What TELUS Friendly Future does

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is an independent Canadian registered charity (CRA registration #887483741RR0001) established on October 19, 2018, with TELUS as its Founding Donor. The foundation supports the health, education, and well-being of Canadian youth who face obstacles to reaching their full potential, operating across all provinces through 13 regional TELUS Community Boards staffed by local leaders who make regional funding decisions. Its core programs comprise the TELUS Student Bursary ($3,000 for college students and $5,000 for university students demonstrating financial need and social impact commitment), Community Board Grants of up to $20,000 for Canadian registered charities serving youth in health and education, and multi-year Innovation Grants of up to $200,000 targeting youth mental health and environmental education. A portfolio of named bursaries — TELUS Momentum (CIBC Foundation, $2M targeting 500 Black students by 2028), TELUS Orca (Belonging Network, $1M over 10 years for 200+ youth in foster or government care), Entwistle Technology Bursary ($1M for 15 STEM students annually), and Indspire bursaries ($1M for First Nations, Inuit and Métis students) — extends the foundation's reach into specific demographic and disciplinary cohorts.

The foundation operates as a pure giving vehicle rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Its revenue model is donation-based: individuals donate via friendlyfuture.com, TELUS customers participate in the Change for Good bill-rounding program, donations are accepted at TELUS corporate stores, and annual events (Friendly Future Auction and a WestJet sweepstakes) generate funds. TELUS covers all general administrative expenses, so 100% of donations flow to charitable programs. The technology stack is light: web-based platforms for donation processing, a student bursary application portal, and the Benevity platform for Community Board grant management. Geographic scope is explicitly limited to Canadian registered charities and qualified donees — international programs are not eligible. Annual giving exceeds $8 million deployed to 500+ charities (550+ in 2025), impacting over 2 million youth annually, with $113M+ and 9,052 projects funded since the predecessor Community Boards program launched in 2005.

Name

TELUS Friendly Future

Legal name

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation

Website

https://friendlyfuture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is an independent Canadian registered charity that funds youth health and education programs through 13 regional Community Boards, awarding bursaries ($3,000-$5,000) to post-secondary students and grants (up to $200,000) to charities, with TELUS covering all administrative costs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation / Youth Development Grants

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Child and Youth Services (62411), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Youth charity grants
• Student bursary program
• Community board funding
• Health education philanthropy
• Nonprofit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The foundation operates as an independent registered charity (Charitable Registration #887483741RR0001) that receives donations to fund youth-focused health and education programs across Canada. 100% of donations go directly to the cause, with TELUS covering all general administrative expenses.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is an independent registered Canadian charity that provides financial grants to youth-serving charities and need-based academic bursaries to post-secondary students. Its core offerings include TELUS Student Bursaries (up to $3,000 for college students and $5,000 for university students), Community Board Grants (up to $20,000 per year for Canadian registered charities serving youth), and multi-year Innovation Grants (up to $200,000 for breakthrough programs in youth mental health or environmental education), funded through donations and TELUS underwriting of all administrative costs.

Product overview

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation is an independent registered charity that operates a portfolio of giving programs to support youth well-being across Canada. The core offerings include the TELUS Student Bursary program (need-based academic bursaries of $3,000-$5,000 for post-secondary students with wraparound support services), 13 TELUS Community Boards providing grant funding up to $20,000 for grassroots health and education charities, and Innovation Grants up to $200,000 for breakthrough youth mental health or environmental education initiatives. The foundation also runs fundraising programs including sweepstakes and auctions. With support from TELUS covering all administrative expenses, 100% of donations go directly to youth-focused causes. The foundation impacts over 2 million youth annually through partnerships with more than 500 local charities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TELUS Student Bursary: Academic bursary program providing up to $3,000 for college students and $5,000 for university students experiencing financial need who are committed to making social impact in their communities.
• TELUS Momentum Student Bursary
• TELUS Orca Bursary
• Entwistle Technology Bursary

