Bridges to Belonging

What Bridges to Belonging does

Bridges to Belonging is a Canadian non-profit organization headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, that provided planning and facilitation services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families in the Waterloo Region. Founded in 2010, the organization offered four core programs: Independent Facilitation services (individual-centric support enabling clients to strengthen their own voices and make autonomous decisions), the Future Planning Webinar series (educational programming for families), The A Team (a community program for individuals with special needs), and broader community supports. Services were funded primarily through Ontario's Passport program for adults with developmental disabilities, with billing and logistics administered in partnership with Extend A Family Waterloo Region (EAFWR). The organization's go-to-market was community-led and relationship-based, operating through direct outreach and embedded referral networks within the regional developmental disability services ecosystem. No proprietary technology platform or digital products are associated with the service delivery model.

Following the unexpected passing of Executive Director Donnamarie Dunk in July 2023, the Board of Directors announced in 2024 that Bridges to Belonging will cease operations as of March 31, 2026. The organization has arranged for three community partners to assume its programs in order to maintain continuity for clients: Waterloo Region Family Network (WRFN) will take over the Future Planning Webinar series and provide space/support for The A Team; Karissa Bascombe will continue Independent Facilitation through her separate organization Pave Your Path; and EAFWR will handle Passport program billing and payment logistics. At the time of the cessation announcement, the active staff consisted of three individuals (Lexy, Carmen Sutherland, and Karissa Bascombe) under a five-member volunteer Board (Gurminder Singh, Brenda Pearce, Giovanni Giuga, Dorian Walden, Jamie Moffat).

Name

Bridges to Belonging

Legal name

Bridges to Belonging

Website

https://bridgestobelonging.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bridges to Belonging is a Waterloo Region, Ontario non-profit that provided Independent Facilitation and community programs for adults with developmental disabilities and their families, funded primarily through Ontario's Passport program. The organization is ceasing operations as of March 31, 2026, transferring services to community partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Disability facilitation services
• Community support programs
• Future planning webinars
• Developmental disability support
• Independent facilitation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitchener

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Community Support Services: Organization provided community offerings and Independent Facilitation services to Waterloo Region. Services were funded through Ontario's Passport program for adults with developmental disabilities, administered in partnership with Extend A Family Waterloo Region for billing and logistics support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Bridges to Belonging is a non-profit organization providing Independent Facilitation and community support services to adults with developmental disabilities and their families in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, Canada. Core programs include Independent Facilitation (helping individuals strengthen their own voices and make their own choices), the Future Planning Webinar series (educational planning resources for families), and The A Team (a community program for individuals with special needs). Services were funded primarily through Ontario's Passport program for adults with developmental disabilities.

Product overview

Bridges to Belonging was a single-service non-profit organization providing community supports and Independent Facilitation services to individuals with special needs and their families in Waterloo Region. The organization operated as a unified service offering centered around facilitation, community programs (The A Team), and educational resources (Future Planning Webinar series). All services are being transitioned to partner organizations before the organization ceases operations as of March 31, 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Independent Facilitation Services
• Future Planning Webinar Series
• The A Team
• Community Supports

Quantifiable outcome

• Independent Facilitation provided by Karissa Bascombe for 3+ years continuing under new organization Pave Your Path

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Waterloo Region Family Network (WRFN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024WRFN has stepped up to provide the Future Planning Webinar series going forward, which was previously offered by Bridges to Belonging. WRFN also provides space and office support for the A Team program. WRFN has been a cornerstone in the Region since 2009, advocating and providing various supports for families of children with special needs.
• Karissa Bascombe / Pave Your PathcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Independent Facilitation will continue to be offered by Karissa Bascombe through her organization Pave Your Path. Karissa has been providing individuals with facilitation over the past 3 years, bringing an individual-centric approach to facilitation that creates strong relationships and supports individuals to strengthen their own voices to make their own choices.
• Extend A Family Waterloo Region (EAFWR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EAFWR has offered to support families from a billing and logistics perspective by helping manage Passport funding and helping Karissa manage payments for her facilitation services. This ensures continuity of support for families transitioning from Bridges to Belonging.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Broad incumbents

• Community Living Ontario: Provincial umbrella and advocacy organization supporting individuals with developmental disabilities across Ontario, offering broader programs in the same space where Bridges to Belonging operated.
• Reena Foundation: Greater Toronto Area non-profit providing residential, community, and facilitation supports to individuals with developmental disabilities — a comparable service mix for a similar population.
• March of Dimes Canada: National non-profit delivering community support, Independent Facilitation, and disability services across Canada — directly overlapping with Bridges to Belonging's facilitation and Passport-funded services.
• Christian Horizons: Ontario-wide non-profit providing residential and community supports to people with developmental disabilities, overlapping significantly with Bridges to Belonging's Independent Facilitation and community offerings.
• Extend-A-Family (National): Federation of regional Extend-A-Family chapters across Ontario delivering direct funding, Passport administration, and family support — same operational scope as the Waterloo Region chapter that supported Bridges to Belonging.

Regional players

• Vita Community Living Services: Toronto-based non-profit providing residential, community participation, and Independent Facilitation supports to adults with developmental disabilities — closely comparable model in a different Ontario geography.

Others

• Developmental Services Ontario: Government-funded single-point of access for adult developmental services in Ontario, responsible for determining Passport eligibility — an ecosystem gatekeeper and indirect channel partner for any Independent Facilitation provider in the province.

Direct peers

• Pave Your Path: Founded by Karissa Bascombe, the former Bridges to Belonging facilitator, Pave Your Path is the direct successor for Independent Facilitation in Waterloo Region and offers an identical individual-centric facilitation model to the same population.
• Extend A Family Waterloo Region: Local non-profit providing community support to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, including Passport program billing and logistics — the same operational backbone that supported Bridges to Belonging's facilitation services.
• Waterloo Region Family Network (WRFN): WRFN is the regional family network serving families of children and youth with special needs in Waterloo Region, and is taking over the Future Planning Webinar series and A Team program — making it a direct operational peer for the same customer segment.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BtoBelonging
• Facebookfacebook.com/BtoBelonging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bridges-to-belonging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Bridges to Belonging