Spirit North
Spirit North is a Canadian registered charity that delivers free sport and play programs — including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse — to 18,500+ Indigenous youth across 106 communities and 172 schools in six provinces and territories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCanmore, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Spirit North does
Spirit North is a registered Canadian charitable nonprofit (Charitable Number #798035515RR0001) headquartered at the Bill Warren Training Centre in Canmore, Alberta, that delivers sport and play programs to Indigenous children and youth across Canada. Founded in 2017, the organization operates seasonal programs including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse in 106 communities and 172 schools spanning British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, reaching 18,500+ Indigenous youth in its most recent operating season. Core program offerings include the Young Fast Free initiative, a general Activities program, and the newer Unstoppable 200 engagement initiative. The organization does not sell products or services and has no proprietary technology platform, distributing all programs free of charge to beneficiaries.
Spirit North firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Spirit North
- Legal name
- Spirit North
- Website
- https://spiritnorthxc.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Spirit North is a Canadian registered charity that delivers free sport and play programs — including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse — to 18,500+ Indigenous youth across 106 communities and 172 schools in six provinces and territories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Spirit North industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Recreation Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Indigenous & Community Cultural Institutions (THAJADAK)
Keywords
Where Spirit North is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canmore
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Spirit North business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Giving: Spirit North operates as a registered charity (Charitable Number: #798035515RR0001) and relies on donations, corporate sponsorships, and charitable contributions from supporters to fund programs. Revenue is generated through donations rather than product or service sales, as programs are delivered free of charge to Indigenous youth beneficiaries.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Spirit North product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Spirit North delivers free sport and play programs to Indigenous youth across Canada, including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse. Programs are delivered in 106 communities and 172 schools across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, reaching more than 18,500 Indigenous youth annually.
Product overview
Spirit North operates as a single unified nonprofit program offering, centered on delivering sport and play programs to Indigenous youth across Canada. The core offering is the 'Young Fast Free' program, which encompasses various seasonal activities including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse. These programs are delivered in communities and schools across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, reaching over 18,500 Indigenous youth annually in 106 communities and 172 schools. The organization also runs supplementary initiatives such as the 'Unstoppable 200' program to engage youth in physical activity and sport.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Young Fast Free Young Fast Free is Spirit North's core sport and play program for Indigenous youth, delivered across communities and schools in Canada. The program provides free access to sport and recreation activities designed to empower Indigenous youth.
- Cross-country skiing program Seasonal cross-country skiing activity offered to Indigenous youth as part of Spirit North's sport and play programming, delivered in participating communities and schools.
- Mountain biking program Seasonal mountain biking activity offered to Indigenous youth as part of Spirit North's sport and play programming, delivered in participating communities and schools.
- Lacrosse program Seasonal lacrosse activity offered to Indigenous youth as part of Spirit North's sport and play programming, delivered in participating communities and schools.
- Unstoppable 200 Unstoppable 200 is an initiative tied to Spirit North's mission to scale sport and play program delivery for Indigenous youth, supporting the organization's expansion across additional communities and schools.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of respondents report that Spirit North programs made a difference in their child or student's health and wellness
Companies that use Spirit North
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Spirit North technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Spirit North partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Spirit North competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ParticipACTION: National nonprofit promoting physical activity and sport participation among Canadians. Comparable mission to increase sport/physical activity participation, but operates as a broad advocacy/promotion organization rather than a direct program deliverer.
- YMCA Canada: Federation of community-based nonprofits offering sport, recreation and youth development programs nationwide. Comparable as a multi-province youth sport/recreation nonprofit, but as a broad incumbent rather than Indigenous-specialist.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Long-established national youth-serving nonprofit offering sport, recreation and development programs. Comparable in serving Canadian youth through community-based programming, but does not specialize in Indigenous communities.
Direct peers
- Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities: Major Canadian charity helping underprivileged children participate in sport and recreation. Directly comparable target population and funding-driven sport access mission, though it operates nationally without an Indigenous-specific focus.
- North American Indigenous Games Council: Governing body for the North American Indigenous Games, the largest multi-sport event for Indigenous athletes. Highly comparable as a pan-Indigenous sport organization, focused on competition pathways rather than introductory sport/play programming.
- KidSport Canada: National nonprofit that removes financial barriers to sport for Canadian children. Comparable to Spirit North as a sport-access charity serving youth, though KidSport focuses on financial subsidies rather than direct program delivery.
- True Sport Foundation: Canadian charity promoting values-based sport and access to sport for underrepresented groups. Comparable in mission to use sport for positive youth outcomes; aligned in funding model and Canadian geography.
- Right To Play: International sport-for-development nonprofit that uses sport and play to empower marginalized children, including Indigenous youth. Highly comparable to Spirit North's sport/play-based empowerment of Indigenous youth through community-led programming.
- Indigenous Sport Circle: Canadian national Indigenous sport body representing the interests of Indigenous athletes and supporting sport development. Closest direct peer in mandate — promoting sport participation among Indigenous peoples across Canada.
Emerging players
- Sport for Life Society: Canadian organization advancing sport literacy and quality sport programming across the country. Comparable as a sport-development nonprofit with an emphasis on long-term athlete and community development, with overlapping target populations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Spirit North social profiles
Digital presenceSpirit North financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Spirit North leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Spirit North funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Spirit North M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Spirit North
What does Spirit North do?
Spirit North delivers free sport and play programs to Indigenous youth across Canada, including cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and lacrosse. Programs are delivered in 106 communities and 172 schools across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Northwest Territories, reaching more than 18,500 Indigenous youth annually.
Is Spirit North a public or private company?
Spirit North is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Spirit North founded?
Spirit North was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Spirit North based?
Spirit North is headquartered in Canmore, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Spirit North make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Charitable Giving.
Who are Spirit North's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ParticipACTION, YMCA Canada and Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada. Direct peers are Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, North American Indigenous Games Council, KidSport Canada, True Sport Foundation, Right To Play and Indigenous Sport Circle. Sport for Life Society is listed as an emerging player.
Does Spirit North have an API?
No public API is recorded for Spirit North.
What industry is Spirit North in?
Spirit North's product category is Youth Recreation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAI, Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations, with a secondary code of BPADAGAH, Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 7900.