Shift Canada

What Shift Canada does

Shift Canada (legally the Shift25 Foundation) is a Canadian registered charity founded in 2024 by Richard Abboud, CEO of Forum Asset Management, and Mitch Frazer, Managing Partner of Mintz LLP's Toronto office, with a founding donation from Forum Asset Management. The organization is led by CEO AJ Tibando and operates with a small team of 1-10 employees, pursuing a mission to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurial courage and boldness in Canada by reframing failure as a learning tool and addressing what it characterizes as Canadian risk-aversion and declining productivity. Its core program is the Shift Failure educational curriculum, delivered as free educator toolkits with separate tracks for Grades 5-8, Grades 9-12, and forthcoming post-secondary and workplace workshop variants, reaching 600,000+ students across 5,000+ classrooms in every Canadian province and territory since 2023. Complementary offerings include the Bold Ambition Index (a national survey on Canadian mindsets developed with Nanos Research), environmental restoration projects spanning tree planting, river and lake cleanup, habitat protection, and sustainable innovation (with global initiatives including an Amazonian Jungle project, the Green Roots Initiative, and the Urban Canopy Plan), and paid/executive speaking engagements delivered by the CEO at leadership summits, policy forums, corporate offsites, and conferences.

The organization is funded entirely through philanthropic donations rather than commercial revenue. A tiered donor program spans Supporter, Champion ($50k+), Accelerator ($100k+), Leader ($250k+), and Innovator ($500k+) levels, with named major donors including Forum Asset Management and The Abboud Family plus various private foundations. Programs are provided free of charge to educators, schools, students, and corporate clients. The go-to-market model combines direct institutional sales to schools and school boards across Canada, community-led growth through the Bold Ambition Index online assessment as a top-of-funnel engagement tool, speaking engagements for corporate and policy audiences, and a multi-channel digital presence (website/blog, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, email newsletter). There is no proprietary technology platform; the technology stack is described as not applicable, with no APIs, integrations, or AI/ML components disclosed.

Name

Shift Canada

Legal name

Shift25 Foundation

Website

https://shiftcanada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shift Canada is a Canadian non-profit charity that delivers free educational curricula (Shift Failure program) and environmental restoration projects to cultivate a culture of entrepreneurial courage, boldness, and risk-taking among Canadian students, educators, and workplaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Donations: Shift Canada operates as a registered Canadian charity (Charitable Registration Number: 716277215 RR0001) funded primarily through donations from individuals and organizations. The organization lists donor tiers including Innovator ($500k+), Leader ($250k+), Accelerator ($100k+), Champion ($50k+), and Supporter levels, with major donors including Forum Asset Management, The Abboud Family, and various private foundations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shift Canada is a registered Canadian charity (legally "Shift25 Foundation") that delivers free educational programs (the Shift Failure curriculum for Grades 5-12, with pilot post-secondary and workplace variants), national mindset research (the Bold Ambition Index in partnership with Nanos Research), and environmental restoration projects (tree planting, river and lake cleanup, habitat protection, sustainable innovation). All programs are funded by philanthropic donations and provided to educators, schools, students, and the public at no cost.

