Ecotrust Canada
Ecotrust Canada is a Vancouver-based non-profit working with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in British Columbia and Ontario on climate resilience, Indigenous homelands, fisheries, community energy, and food systems. It delivers free direct programs, decision-support databases, and educational toolkits funded through grants and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ecotrust Canada does
Ecotrust Canada is a registered charitable non-profit organization (Charitable reg. #894749969 RR0001) founded in 1995 and headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a second office in Prince Rupert. The organization works with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in British Columbia and Ontario to build what it terms a "conservation economy" — an integrated approach spanning five program verticals: climate resilience, Indigenous homelands and housing governance, fisheries, community energy, and food systems. Programs are delivered directly through community partnerships, on-the-ground staff, and free capacity-building tools rather than through commercial product sales.
Ecotrust Canada's core analytical and educational assets include the Fisheries Diversification Model (a decision-support tool with over 100,000 data points on BC's commercial fisheries from 15+ years of DFO catch records), the Spyglass Database (10,500+ records of illegal fishing incidents), the First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit (five learning modules plus a Project Idea Note Builder, created in partnership with the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations), the Homelands Toolkit (culturally legitimate housing governance resources), and the Home Energy Savings Program (no-cost personalized guidance for energy retrofits). The North Coast Food Hub and Climate Resilience Network are place-based initiatives that produce quantifiable community outcomes: 500+ households saved $12.5 million on energy costs, 850+ fish harvesters supported, 18,000+ tonnes of GHG emissions eliminated, and 1,050+ lbs of produce grown in 2025.
The organization operates on a grant and donation-based revenue model, with no commercial pricing for its programs. Known funding sources include Natural Resources Canada ($431,080 CAD in March 2024 for the Home Energy Savings Program), the Metcalf Foundation (development of the Forest Carbon Toolkit commencing 2021), the BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (North Coast Food Hub), and membership in 1% for the Planet. Ecotrust Canada has been recognized as a Charity Intelligence Top 100 Rated Charity. Customer and partner relationships are concentrated in Indigenous communities, First Nations governments, school districts, and federal/provincial government agencies.
Ecotrust Canada firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ecotrust Canada
- Legal name
- Ecotrust Canada
- Website
- https://ecotrust.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ecotrust Canada is a Vancouver-based non-profit working with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in British Columbia and Ontario on climate resilience, Indigenous homelands, fisheries, community energy, and food systems. It delivers free direct programs, decision-support databases, and educational toolkits funded through grants and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ecotrust Canada industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Development Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Fishing, Hunting and Trapping (114), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)
- SIC
- Forestry (800), Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES) (IMAMAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG), Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (Fair Trade, Food Access, Regenerative) (BPAGALAD), Resilient Livelihoods & Climate-Smart Food Security (BPADAJAH)
Keywords
Where Ecotrust Canada is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ecotrust Canada business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations and Grants: Ecotrust Canada operates as a registered charity (Charitable reg. #894749969 RR0001) funded primarily through donations, grants from foundations (e.g., Metcalf Foundation), and government funding programs. The organization is a member of 1% for the Planet.
- Government Program Funding: Major government funding includes Natural Resources Canada's $431,080 contribution through its Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities Program for the Home Energy Savings Program, and funding from Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for the North Coast Food Hub.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free services for eligible communities |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ecotrust Canada product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ecotrust Canada is a registered charitable non-profit that designs and delivers community-based programs and educational toolkits focused on building a "conservation economy" with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across British Columbia and Ontario. Its core offerings include the Home Energy Savings Program (no-cost retrofit guidance), the North Coast Food Hub (local food systems infrastructure), the Climate Resilience Network, the Wahkohtowin initiative, the First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit, the Homelands Toolkit, and proprietary data tools such as the Fisheries Diversification Model and Spyglass Database that support fisheries planning and enforcement.
Product overview
Ecotrust Canada is a non-profit organization (not a technology company) offering community programs focused on climate resilience, food systems, fisheries, Indigenous homelands, and community energy. Its offerings are organized as distinct programs and toolkits rather than a unified software product. Key offerings include: the First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit (an online educational resource on forest carbon projects); the Homelands Toolkit (governance resources for Indigenous housing); the Home Energy Savings Program (renovation guidance service); the North Coast Food Hub (community food infrastructure); the Climate Resilience Network (regional stewardship support); the Fisheries Diversification Model (a decision-support database tool); and the Spyglass Database (criminal fishing records). These are community development programs and educational resources, not commercial software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit (carbontoolkit.org): An online resource providing unbiased information about First Nations-led forest carbon projects in British Columbia, created in partnership with the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN).
