What Canada West Foundation does

Canada West Foundation is a Calgary-based, federally incorporated registered charity and non-partisan public policy think tank founded in 1970. It produces evidence-based research, policy briefs, op-eds, and convened roundtables focused on the public policy interests of Western Canada — specifically British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Core thematic areas include trade infrastructure and diversification, energy policy (LNG, electricity, renewable transition, CCUS, geothermal), agricultural sector competitiveness, regulatory reform (notably the Impact Assessment Act), critical minerals (including potash), Canada–U.S. and China relations, Indigenous economic participation, and the future of work and skills. Products are organized into recurring publication series — Reports, What Now? Policy Briefs, Building for Tomorrow (monthly trade-infrastructure tracker), China Brief, Energy Innovation Brief, North America Brief, The Future of Work and Learning Brief, Frontiers in Tech, and Explainer — alongside the "What the West?" podcast and an events program featuring stakeholder roundtables. Target audiences are federal, provincial, and municipal government decision-makers, business councils and industry associations (Business Council of Alberta, Business Council of British Columbia, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade), academic and research institutions, and Indigenous organizations. Strategic partners include the George W. Bush Institute, Wilson Center, Canada Infrastructure Bank, Farm Credit Canada, CAPP, FortisBC, and Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP.

The organization is led by President and CEO Martha Hall Findlay, supported by Vice-President Colleen Collins, Directors Marla Orenstein (Natural Resources Centre) and Carlo Dade (Trade & Investment Centre), and policy analysts Stephany Laverty, Ryan Workman, and Nick Martin. Its underlying "technology" is a methodological approach — non-partisan, evidence-based analytical research combined with multi-stakeholder convening — rather than a software platform. There is no app, API, or proprietary codebase; all outputs are delivered as published documents, podcasts, and live events.

The business model is donation-dependent. As a registered charity, CWF does not charge for its research publications or policy briefs and distributes them freely via cwf.ca and email newsletter to maximize policy impact. Revenue comes from donations from governments, corporations, individuals, and foundations, supplemented by sponsorship of roundtable events and a small but growing base of commissioned research (e.g., the 2025 CCUS/LNG report for the Global Gas Innovation Roundtable). Go-to-market is content-led: the website acts as the primary hub, with a newsletter, organic social (Twitter/X @CanadaWestFdn), the podcast, expert op-eds and earned media coverage, and convened roundtables serving as the principal distribution channels.

Name

Canada West Foundation

Legal name

Canada West Foundation

Website

https://cwf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Canada West Foundation is a Calgary-based, federally registered charitable think tank founded in 1970 that produces non-partisan policy research on Western Canada's trade, energy, agriculture, regulatory competitiveness, and future-of-work issues for government, business, and academic decision-makers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Think tank services
• Policy analysis reports
• Trade infrastructure research
• Energy policy briefs

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Canada West Foundation is a federally incorporated registered charity that relies on donations from a variety of groups including governments, corporations, individuals, and foundations. The organization explicitly acknowledges supporters as a matter of course and operates transparently about its funding sources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Canada West Foundation is an independent, non-partisan public policy think tank that produces evidence-based research and policy analysis focused on Western Canadian economic, trade, energy, agricultural, and infrastructure issues. Its core offerings include in-depth research reports, recurring policy brief series, a podcast series, and convened stakeholder roundtable events, all delivered free of charge to government policy makers, business associations, and the public.

Product overview

Canada West Foundation is a non-profit think tank operating as a single, unified research organization rather than a platform-based product architecture. The organization's core offering consists of policy research publications and analysis delivered through multiple content formats including in-depth reports, monthly brief series (Building for Tomorrow, China Brief, Energy Innovation Brief, North America Brief, What Now? Policy Briefs), a podcast series (What the West?), and convened roundtable events. These products collectively provide evidence-based public policy research focused on Western Canada's economic competitiveness, trade infrastructure, energy policy, agricultural sector development, and international trade relations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• What the West?: A podcast series produced by the Canada West Foundation covering trade, policy, and Western Canadian affairs topics.

Products and services

• Research Publications (Reports) In-depth research reports covering trade infrastructure, energy policy, agriculture, critical minerals, regulatory reform, and Canada-U.S./China relations, intended for government policy makers, business leaders, and academic researchers.
• China Brief Series Specialized publication series analyzing China's trade, economic, and geopolitical relationship with Canada and the broader Western region, for policy and business audiences.
• North America Brief Series Publication series analyzing Canada-U.S. relations, cross-border trade dynamics, and North American economic integration issues for government and business stakeholders.
• Energy Innovation Brief Series Brief series examining innovations in energy technology, policy approaches, and transition strategies for the energy sector, intended for policy makers and industry stakeholders.
• What the West? Podcast

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and flagship.

• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025CAPP sponsored the BC Natural Gas Advantage Roundtable hosted by Canada West Foundation in December 2025. The roundtable brought together leaders from government, business, Indigenous communities, labour organizations, and financial institutions to discuss B.C.'s natural gas opportunities.
• FortisBCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025FortisBC co-sponsored the BC Natural Gas Advantage Roundtable, contributing to discussions on energy reliability, affordability, and economic growth related to natural gas in British Columbia.
• Greater Vancouver Board of TradesecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO of Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, moderated the BC Natural Gas Advantage Roundtable discussion.
• Canada Infrastructure BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Canada Infrastructure Bank provided sponsorship support for the November 2025 Agriculture Sector Roundtable focused on growing Canada's agricultural sector and addressing regulatory fragmentation, aging infrastructure, and trade risks.
• Farm Credit CanadasecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Farm Credit Canada sponsored the agriculture sector roundtable exploring pathways for increasing Canada's agri-food production, processing, and net exports.
• Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Osler provided sponsorship for the agriculture sector policy roundtable addressing Canadian agricultural growth opportunities and challenges.
• Global Gas Innovation RoundtablecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025The Global Gas Innovation Roundtable commissioned Canada West Foundation to produce the CCUS as a Tool for LNG Innovation report, examining carbon capture technology for global LNG producers.
• George W. Bush InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022The George W. Bush Institute co-published the North America's Border Infrastructure report with Canada West Foundation, recommending a North American Trade Infrastructure Bank (NATIB) to improve continental competitiveness.
• Wilson CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022The Wilson Center published the North America's Border Infrastructure report in partnership with Canada West Foundation and George W. Bush Institute, focusing on continental trade infrastructure improvements.
• Comexi (Consejo Mexicano de Comercio Internacional)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Comexi partnered with Canada West Foundation for a special Mexico election 2018 podcast series, exploring Canada's often-forgotten neighbour with a focus on the energy sector.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Public Policy Forum: Ottawa-based independent not-for-profit focused on improving major policy outcomes through dialogue and research. Comparable to CWF as a convening-focused think tank producing reports and roundtable events on Canadian economic and federal-provincial issues.
• CD Howe Institute: Canada's most prominent economics and public policy think tank based in Toronto. Directly comparable as an independent, non-partisan research organization producing evidence-based policy analysis for federal and provincial governments, financial institutions, and business leaders.
• Canada 2020: Ottawa-based progressive think tank producing research and convening events on Canadian economic and social policy. Comparable to CWF in scope, non-partisan research output, and reliance on donations and corporate sponsors.
• Macdonald-Laurier Institute: Ottawa-based public policy think tank focused on federalism, trade, energy, and economic policy. Comparable to CWF as a national non-partisan research voice tackling federal-provincial dynamics, resource development, and regulatory reform.
• Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP): Montreal-based independent research foundation studying Canadian public policy. Directly comparable as a non-partisan, federally-registered charity producing peer-reviewed policy research on economic, social, and federal-provincial issues.

Regional players

• Frontier Centre for Public Policy: Winnipeg-based think tank focused on Western Canadian, prairie, and Indigenous policy issues. Directly comparable to CWF in regional Western Canadian focus and free-enterprise orientation, with overlapping coverage of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and BC.

Emerging players

• Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: Vancouver-based think tank focused on Canada-Asia relations and trade. Comparable to CWF's China Brief series and trade diversification work, with overlapping topics on Asian trade, investment, and Asia-Pacific policy.
• Smart Prosperity Institute: National research and policy network focused on the intersection of environment, economy, and innovation. Overlaps with CWF on energy transition, regulatory reform, and clean economy policy, but with a more environmentally-focused mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Conference Board of Canada: Larger, longer-established Canadian research organization providing economic and policy analysis across all regions. Overlapping with CWF in economic competitiveness, energy, and trade research, but with a broader national mandate and more diversified revenue.

Others

• Canada West Foundation's Premiers Advisory Council: Not a peer but an institutional governance body chaired by former Western Canadian premiers. Cited because it provides CWF with unique senior political access and convening power that differentiates it from competing think tanks without similar structures.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CanadaWestFdn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Canada West Foundation