Product overview

Shift Canada operates as a national charitable organization with a multi-pronged approach combining educational programs and environmental initiatives. The core educational offerings include the Shift Failure program (with age-specific curricula for Elementary Grades 5-8, Secondary Grades 9-12, Post-Secondary pilot workshops, and Workplace workshops), complemented by the Bold Ambition Index research product developed with Nanos Research. Environmental programs include Tree Reforestation, River & Lake Cleanup, Habitat Protection, and Sustainable Innovation initiatives, with specific projects such as the Amazonian Jungle Project, Green Roots Initiative, and Urban Canopy Plan. The organization also offers speaking engagements as a service. The portfolio is unified by the mission to unleash entrepreneurial courage and boldness in Canadian culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shift Failure Educational program that normalizes failure and risk-taking through age-segmented curricula and workshops for K-12 students, post-secondary students (pilot), and workplace environments; provided free of charge to educators and schools.
• Bold Ambition Index National survey and online assessment created with Nanos Research that measures Canadian mindsets on boldness, risk-taking, and entrepreneurialism; individuals can take the 12-question quiz online and share results.
• Speaking Engagements Bookable speaking sessions delivered by CEO AJ Tibando on topics including the Bold Ambition Index, Rethinking Failure, Building a Culture of Risk-Taking, and Turning Ambition into Action, for organizations and events.
• Tree Reforestation Program Tree planting initiative involving planting native trees to restore damaged forests, improve biodiversity, and help fight climate change for a healthier planet; delivered through major named projects including the Amazonian Jungle Project, Green Roots Initiative, and Urban Canopy Plan.
• River & Lake Cleanup Program Water cleanup initiative focusing on removing pollution and waste from rivers and lakes to restore clean, healthy freshwater ecosystems and protect aquatic life.
• Habitat Protection Program Conservation initiative that works to preserve and restore natural environments, ensuring wildlife can thrive in safe, sustainable ecosystems.
• Sustainable Innovation Program Program driving the development and use of eco-friendly technologies and practices to reduce environmental impact and promote a greener future.

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% of Canadians believe bold-thinking and risk-taking are becoming more core parts of Canadian identity
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mintz LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Mitch Frazer, Managing Partner of Mintz LLP's Toronto office, co-founded Shift Canada in 2024. Mintz LLP provides legal expertise and organizational support for the charity's launch and operations.
• Nanos ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Nanos Research partnered with Shift Canada to create the Bold Ambition Index, a national survey measuring Canadian mindsets on boldness, risk-taking, and entrepreneurialism. This research partnership provides the empirical foundation for the organization's advocacy work.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TakingITGlobal: Canadian non-profit activating youth-led social impact globally through programs, storytelling, and community. Comparable in mission (youth empowerment and culture change), Canadian origin, and community-led growth model.
• Canada Learning Code: Canadian non-profit delivering tech and digital-skill education to youth and educators across the country. Comparable in its school-based curriculum delivery model, nationwide educator toolkit distribution, and emphasis on building future-ready Canadian youth.
• Ashoka Canada: Canadian arm of Ashoka, the global social-entrepreneurship network supporting changemakers. Comparable in its focus on cultivating entrepreneurial and bold leadership in young people, with overlapping funder base and policy/advocacy posture.
• Pathways to Education: Canadian charity addressing systemic barriers to high school graduation and post-secondary transition for youth from low-income communities. Comparable as a Canadian education-focused charity working through schools to shift youth outcomes and life trajectories, though its lens is equity rather than mindset/boldness.
• Junior Achievement Canada: Canadian non-profit delivering entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness education to K-12 and post-secondary students. Most directly comparable to Shift Canada in mission (youth entrepreneurial mindset) and delivery channel (school-based curriculum), and competes for similar donor and partner attention.
• The Knowledge Society: Canada-based youth program that trains high school and university-aged students in entrepreneurship, technology, and exponential thinking. Directly comparable as a mindset/entrepreneurial courage program for Canadian youth with overlapping age cohort and boldness/risk-taking themes.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: National youth-serving organization offering after-school and educational programs. Comparable in Canadian footprint, youth-development mission, and donor-base overlap, though Shift Canada focuses specifically on mindset/boldness rather than the full breadth of youth services.
• YMCA Canada: Established Canadian non-profit delivering youth development, education, and community programs nationally. Comparable as a youth-development charity with school and community-based programs, but operates at a much larger scale and broader portfolio than Shift Canada's mindset focus.

Emerging players

• LEAP | Pecaut Centre for Social Impact: Toronto-based social-impact organization supporting Canadian social-purpose organizations and social entrepreneurs. Comparable in its focus on Canadian social innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, though it serves intermediaries rather than youth directly.

Regional players

• The Sandbox Project: Canadian charity focused on improving outcomes for children and youth through cross-sector collaboration. Comparable as a Canadian youth-focused charity working at the intersection of culture, policy, and outcomes, with overlapping policy/advocacy posture toward Canadian decision-makers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/shiftcanadamovement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shiftcanadamovement
• Instagraminstagram.com/shiftcanadamovement?igsh=bWgxM21vdHN4Ymtn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Shift Canada