anti-oppression, and are designed to work collaboratively to address the holistic needs of Jane-Finch community residents across all ages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Spot: Youth centre and programs serving young people in Jane-Finch
• Corner Commons
• Write Us Off / Bias Training, By Us
• STPG: Sex Trafficking Prevention Group

Products and services

• The Spot Youth Centre

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 20,337 residents in 2023-24, an 18% increase from previous year
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Think 2wicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2023Collaborative partnership with Think 2wice as co-recipients of the City of Toronto's Youth Violence Prevention Grant. Organizations work together to support de-escalation of violence in priority Toronto communities including Jane-Finch.
• Angry ButterflyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative agency partnership for the #BillItToBezos fundraising campaign, an innovative initiative that used Amazon Prime Twitch subscriptions to direct donations to the organization.
• City of TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on multiple initiatives including Youth Violence Prevention Grant, Jane Finch Initiative neighborhood planning study, and various community development programs. The Jane-Finch Secondary Plan and Community Development Plan were adopted by Toronto city council in June 2024.
• Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Black Creek Fair Economies project to improve local recruitment and job opportunities for Jane-Finch residents. Hosted job information sessions and collaborated on transit equity advocacy.
• JVS TorontocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for resume support workshops and employment preparation services for Jane-Finch residents through Black Creek Fair Economies project.
• Think AgnosticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Toronto PR firm Think Agnostic to launch the Impression Campaign Scholarship for youth in Jane-Finch and Black Creek. Total of $10,000 in scholarships available for 1-3 students enrolling in PR, Communications, Media, or Journalism programs.
• North York Harvest Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for food distribution programs. 252 individuals received food through North York Harvest Food Bank in 2023-24.
• North West Toronto Ontario Health Team (NWT OHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for community wellness initiatives including mental health fair and culturally responsive mental health services for Black families in Northwest Toronto.
• POV (Film Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on career navigator film training program with United Way Greater Toronto. 40 youth completed Future Focus pre-employment training with 67.5% advancing to screen training and many now working in film and TV.
• Jack.orgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership expanded access to culturally affirming therapy supports for youth and introduced young people to careers in wellness fields.
• SickKidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting youth wellness programs and introducing youth to careers in health and wellness fields.
• Vasantham Wellness CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership addressing mental health, addiction, and civic engagement needs among Tamil newcomer men and seniors.
• LOFT Tamil SeniorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Tamil senior community with wellness programming and social engagement.
• Seneca School of Legal, Public and Office AdministrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering Steps to Justice workshops at The Spot youth centre with 35 youth participants.
• Talk It Out, Work It Out (University of Toronto)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Toronto initiative engaging up to 120 seniors weekly in physical and mental exercise programming.
• Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in non-police mental health crisis response. Jane/Finch Centre community wellbeing team supports the pilot project alongside Canadian Mental Health Association for North Toronto. Service dispatches multidisciplinary crisis workers for mental health crisis calls.
• Community Healing ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on youth programming including 'Being Black in Trades' event, back-to-school backpack giveaway, and youth violence prevention initiatives.
• TTCridersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransit advocacy partnership for RapidTO: Jane Street consultations. Coordinated advocacy successfully reversed planned bus stop removals.
• Sprout ClimateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Toronto Climate Observatory on community workshop to co-design how heat information and alerts are shared in the city.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• The 519: Toronto community center offering programs and services with strong community-development roots and a specific population focus. Comparable Toronto community-center operating model though focused on a different demographic community.

Direct peers

• COSTI Immigrant Services: Major Toronto-based settlement and newcomer services organization with multiple locations across the GTA. Closest direct peer on settlement services, language training, employment supports, and newcomer integration programming.
• Fred Victor: Toronto social services organization serving people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and marginalization with integrated housing, health, and community programs. Comparable multi-service social services approach in the GTA.
• Agincourt Community Services Association: A Toronto-based multi-service community organization providing settlement, youth, seniors, and newcomer services in Scarborough. Highly comparable to JFC in operating model, multi-service scope, settlement focus, and resident-led community development approach.
• Tropicana Community Services: Toronto-area multi-service community organization providing settlement, youth, family, and community services with a focus on Black and Caribbean communities. Comparable integrated community service model and racialized community focus.
• Flemingdon Health Centre: Multi-service community organization in North York/Toronto providing integrated health, settlement, youth, and community development services to immigrant-rich, low-income populations. Comparable integrated-services model serving a similar Toronto demographic.
• Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre: Toronto community hub offering integrated social services, newcomer settlement, youth programs, and community development in a similarly urban underserved neighborhood. Directly comparable mission and program architecture to JFC.

Emerging players

• Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough: Toronto East Scarborough youth and community services organization focused on youth development, newcomer supports, and community programming in an underserved neighborhood. Partial overlap with JFC on youth and community development services.

Others

• North York Harvest Food Bank: Toronto-area food security organization that is a current JFC partner supplying food distribution. Functions as a supplier/ecosystem partner for JFC's food programs rather than a direct competitor; relevant for understanding the broader food-assistance network JFC operates within.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of Greater Toronto: Large multi-service charity operating community, youth, newcomer, and family programs across the GTA. A broader incumbent with overlapping program categories but not neighborhood-specialized; relevant as a comparable funder/operator of community programming.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/janefinchcentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Jane/Finch Centre