- Indigenous Housing and Homelands Toolkit
- Home Energy Savings Program
- North Coast Food Hub
- Wahkohtowin
Products and services
- First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit Online educational toolkit developed with BCAFN that provides First Nations communities in BC with unbiased information on forest carbon projects, including climate change, natural climate solutions, carbon offsets, First Nations' rights, carbon case studies, and project planning. Features five learning modules plus a Project Idea Note Builder tool.
- Homelands Toolkit Toolkit designed to support First Nations in understanding possibilities for culturally legitimate housing and lands governance, exploring ideas outside the colonial Indigenous housing system. Includes modules on title and tenure, rights and responsibilities, shared equity ownership models, governance scenarios, housing financing, and community land trusts.
- Home Energy Savings Program No-cost personalized guidance service for residents in Northern Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert, BC, providing project management, contractor coordination, and help accessing CleanBC and Canada Greener Homes rebates and loans for home energy-efficient upgrades.
- North Coast Food Hub Community-driven initiative strengthening local food systems in Prince Rupert through school-based greenhouses, community markets, food distribution networks, and a commercial kitchen for school meal programs, projected to produce 9,600-28,800 lbs of food annually.
- Climate Resilience Network Three-year regional network supporting rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in BC's Central Interior to reclaim their role in land and water stewardship, protect biodiversity, and implement climate adaptation through community-driven solutions.
- Wahkohtowin Initiative supporting Indigenous communities in the Northeast Superior Region of Ontario in leading the creation of a conservation economy through the Wahkohtowin Innovation Centre and sustainable forest management.
- Fisheries Diversification Model Decision-support tool for coastal communities to explore historical fisheries data, evaluate investment scenarios, and create diversified fishery combinations. Incorporates over 100,000 data points on BC's commercial fisheries from 15+ years of DFO catch records.
- Spyglass Database Database tracking criminal fishing activity records with over 10,500 records used to identify illegal fishing and support enforcement efforts and research on illegal fishing patterns worldwide.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ households saved $12.5 million on energy costs while eliminating 18,000+ tonnes of GHG emissions
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Ecotrust Canada
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Ecotrust Canada technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Ecotrust Canada partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- British Columbia Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN)coreEcotrust Canada partnered with BCAFN to create the First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit, an online resource providing unbiased information about First Nations-led forest carbon projects in British Columbia. The toolkit was mandated by Chiefs in assembly to BCAFN and launched in November 2023.
- Regional District of Mount WaddingtoncorePartnership to deliver the Home Energy Savings Program to residents of the Regional District of Mount Waddington area, helping homeowners navigate retrofit programs and access available funding.
- School District 52coreSchool District 52 partners on the North Coast Food Hub, hosting school-based greenhouses and incorporating locally grown produce, fish, and traditional foods into school meal programs. 64% of students identify as Indigenous.
- City of Prince RupertcoreCity of Prince Rupert is a key partner in the North Coast Food Hub initiative, collaborating on community food infrastructure, markets, and food policy development.
- Public Health Association of BC (PHABC)secondaryPHABC facilitates funding from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for the North Coast Food Hub, supporting food security and community health initiatives.
- Gitmaxmak'ay Nisga'a SocietycoreIndigenous non-profit serving Nisga'a citizens in Prince Rupert, partnering on food security initiatives including hydroponics greenhouse at Rupert Lawn and Garden, food hub development, and food literacy programs.
- Coastal Shellfish CorporationcorePartnership on restorative ocean farming project. Coastal Shellfish Corporation is a shellfish farming operation in which Metlakatla First Nation are the majority shareholders, growing scallops, oysters, and kelp.
- T. Buck Suzuki Environmental FoundationsecondaryPartnership to document the full suite of values from wild-capture commercial fishing in Canada's Pacific North Coast, investigating economic and intangible values of fishing communities.
- Change Makers' Education SocietysecondaryPartnership on the Raven Tales Storytelling project - a youth-led storytelling initiative focusing on reconciliation through multimedia and creative practices on Tsimshian territories.
- Hecate Strait Employment Development SocietysecondaryPartnership on the Employment Social Enterprise Project, creating community-based internships with partner organizations for post-secondary students.
- Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) NationcoreCommunity Energy program partnership beginning with a 2018 pilot project in Bella Bella to replace diesel furnaces with clean energy-powered heat pumps. Continues to be a key partner in retrofit programs.
- St'át'imc NationsecondaryPartnership on community energy retrofits and home energy efficiency improvements.
- Wilp GwininitxwcoreClimate Resilience Network partnership including carbon sampling and analysis providing baseline data for Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs).
