Code

What Code does

CODE is a Canadian registered charitable organization founded in 1959, headquartered in Ottawa, with a 65-year operating history of improving children's literacy outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. The organization operates programs across six countries — Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania — delivered through long-standing partnerships with local civil society organizations (TALLE-RSL, Associaçao Progresso, Olinga Foundation, Children's Book Organization, FAWEMA, WE-CARE Foundation) and in coordination with national ministries of education. Its core programmatic interventions include the Girls' Accelerated Learning Initiative (GALI) for over-age adolescent girls, the Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts (TLFC) program, BETTER (teacher training in Mozambique), Reading Ghana and Reading Tanzania (early-grade reading programs), the Transforming Girls' Education Project (TGEP), and the iHeard sexual and reproductive health project in Malawi. The methodological core consists of teacher professional development via Learning Circles and Communities of Practice, locally-authored and illustrated children's books in indigenous languages, and the Context Matters Research Grant program supporting African-led literacy research.

CODE's business model is grant-funded philanthropy rather than commercial revenue. Total revenue for fiscal year 2024-25 was $12.4M CAD (7% YoY growth), sourced from institutional grants (notably Global Affairs Canada, UNICEF, and Global Partnership for Education), corporate and foundation grants (Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, 60 million girls Foundation), individual Canadian donors (~3,953 active in 2024-25), and an affiliated foundation — the CODE Foundation — which contributed $1.5M in 2024-25 and covers fundraising overhead costs to enable 90% pass-through of public donations. Program expenditure ratios were 78% in 2023-24 and 75% in 2024-25. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors including former Global Affairs Canada senior public servants and literacy academics, and is led by CEO Lisa Graziadei following Scott Walter's 2023 retirement. In 2024-25, CODE divested its Chapel Street headquarters for $2.75M net proceeds and adopted a hybrid working model to direct more resources to programs, while launching its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan 'Advancing Literacy, Together.'

Name

Code

Legal name

CODE

Website

https://code.ngo

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CODE is a Canadian registered charity, founded in 1959, that improves children's literacy in six sub-Saharan African countries (Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania) through teacher training, locally-authored books, and gender-focused programs, funded by institutional grants and individual donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Literacy Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundational Reading & Writing Literacy (EDAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homework Tutoring & Academic Support (Subject Tutoring) (HSAAAHAC)

Keywords

• Literacy education programs
• Teacher training services
• International development
• Children literacy nonprofit
• Educational publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Grants: Major funding from government agencies including Global Affairs Canada, the CODE Foundation, and international organizations such as UNICEF and the Global Partnership for Education. These grants fund specific development programs and projects.
2. Individual Donations: Donations from individual Canadians who support CODE's literacy programs. The organization reports significant growth in individual donor support, with 4,299 supporters in 2023-24 and 3,953 in 2024-25.
3. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Funding from corporate foundations including Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, Peter Gilgan Foundation, Harrison-Cooper Foundation, 60 million girls Foundation, and others.
4. Summit for Literacy Fundraising: Unique fundraising initiative involving climbing expeditions (Mount Kilimanjaro) to raise funds for children's literacy programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CODE is a Canadian charitable organization that delivers children's literacy programs across six sub-Saharan African countries (Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania). Its work spans teacher training, distribution of locally-authored books in local languages, foundational literacy instruction for children (especially girls), and community-based learning environments, all implemented through long-standing local partner organizations and in coordination with government ministries of education.

Product overview

CODE is a Canadian charitable organization (not a technology product company) focused on promoting children's literacy in sub-Saharan Africa. CODE does not offer a software product or platform. Instead, it delivers a portfolio of educational programs including the Girls' Accelerated Learning Initiative (GALI), Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts (TLFC), BETTER, Reading Ghana, Reading Tanzania, Transforming Girls' Education Project (TGEP), and iHeard. These programs are implemented through local partner organizations and focus on teacher training, book distribution, and direct student support. CODE also operates the Context Matters Research Grants program funding African researchers and runs the Summit for Literacy as a fundraising initiative. Programs are funded through donations, institutional funders (Global Affairs Canada), and foundation grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Girls' Accelerated Learning Initiative (GALI): Program providing over-age girls with daily afterschool tutoring to accelerate literacy learning
• Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts (TLFC)
• Context Matters
• BETTER

