Community Futures Thompson Country

What Community Futures Thompson Country does

Community Futures Thompson Country (CFTC) is a not-for-profit community economic development corporation registered in British Columbia, established in 1987 as part of the national Community Futures program that has operated since 1985. The organization is headquartered at 330 Seymour St., Kamloops, with a secondary site in Merritt, and serves 12 communities across the Thompson Country region (Avola, Barriere, Blue River, Chase, Clearwater, Kamloops, Little Fort, McLure, Pritchard, Sun Peaks, Vavenby, Westwold). It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates with a small staff team of 7+ covering general management, lending, self-employment programming, communications, and finance.

CFTC's product portfolio centers on four pillars: (1) business loans for starting, buying, or expanding a business, targeting entrepreneurs who do not qualify for traditional bank financing; (2) startup services delivered through the Self-Employment Program, Business Boot Camp (10-week workshop), LEAF Program (6-day intensive), and Entrepreneurs With Disabilities Program; (3) advisory services including up to 2 hours of free 1-on-1 consulting, webinars, and workshops; and (4) partnership programs spanning Export Navigator, Farmers' Market Incubator, Venture Connect, PRIDE in Entrepreneurship, the Taking Care of Business membership platform, and The BIG Pitch competition. Technology infrastructure is a web-based delivery layer — the myCommunityFutures online portal plus virtual workshop and webinar tooling — overlaid on in-person office service.

The revenue model is government-funded grant-based rather than commercial. Operating revenue flows through agreements and contracts with the Federal Government of Canada (PacifiCan, national Community Futures funding) and the Province of British Columbia (ETSI-BC Forest Impact Recovery, StrongerBC), supplemented by event sponsorship, partnership contributions (BDC, WeBC, TOTA, Venture Kamloops), and nominal program fees (CAD 499 LEAF Program). Free services — consultations, WorkBC-referred Boot Camp, webinars — are subsidized by these government agreements. Network-wide outcomes cited include CAD 44 million in business loans disbursed across BC in 2024-2025 and 3,365 jobs maintained, while CFTC-specific outcomes include 300 jobs created through its Thompson Country loan book.

Name

Community Futures Thompson Country

Legal name

Community Futures Development Corporation Thompson Country

Website

https://communityfutures.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Futures Thompson Country is a not-for-profit community development corporation in BC providing business loans, startup coaching, and free advisory services to entrepreneurs across 12 rural and small-town communities in the Thompson Country region, funded through federal-provincial government agreements since 1987.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Economic Development & Small Business Support Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

National/Regional Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) (FSABAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services (BPAGAEAJ), SME/Industrial Development Banks (FSABAKAF), Development Finance, Guarantees & Blended Finance Programs (BPADABAM)

Keywords

• Small business lending
• Entrepreneurship training
• Business advisory services
• Community economic development
• Startup coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamloops

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Loans: Provides business loans for starting, buying, or expanding businesses. Loans are distributed throughout the Thompson Country region.
2. Government Funding: Funding derived through agreements and contracts with federal and provincial governments for economic development programs.
3. Business Advisory Services: Provides business coaching, advisory services, and professional business counselling at no charge for eligible participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Community Futures Thompson Country provides business loans for starting, buying, or expanding businesses, plus free business coaching, advisory services, and structured entrepreneurship education programs (Self-Employment Program, Business Boot Camp, LEAF Program). Services are funded through federal and provincial government agreements and delivered at offices in Kamloops and Merritt, as well as virtually via the myCommunityFutures (myCF) online platform for entrepreneurs across the Thompson Country region of British Columbia.

Product overview

Community Futures Thompson Country is a not-for-profit organization providing a unified portfolio of business support services for startups, existing businesses, social enterprises, and non-profits in the Thompson Country region of BC. The core offerings include the Self-Employment Program and Business Boot Camp for business plan development, the LEAF Program as an alternative for those not accessing WorkBC, and Business Loans for financing. These are complemented by free consultations, webinars, and workshops available through the myCF platform. Specialized programs address entrepreneurs with disabilities and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs through dedicated initiatives. The organization also runs community events like The BIG Pitch competition and partners with programs including Export Navigator, Venture Connect, and the Taking Care of Business membership platform to provide comprehensive entrepreneurial support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Business Boot Camp: A 7-10 week business planning workshop program covering topics like business basics, goal setting, branding, marketing, customer service, and business financials.
• Self-Employment Program
• LEAF Program
• Entrepreneurs With Disabilities Program
• PRIDE in Entrepreneurship Program
• The BIG Pitch