- Food Banks BCsecondaryFunding partner for the North Coast Food Hub, supporting food security initiatives in Prince Rupert and surrounding communities.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ecotrust Canada competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Pembina Institute: Canadian clean energy think tank working on energy policy, retrofits, and decarbonization. Comparable on the Community Energy and energy retrofit priority, but focused on policy research and advocacy rather than direct community program delivery in BC.
Direct peers
- Ecotrust: The original US-based Ecotrust, a sibling environmental non-profit in Portland, Oregon focused on forestry, fisheries, food, and Indigenous community economic development in the US Pacific Northwest. Highly comparable mission and historical roots; together with Ecotrust Canada it formed the original cross-border 'conservation economy' movement.
- Coast Funds: BC-based non-profit financing conservation and community well-being initiatives along the North and Central Coast and Haida Gwaii, focused on marine and terrestrial stewardship by First Nations. Highly comparable on fisheries, climate, and Indigenous-led economic development work in the same BC geography.
- Indigenous Clean Energy (ICE): Canadian Indigenous-led non-profit advancing Indigenous participation in the clean energy transition. Directly comparable on the Community Energy / home retrofit priority area of Ecotrust Canada and serves overlapping Indigenous community beneficiaries across Canada.
Broad incumbents
- David Suzuki Foundation: Large Canadian environmental non-profit working on climate, biodiversity, and sustainability policy. Overlaps with Ecotrust Canada on climate advocacy and conservation, but operates at a national scale and is more advocacy/research-oriented rather than community-implementation-focused.
- WWF-Canada: Canadian arm of World Wildlife Fund focused on wildlife conservation, oceans, freshwater, and climate. Comparable on fisheries monitoring and biodiversity, but operates at much larger national/international scale with greater resources than Ecotrust Canada.
- Tides Canada (MakeWay): Canadian charitable platform supporting environmental and social justice projects across multiple themes including Indigenous-led conservation. Operates as a shared infrastructure for many Canadian non-profits including Indigenous-led initiatives, making it a broad incumbent peer in the same community-led, multi-cause Canadian non-profit space as Ecotrust Canada.
- Nature United (Nature Conservancy of Canada): Canadian arm of the Nature Conservancy focused on nature conservation, climate action, and Indigenous-led conservation (Indigenous Guardians program). Operates at much larger scale than Ecotrust Canada but overlaps directly on biodiversity planning, Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and natural climate solutions in BC.
Emerging players
- Raven Indigenous Capital Partners: Indigenous-led impact investment platform supporting Indigenous-owned businesses and projects across Canada, including in forestry and clean energy. Comparable as a non-traditional Indigenous-led financing entity, though focused on investment rather than community program delivery like Ecotrust Canada.
Others
- Smart Prosperity Institute: Canadian policy research institute focused on clean economy, climate, and nature-based solutions. Adjacent peer working on natural climate solutions and Indigenous inclusion in the clean economy, but at the policy/research layer rather than direct community implementation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ecotrust Canada social profiles
Digital presenceEcotrust Canada financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ecotrust Canada leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Ecotrust Canada funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ecotrust Canada M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ecotrust Canada
What does Ecotrust Canada do?
Ecotrust Canada is a registered charitable non-profit that designs and delivers community-based programs and educational toolkits focused on building a "conservation economy" with rural, remote, and Indigenous communities across British Columbia and Ontario. Its core offerings include the Home Energy Savings Program (no-cost retrofit guidance), the North Coast Food Hub (local food systems infrastructure), the Climate Resilience Network, the Wahkohtowin initiative, the First Nations Forest Carbon Toolkit, the Homelands Toolkit, and proprietary data tools such as the Fisheries Diversification Model and Spyglass Database that support fisheries planning and enforcement.
Is Ecotrust Canada a public or private company?
Ecotrust Canada is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Ecotrust Canada founded?
Ecotrust Canada was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ecotrust Canada based?
Ecotrust Canada is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Ecotrust Canada make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations and Grants are the primary driver. The others are government Program Funding.
Who are Ecotrust Canada's main competitors?
Pembina Institute is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Ecotrust, Coast Funds and Indigenous Clean Energy (ICE). Broad incumbents are David Suzuki Foundation, WWF-Canada, Tides Canada (MakeWay) and Nature United (Nature Conservancy of Canada). Raven Indigenous Capital Partners is listed as an emerging player. Smart Prosperity Institute is listed as an others.
Does Ecotrust Canada have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ecotrust Canada.
What industry is Ecotrust Canada in?
Ecotrust Canada's product category is Community Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAJAK, Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES), with a secondary code of BPAIAMAG, Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration. Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 800.