Products and services

• Girls' Accelerated Learning Initiative (GALI) An after-school tutoring program for over-age adolescent girls in Liberia, providing daily small-group tutoring in foundational literacy and numeracy, life-skills lessons, mentorship, and support services to help participants advance to age-appropriate grades. On average, 75% of GALI girls are promoted two grade levels annually.
• Teaching and Learning in Fragile Contexts (TLFC) A four-year (2022-2026) program in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, supporting inclusive, high-quality, and gender-responsive education in Liberia and Sierra Leone through work with teacher training institutes and primary schools.
• BETTER (Better Education through Teacher Training and Empowerment for Results) CODE's longest-running program in Mozambique, delivered with Associação Progresso and the Ministry of Education and Human Development, focused on strengthening teacher training with Global Affairs Canada support. 95% of BETTER project teachers report confidence using student-centered approaches (up from 37%).
• Reading Ghana - Western Region A program helping 12,500 students in Grades 1-6 in Ghana's mining communities become more confident and capable readers, implemented in partnership with the Olinga Foundation for Human Development and funded by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation.
• Reading Tanzania A two-year project in partnership with the Children's Book Organization (CBO) cultivating sustainable reading habits and educational success for students in 15 schools in Tanzania's Ifakara District; 84% of Grade 3 students in CODE Tanzania project schools read grade-level text with comprehension.
• Transforming Girls' Education Project (TGEP) A four-year project in Sierra Leone addressing barriers to education for girls at 260 schools, focusing on teacher effectiveness, distribution of empowerment-themed books, and establishing Boys and Girls Clubs; 87% of female teachers in TGEP substantially improved classroom teaching practice (up from 12%).
• Innovations in Health, Rights and Development (iHeard) A project in Malawi uniting schools, health facilities, parents, and media platforms to ensure adolescents have knowledge of and access to sexual and reproductive health services, implemented with Farm Radio International and FAWEMA with Banja La Mtsogolo as primary healthcare partner.
• Context Matters Research Grants An ongoing grant program supporting African researchers conducting context-specific literacy research, designed and led by African researchers themselves rather than generalized from high-income country contexts, partnered with the International Literacy Association (ILA) since 2021.
• Summit for Literacy An annual peer-to-peer fundraising initiative led by Chris Bredt and Jeff Kehoe that brings a group of climbers to summit Mount Kilimanjaro in support of children's literacy; donations raised flow directly to CODE programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 518,060 students reached with literacy programs (2023-24)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Association of Literacy and Learning Educators (TALLE-RSL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTALLE-RSL was founded in 2004 and represents every district and Teacher Training Institute in Sierra Leone. Maintaining excellent relationships with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, TALLE is well positioned to advance its literacy and education-focused mission. CODE and TALLE have been working together since 2008.
• Associação ProgressocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMozambique's leading civil society organization formed in 1991 with a focus on quality education and strong relationship with the Ministry of Education and Human Development. CODE's partnership with Progresso to improve literacy and gender equality in education spans nearly three decades.
• Olinga Foundation for Human DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1996 under Leslie Casely-Hayford's leadership, has become a leading civil society organization in Ghana frequently called upon by Ghana Education Service to consult on strategies for improving teacher effectiveness. CODE and Olinga established a partnership in 2022.
• Children's Book Organization (CBO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1991, envisions a Tanzania in which all children grow up literate. Has a long history of partnering with CODE in developing wonderful children's books and supporting the publishing industry in Tanzania.
• Forum for Women African Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational chapter of FAWE, a federation of 34 chapters across Africa. FAWEMA promotes innovation, policies, practices and programs that enable vulnerable girls and young women to develop skills and knowledge. CODE has partnered with FAWEMA since 2022.
• WE-CARE FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1992 amid Liberia's civil war, with a vision that Liberia's future hinges on the strength of its education system. Their mission is to enhance the educational landscape by providing quality reading materials and fostering teacher professional development. CODE and WE-CARE have been collaborating since 2008.
• Farm Radio InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the iHeard project in Malawi, leading extensive radio communication campaigns on sexual and reproductive health for youth.
• International Literacy Association (ILA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with CODE in 2021 to bring greater support and expertise to the Context Matters Research Grant program, with ILA providing advisory committee members and grassroots network access.
• Pampana CommunicationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's book publisher in Sierra Leone providing coaching, training and mentoring of authors and illustrators for TLFC program.
• Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary healthcare partner in Malawi's iHeard project, providing sexual and reproductive health services and family planning, with clinics reporting significant increases in demand.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Room to Read: Global non-profit focused on literacy and gender equality in education across low-income countries. Comparable to CODE because both deliver foundational literacy and girls' education programs through country-level partner offices and partner governments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• Pratham: Large international NGO operating flagship foundational literacy and remediation programs (e.g., Teaching at the Right Level, Read India) for children in low-income communities. Comparable to CODE due to its focus on early-grade reading outcomes, teacher support, and evidence-based program design.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision Canada: Large Canadian humanitarian organization running education, literacy, and child sponsorship programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Comparable due to shared institutional donor base, similar beneficiary population (children in low-income countries), and literacy program offerings in overlapping geographies.
• UNICEF Canada: Canadian national committee of UNICEF, which funds and co-implements foundational literacy and teacher-training initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., the TST-SL project partnered with CODE). Comparable due to overlapping programmatic scope, donor overlap, and overlap in the same partner ministries and school systems.
• BRAC: One of the world's largest development NGOs running large-scale foundational literacy and pre-primary programs in low-income countries, including parts of Africa. Comparable to CODE due to evidence-driven early-grade literacy model, large institutional funding base, and similar Theory of Change around teacher quality and learning materials.
• Save the Children Canada: Canadian arm of a major international NGO with global programs spanning education, health, and child protection, including foundational literacy in many of the same African geographies CODE serves. Comparable due to overlapping mission and donor-base overlap with Canadian institutional and individual giving.
• Concern Worldwide: International humanitarian organization with education and literacy programming in multiple sub-Saharan African countries, including Sierra Leone and Malawi, and a strong institutional donor base. Comparable to CODE due to overlapping geographies, grant-funded delivery model, and emphasis on foundational learning.
• Plan International Canada: Canadian branch of a global children's rights and girls' education organization with literacy, gender equality, and school-based programs in West Africa and elsewhere. Comparable to CODE in targeting similar geographies and overlapping with the GALI/TGEP girls'-education focus.

Emerging players

• Right To Play International: Toronto-headquartered NGO using play-based learning to improve literacy, numeracy, and life skills for children in low-income and conflict-affected countries, including in West Africa. Comparable to CODE due to Canadian organizational base and literacy-adjacent education programs targeting marginalized children.
• War Child Canada: Canadian NGO supporting education and protection for children affected by conflict, with programming in fragile sub-Saharan African contexts similar to TLFC. Comparable because both organizations deliver education in fragile states and rely on Global Affairs Canada-style institutional funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/codengo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5ctRHh2_b-RYuTsm_Hta_Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/codecan.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/codecan.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/code.ngo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Code