Products and services

• TELUS Student Bursary Need-based academic bursary program providing $3,000 for college students and $5,000 for university students pursuing post-secondary education in Canada, with holistic wraparound support including connectivity, mental health resources, and career opportunities. Over 2,000 bursaries have been awarded since 2023 with 90+ unique fields of study supported.
• TELUS Community Board Grants Grant program providing up to $20,000 in single-year funding to Canadian registered charities delivering grassroots, community-based health and education programs for youth. Distributed through 13 regional Community Boards across Canada. Exception: the Barrie and Central Ontario Community Board provides grants up to $10,000.
• Innovation Grants Multi-year grants of up to $200,000 for Canadian registered charities developing breakthrough programs in youth mental health or environmental education and climate action. From 2022 to 2024, the Foundation awarded over $4.2M in Innovation Grants to 26 youth-focused charities.
• Friendly Future Sweepstakes Annual fundraising sweepstakes run in partnership with WestJet offering prizes such as trips, with all proceeds supporting underserved socially-minded post-secondary students through the TELUS Student Bursary program.
• Friendly Future Auction Annual auction event held to raise additional funds supporting the TELUS Student Bursary program for youth in financial need across Canada.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million youth impacted annually
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Belonging NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2025The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation and Belonging Network announced a $1 million, 10-year partnership to create the TELUS Orca Student Bursary for youth in foster or government care across Canada. The initiative aims to provide over 200 bursaries and holistic support services to help these youth pursue post-secondary education.
• IndspirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Indspire, an Indigenous national charity, to award bursaries to First Nations, Inuit and Métis students. With federal match funding, this partnership represents a total investment of $1 million in higher education for Indigenous students.
• WestJetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSecond annual Friendly Future Sweepstakes partnership offering Canadians a chance to win a trip to Costa Rica. Proceeds support underserved, socially-minded post-secondary students through the TELUS Student Bursary program.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mastercard Foundation: One of the largest private foundations globally, focused on education and financial inclusion for youth in Africa and beyond. Comparable as a corporate-backed, large-scale grantmaking foundation supporting youth education and economic opportunity, though at a much larger scale and with an international mandate.
• Canadian Red Cross: Large Canadian humanitarian organization with youth programs, funded by donations and government grants. Comparable as a large-scale Canadian registered charity distributing funds through regional branches, but with a much broader humanitarian scope.
• Rick Hansen Foundation: Canadian foundation focused on spinal cord injury research and accessibility/youth programs. Comparable as a Canadian grantmaking foundation supporting youth with disabilities, similar to TELUS-funded rehabilitation programs like Glenrose and Holland Bloorview.
• Right To Play International: Global organization using sport and play to educate and empower children and youth facing adversity. Comparable as a youth-focused nonprofit with education and well-being mandates, though with a more international footprint.

Direct peers

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: National network providing youth development programs across Canada, including after-school and mental health supports. Comparable as a recipient of foundation grants and operator of youth-focused health and education programs at community level.
• Pathways to Education Canada: National Canadian charity providing financial supports, tutoring, and mentoring to help youth from low-income communities graduate high school and transition to post-secondary education. Directly comparable target beneficiary (low-income youth) and programming overlap with TELUS bursaries.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Canadian youth mentoring nonprofit operating across the country with regional affiliates. Directly comparable to TELUS Friendly Future's youth mentoring and positive youth development funding priority, and operates through a similar regional/local delivery model.
• Kids Help Phone: Canada's leading youth mental health service, providing e-mental health support across the country. Comparable as a Canadian youth-focused nonprofit that receives TELUS Friendly Future funding and operates in the same youth mental health funding priority area.
• Indspire: Canadian Indigenous national charity awarding bursaries and scholarships to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students. Direct overlap in bursary product and Indigenous youth segment; also an active partner of TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, making the relationship both competitive and collaborative.
• United Way Centraide Canada: Federated fundraising network distributing funds to local charities across Canada through regional chapters. Directly comparable to TELUS Friendly Future's 13 Community Boards model of regional grantmaking to grassroots health and social-service nonprofits.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FriendlyFuture
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbwnbPdsNSheyQoM2el4fKw
• Facebookfacebook.com/friendlyfuturefoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friendly-future-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/friendlyfuturefoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 TELUS Friendly Future