Canadian Muslim Women's Institute

What Canadian Muslim Women's Institute does

Canadian Muslim Women's Institute (CMWI) is a Winnipeg-based, privately operated not-for-profit founded in 2006 that delivers a portfolio of integrated social-service programs for newcomer and refugee women, with particular focus on the Muslim community. Service lines span six pillars: Employment Training (Child Care Skills, Industrial Sewing Machine Operator Training via The Cutting Edge, Commercial Cooking via The Culinary Edge, plus Employment Services); Family Programs (English Conversation Support, Moms' and Tots' at IRCOM House, On-site Child Care, Peer Support, Wiggle Giggle Munch, Community Gatherings); Financial Empowerment (Citizenship Preparation, Money Management Workshops, free tax clinics via CRA-trained staff, and the SEED Winnipeg Saving Circle); Food Programs (biweekly food bank with Winnipeg Harvest, Halal Food Pantry, Emergency Food Hampers, Ramadan & Eid Gift); Health and Wellness (Mental Wellbeing, Healthy Relationships, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, Women's Support Group); and Interpretation/Translation (Arabic, Somali, Urdu).

CMWI operates a hybrid business model. Revenue is drawn from four streams: government grants (federal, provincial, municipal), foundation and corporate donations plus individual fundraising (annual Embracing Our Story gala, United Way Winnipeg, Winnipeg Foundation), modest social enterprise product sales through The Cutting Edge (face masks, sewn goods via LITE e-commerce) and The Culinary Edge, and small fee-for-service items (Food Handler Certificate at $45, subsidized document translation). Most services are delivered free to eligible permanent residents, refugees, and newcomer women. Distribution is single-geography (Winnipeg) through on-site program delivery at 201-61 Juno Street and partner-hosted locations. Technology is non-proprietary, with no API, SDK, app, or AI/ML capabilities; the platform is a standard multilingual WordPress website with social media outreach on Instagram and Facebook.

In FY2023-24 CMWI served 2,502 unique clients across 14,015 visits, filed 650 taxes, distributed 3,260 food visits and 3,628 clothing/household-item visits, donated 100 computers, and provided 4,500 snacks and meals. The organization is led by Executive Director Eve Sotiriadou, governed by a volunteer board (President Yasmin Ali, VP Merdia Imame, Treasurer Zulaika Rahim, Board Secretary Menal Al Fekih), and employs 11-50 staff, many of whom are themselves immigrants or refugees. CMWI has no parent company, no equity funding history, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Canadian Muslim Women's Institute

Legal name

Canadian Muslim Women Institute (CMWI)

Website

https://cmwi.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Canadian Muslim Women's Institute (CMWI) is a Winnipeg-based not-for-profit founded in 2006 that delivers employment training, family, food security, financial empowerment, and health programs to newcomer and refugee women, primarily from Muslim communities, through on-site and partner-hosted services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Community Food Services (624210), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee, IDP & Migration Humanitarian Assistance (BPAGAAAH), Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Newcomer settlement support
• Employment training programs
• Halal food assistance
• Refugee women's empowerment

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: CMWI receives funding from federal (Government of Canada), provincial (Manitoba Government), and municipal sources to support settlement, employment, family, and health programs for newcomers and refugees.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants from organizations such as Winnipeg Foundation, United Way Winnipeg, and private donors support program delivery and emergency assistance.
3. Social Enterprise Revenue: The Cutting Edge (sewing) and The Culinary Edge (cooking) generate revenue through product sales (face masks, sewn goods) and training fees, while also providing employment pathways for participants.
4. Fee-for-Service: Translation and interpretation services (subsidized for low-income families), food handler certificate courses ($45 registration), and document translation services generate modest revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Canadian Muslim Women's Institute is a Winnipeg-based non-profit organization that provides settlement, integration, and social support services to newcomer, immigrant, and refugee women — particularly Muslim women — and their families. It offers employment training, childcare and family programs, English language and citizenship preparation, financial empowerment, food bank and halal food pantry access, mental health and wellness programming, and interpretation/translation services. It also operates two social enterprises — The Cutting Edge (industrial sewing) and The Culinary Edge (food preparation) — that provide hands-on skills training and modest earned revenue.

Product overview

Canadian Muslim Women's Institute (CMWI) is a non-profit Family Resource Centre founded in 2006 that offers a holistic portfolio of social service programs for newcomer and refugee women and their families. The organization operates multiple interconnected program areas: Employment Training Programs (Child Care Skills Training, The Culinary Edge, The Cutting Edge, and Industrial Sewing Machine Operator Training) with integrated Employment Services; Family Programs (including Community Gatherings, English Conversation Support, Moms' and Tots', On-site Child Care, Peer Support, and Wiggle Giggle Munch); Financial Empowerment Programs (Citizenship Preparation Classes and Financial Empowerment including tax filing and Money Management Workshops); Food Programs (Emergency Food Hampers, Food Bank, Halal Food Pantry, Ramadan & Eid Gift); Health and Wellness Programs (Healthy Eating, Healthy Relationships, Mental Wellbeing, Physical Activity, Women's Support Group); and Interpretation and Translation services. Two social enterprise programs—The Cutting Edge (sewing) and The Culinary Edge (cooking)—function as both training programs and income-generating operations. The integrated approach allows CMWI to empower women and consequently their whole families toward social and financial empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Cutting Edge: A social enterprise program of CMWI that provides industrial sewing machine operator training for newcomer women, helping them launch careers in the manufacturing and sewing industry in Winnipeg.
• The Culinary Edge