Products and services

• Self-Employment Program
• Business Boot Camp
• LEAF Program
• Business Loans
• Free Consultation
• Webinars
• myCF (myCommunityFutures)
• Venture Connect
• Export Navigator Program
• Farmers' Market Incubator
• Entrepreneurs With Disabilities Program
• PRIDE in Entrepreneurship Program
• Taking Care of Business
• The BIG Pitch

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 jobs created through business loans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WorkBCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026WorkBC refers clients with recent EI attachment or clients with disabilities to Community Futures programs. WorkBC clients can access free Business Boot Camp and financial support for living expenses during the program.
• Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2020Community Futures Thompson Country partnered with TOTA and eight other Community Futures offices to form a taskforce supporting tourism businesses. The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Micro Loan is available through TOTA's Tourism Resiliency Program.
• myCommunityFuturescoreTechnology or IntegrationmyCF is a shared platform across BC Community Futures offices providing online resources, training, and business tools for entrepreneurs.
• Venture KamloopscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of The BIG Pitch competition ($5,000 grand prize) and collaborative partner in business support services. Venture Kamloops provides economic development support and market research.
• Kamloops & District Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for events including An Afternoon with Cheryl Cran and collaborative business support initiatives. Jointly hosted events to inspire and educate the business community.
• WeBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeBC is a not-for-profit supporting women business owners across BC. Partnership for events like Empowered & Entrepreneurial celebrating women in business, funded by Government of Canada's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy.
• Community Futures Development Association of BC (CFBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFBC is the provincial membership organization for Community Futures offices in BC, managing Taking Care of Business platform and coordinating network-wide initiatives.
• Avid ActionCOACHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of People's Choice Award mentorship hours for The BIG Pitch competition contestants.
• Tourism KamloopsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor providing complimentary headshots for entrepreneurs at The BIG Pitch 2026 event.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Small Business BC: BC's non-profit hub providing advisory services, webinars, workshops, and resources to small businesses across the province. Overlaps with CFTC's free consulting, webinars, and myCF platform offerings.
• Community Futures British Columbia (CFBC): Provincial membership organization that coordinates the network of Community Futures offices in BC, including CFTC. Operates the Taking Care of Business platform and channel partnership/membership relationships identical to those CFTC depends on.
• Women's Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC): National umbrella for women's enterprise centres, including WeBC with which CFTC partners. Offers parallel loans, advisory, and programs for women entrepreneurs — directly comparable product suite and customer base.
• Prince's Trust Canada: National charity supporting young Canadians (aged 18-39) to launch and grow businesses through financing, mentorship, and training programs. Mirrors CFTC's youth-targeted programming (Lemonade Day) and self-employment readiness services.
• Startup Canada: National entrepreneurship non-profit providing programs, resources, and storytelling platforms for Canadian entrepreneurs. Comparable mission of supporting early-stage business creation and growth through community-based programming.
• Futurpreneur Canada: National not-for-profit providing financing, mentoring, and business support to young entrepreneurs (ages 18-39). Overlaps with CFTC's Self-Employment Program and Business Boot Camp in target customer and service mix.
• Community Futures Okanagan-Similkameen: Sister Community Futures office serving a neighbouring BC region with an identical mandate (business loans, advisory, self-employment programs). Same national network, same funding model, same products — direct operating peer.

Broad incumbents

• Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): Canada's federal development bank providing loans, advisory services, and capital to entrepreneurs. Directly comparable business financing and advisory products, with whom CFTC has a co-funding partnership under the $100M rural initiative.

Regional players

• WorkBC: Provincial employment service network operated by the BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Acts as a referral partner to CFTC's Business Boot Camp and provides living allowances for EI/Persons-with-Disabilities clients — comparable self-employment readied-services mandate.

Others

• PacifiCan (Pacific Economic Development Canada): Federal regional development agency funding economic development in BC through programs like DREAI, which channels capital into Community Futures offices including CFTC. Functions as a major upstream funder and policy counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/communityfuturesthompsoncountry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Community Futures Thompson Country