211 Grand Montreal

What 211 Grand Montreal does

211 Grand Montreal (legally Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal, CRGM) is a Quebec non-profit that operates the regional 211 information-and-referral service connecting vulnerable residents to social and community resources. Founded as CRGM in 1956 and operating as 211 since a 2016 pilot in Laval, the service is delivered free of charge through three integrated channels: a telephone helpline accessible by dialing 211 (24/7 since February 2025), the 211qc.ca searchable web directory, and online chat. The underlying platform is a curated bilingual database of 5,000+ community resources conforming to AIRS/Inform Canada Standards for Professional Information and Referral, covering Greater Montreal, nine MRCs (including MRC de l'Assomption, MRC Vaudreuil-Soulanges, MRC les Jardins-de-Napierville), and Outaouais (Gatineau since September 2023). The service is available in more than 200 languages and serves over 40,000 individuals annually across use cases spanning food assistance, housing, homelessness, mental health, immigration, seniors services, disabilities, family support, and crisis response (warming centers, shelters).

The product portfolio consists of the core 211 service and three specialized programs: Drogue: aide et référence (substance abuse helpline), Jeu: aide et référence (gambling helpline), and TeleCounseling (remote follow-up support for vulnerable individuals). Distribution is multi-channel — phone, web, email, chat, social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), newsletter, and partner referrals from municipal governments, MRCs, Centraide du Grand Montréal, and Centraide Outaouais. Accessibility metadata (via partner Altergo) documents wheelchair access, assistive listening, and visual-impairment accommodations across listed organizations.

The business model is that of a grant-funded non-profit rather than a commercial enterprise. CRGM/211 Grand Montreal has no disclosed revenue and does not charge end users; it is financed through government grants, Centraide du Grand Montréal and Centraide Outaouais allocations, and funding contributions from regional partners including the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, the Gouvernement du Québec, the Ville de Montréal, the Ville de Gatineau, and participating MRCs. The organization is governed by a board of directors, with no private equity or venture capital involvement. Pricing is effectively freemium/free at the point of use; the "revenue stream" is best characterized as diversified public funding and institutional partnerships.

Name

211 Grand Montreal

Legal name

Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal

Website

https://211qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

211 Grand Montreal, operated by the non-profit Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal, runs the regional 211 information-and-referral service, connecting vulnerable populations across Greater Montreal, nine MRCs, and Gatineau to 5,000+ social and community resources via 24/7 phone, web, and chat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants: As a non-profit information and referral center operated by the Centre de Référence du Grand Montréal (CRGM), the service is funded through government grants, partnerships with regional county municipalities (MRCs), Centraide du Grand Montréal, and other institutional partners. The service is provided free of charge to all users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

211 Grand Montreal operates a free, bilingual (French/English) telephone, web, and chat information and referral service that connects residents of Greater Montreal to more than 5,000 social and community resources. The service is available 24/7 and is accredited under AIRS/Inform Canada standards, with specialized lines and TeleCounseling for targeted needs such as substance abuse and gambling.

Product overview

211 Grand Montreal is a unified information and referral service operated by the Centre de Reference du Grand Montreal (CRGM), providing social and community resource navigation through three integrated channels: a 24/7 telephone helpline (dial 211), the 211qc.ca web platform with searchable directory of 5,000+ resources, and online chat. The portfolio includes the core 211 service along with related specialized programs: Drogue: aide et reference (substance abuse helpline), Jeu: aide et reference (gambling helpline), and TeleCounseling (remote counseling program).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 211: Information and referral service by phone (dial 211), chat, and email connecting people to social and community resources.

Products and services

• 211 Helpline Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves more than 40,000 people annually seeking help during times of vulnerability.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Ville de GatineaumajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2023City of Gatineau partnered with 211 to provide the 211 service to Gatineau residents in partnership with the Information and Referral Center of Greater Montréal.
• Centraide OutaouaismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 September 2023Collaborated with City of Gatineau to provide 211 service to Gatineau residents.
• Centraide du Grand MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor funding partner supporting the operations of the 211 service. Collaborates on community initiatives and social development in the Greater Montreal area.
• Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan community providing funding and regional coordination for the 211 service across the Greater Montreal area.
• MRC de l'AssomptionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional county municipality covered by the 211 service, providing local funding and coordination.
• MRC Vaudreuil-SoulangesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional county municipality covered by the 211 service, providing local funding and coordination.
• MRC les Jardins-de-NapiervillemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional county municipality covered by the 211 service, providing local funding and coordination.
• Ville de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Montreal collaborates with 211 for emergency response, including warming centers and homelessness services. Provides funding and coordination for urban social services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 211 British Columbia (BC211): BC211 provides 24/7 information and referral to community, social, and government services across British Columbia. It mirrors 211 Grand Montreal's phone, web, and chat delivery model, AIRS-aligned database, and government/Centraide-equivalent (United Way) funding mix.
• 211 Ontario: 211 Ontario is the provincial information and referral service connecting Ontarians to community, social, health, and government resources via phone, web, and chat. It is a direct peer operating the same 211 model in a different Canadian province with comparable bilingual/multilingual aspirations and AIRS-aligned standards.
• 211 Alberta: 211 Alberta operates a province-wide information and referral service for social, health, and community resources via phone, web, and chat. It uses the same 211 brand, multi-channel access, and curated resource database model as 211 Grand Montreal.
• 211 Manitoba: 211 Manitoba provides bilingual information and referral services to community resources across Manitoba via phone, web, and chat. It is a direct peer to 211 Grand Montreal with similar AIRS standards, government and United Way funding sources, and crisis-response focus.

Others

• Centraide du Grand Montréal: Centraide du Grand Montréal is a major funding and strategic partner of 211 Grand Montreal and one of the largest community-fundraising organizations in Quebec. It is comparable as a non-profit social-services ecosystem player with overlapping beneficiary populations and parallel funding relationships with MRCs and municipalities.
• AIRS (Alliance of Information and Referral Systems): AIRS is the international professional body that sets the standards 211 Grand Montreal follows for information and referral services. It is comparable as the upstream standards and quality-indicator organization that shapes 211's database, agent training, and operational practices.

Emerging players

• Info-Santé 811 (Quebec Health Line): Info-Santé 811 is Quebec's province-wide, government-operated 24/7 telephone health information and referral service. It is comparable as a publicly funded, 24/7 helpline operating on a short-code dial pattern (8-1-1 vs 2-1-1) addressing overlapping social and health navigation needs in the same province.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVAzkZ5C06rn6XEYYRJwPmg
• Facebookfacebook.com/211GrandMontreal
• Instagraminstagram.com/211grandmontreal

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 211 Grand Montreal