Products and services

• The Cutting Edge (Industrial Sewing Social Enterprise) A social enterprise that provides hands-on industrial sewing training to women while producing sewn goods under contract for external buyers. Participants gain marketable skills and a pathway to employment.
• The Culinary Edge (Food Preparation Social Enterprise) A social enterprise that trains women in food preparation and production while producing food products under contract for external buyers. Participants gain marketable culinary skills and a pathway to employment.
• Child Care Skills Training Training program equipping newcomer women with the skills and credentials needed to work in the childcare sector.
• Industrial Sewing Machine Operator Training Formal training program preparing women for employment as industrial sewing machine operators, delivered through The Cutting Edge.
• Employment Services General employment support services for newcomer women, including job readiness, resume support, and connections to employment opportunities.
• English Conversation Support Group Informal group program providing newcomer women with opportunities to practice English conversation skills in a supportive setting.
• Citizenship Preparation Classes Classes designed to prepare newcomer women for the Canadian citizenship test, including knowledge of Canadian history, geography, and civic institutions.
• Interpretation and Translation Services Multilingual interpretation and translation services that help newcomer women access CMWI and external services in their preferred language.
• Moms' and Tots' Program Early-years programming for mothers and their young children, providing socialization, parenting support, and early childhood activities.
• On-site Child Care Service Supervised child care provided on-site to enable mothers to participate in CMWI training and support programs.
• Wiggle Giggle Munch Early childhood movement and activity program for young children attending CMWI with their mothers.
• Financial Empowerment Program Program designed to build financial literacy, confidence, and independence among newcomer women, covering topics such as budgeting, banking, and money management.
• Food Bank and Halal Food Pantry Food security services including a general food bank and a halal food pantry providing culturally and religiously appropriate food to newcomer families in need.
• Emergency Food Hampers Emergency food hampers provided to families facing urgent food insecurity.
• Community Gatherings and Celebrations Community gatherings and cultural celebrations that foster social connection, cultural continuity, and community belonging among newcomer women and families.
• Donation Centre Donation centre that receives and distributes in-kind donations (clothing, goods, food) to newcomer families in need.
• Healthy Relationships Program Educational program supporting women to develop and maintain healthy relationships, including family and spousal relationships.
• Mental Wellbeing Program Program supporting the mental health and emotional wellbeing of newcomer women, including peer support and counselling referrals.
• Women's Support Group Peer support group providing women with a safe, female-only space to share experiences, address challenges, and access mutual support.
• Peer Support, Home Visits, and Sharing Circle Peer support services including structured home visits and culturally rooted sharing circles to support women experiencing isolation or hardship.
• Physical Activity Program Physical activity programming offered in a female-only, culturally appropriate environment to support women's health and wellbeing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,502 unique clients served in 2023-2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Winnipeg HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWinnipeg Harvest partners with CMWI to operate a food bank every alternate Wednesday at the Juno Street location, providing fresh produce, proteins, dairy, and halal products to families in need.
• SEED WinnipegcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEED Winnipeg partners with CMWI on the Saving Circle Program, where families completing the Money Management Series can save money and receive 3x matching funds to purchase assets or pay tuition fees.
• Computers for Schools ManitobamajorOthersComputers for Schools Manitoba donates refurbished computers to CMWI, which are then provided to refugee and newcomer families. Approximately 200 computers received in two years.
• LITE (Local Investment Towards Employment)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLITE website serves as the e-commerce platform for CMWI's Cutting Edge social enterprise products including non-medical face masks manufactured by newcomer women.
• IRCOM HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRCOM House in downtown Winnipeg hosts the Moms' and Tots' Program for newcomer families.
• Pinays MB Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilipino women's organization partnered with CMWI for the 'Sister to Sister' project to build cross-cultural understanding between Filipino and Muslim communities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Manitoba Start: Winnipeg-based newcomer employment services organization providing job readiness training, employer connections, and settlement employment supports. Directly comparable to CMWI's employment services arm and operating in the same geography.
• SEED Winnipeg: Winnipeg nonprofit providing financial empowerment, saving circles, and money management programs. CMWI's partner on the Saving Circle Program and comparable in delivering financial empowerment services to low-income communities.
• IRCOM (Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba): Winnipeg-based nonprofit serving newcomer families with housing, settlement, and family programs. Direct operational partner of CMWI (Hosts the Moms' and Tots' Program) and comparable in target population and geographic focus.

Direct peers

• COSTI Immigrant Services: A major Toronto-based nonprofit delivering settlement, employment, language, and family services to immigrants and refugees. Highly comparable to CMWI in mission and program mix, though operating at much larger scale and in a different city.
• Catholic Crosscultural Services: Toronto-based nonprofit providing settlement, language training, employment services, and refugee support across multiple Greater Toronto Area locations. Comparable to CMWI in target population and core service offerings.
• Newcomer Centre of Peel: Peel Region (Ontario) nonprofit providing settlement, employment, language, and community services to newcomers. Directly comparable to CMWI's program structure and target population, though serving a different geographic market.
• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS): Calgary-based nonprofit providing settlement, employment, language training, and refugee support services. Directly comparable to CMWI's program portfolio serving newcomer and refugee populations in a different Canadian city.
• Polycultural Immigrant & Community Services: Toronto-based nonprofit offering settlement, employment, language, and senior services to immigrants across multiple communities. Comparable in wrap-around service model and target population though multi-ethnic rather than faith-specific.
• Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC): British Columbia's largest newcomer services organization providing settlement, employment training, and language programs. Comparable in core service offering to CMWI but operating at provincial scale rather than city-level.

Broad incumbents

• YMCA Newcomer Services (various Canadian cities): The YMCA operates newcomer settlement, employment, and language services across multiple Canadian cities. Comparable to CMWI in service mix but operating as part of a much larger national organization with broader community programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/cmwi_ca
• Xx.com/CMWI_CA
• Facebookfacebook.com/CMWI.CA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Canadian Muslim Women's Institute