Barrie Native Friendship Centre

What Barrie Native Friendship Centre does

The Barrie Native Friendship Centre (BNFC) is a non-profit urban Indigenous community service organization founded in September 1987 and incorporated in April 1988, headquartered at 175 Bayfield Street, Barrie, Ontario. It serves the urban Indigenous and Métis population of Barrie and surrounding Simcoe County through a comprehensive portfolio of culturally based programs spanning six domains: Children & Youth (Indigenous Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Akwe:Go, Wasa Nabin), Education & Employment (Apatisiwin Employment & Training), Family (Indigenous Family Support), Healing (Indigenous Healing & Wellness, Cultural Resources, Hunger to Hope Indigenous Barrie, Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin), Health (Indigenous Health Outreach, Life Long Care, Urban Indigenous Healthy Living), and Justice (Indigenous Bail Verification, Indigenous Criminal Court, Restorative Justice). All programs are offered free of charge to community members and delivered in-person through the headquarters location and community outreach across Simcoe County.

The organization's underlying operating model is human-staff-driven service delivery rather than technology — source data explicitly identifies no proprietary technology, products, APIs, or digital platform. Service delivery relies on 18 staff including program coordinators and frontline workers, supported by referral pipelines from social service agencies, justice system stakeholders, schools, and healthcare providers. Community trust and cultural safety function as the core operating assets rather than software or infrastructure.

BNFC's revenue model is a hybrid of government grants and donations. Core operations and programs are funded primarily by government sources including the Attorney General's Office of Ontario for justice programs, the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) membership and provincial health ministries for health programs. Donations from community organizations, churches, and individuals supplement programs such as Hunger to Hope Indigenous Barrie. The centre is a member of the OFIFC network and operates under a Board of Directors governance structure with Executive Director Samantha Kinoshameg leading day-to-day operations.

Name

Barrie Native Friendship Centre

Legal name

Barrie Native Friendship Centre

Website

https://barrienfc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Barrie Native Friendship Centre is a non-profit organization founded in 1987 that delivers culturally based programs across health, justice, family, children, youth, and healing domains to urban Indigenous and Métis community members in Barrie and Simcoe County, Ontario, free of charge and funded by government grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

Keywords

• Indigenous community services
• Culturally based programs
• Urban indigenous health
• Restorative justice programs
• Family violence prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrie

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. Government Funding: Core operations and programs funded primarily by government sources including the Attorney General's Office of Ontario for justice programs. Additional funding from Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) membership and provincial health ministries for health programs.
2. Donations: Monetary and food donations from community organizations, churches, and individuals to support programs like Hunger to Hope Indigenous Barrie. Donations are used to fulfill mission of supporting urban-Indigenous community members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Barrie Native Friendship Centre is a non-profit community organization that delivers culturally based programs and wraparound services to urban Indigenous people in Barrie and the surrounding Simcoe County region of Ontario. It operates six program domains — Children & Youth, Education & Employment, Family, Healing, Health, and Justice — combining traditional Indigenous teachings with mainstream supports across the lifespan. Services include prenatal/child programs, employment counselling, peer health outreach, food security, cultural resources, family violence intervention, bail support, criminal court support, and restorative justice diversion, all offered at no cost to community members.

Product overview

Barrie Native Friendship Centre is a community-based organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of culturally based programs and services for Indigenous peoples in the Barrie area. The organization operates multiple program categories including Children & Youth (Indigenous Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Akwe:Go, Wasa Nabin), Education & Employment (Apatisiwin Employment & Training), Family Support, Healing Programs (Indigenous Healing & Wellness, Cultural Resources, Hunger to Hope Indigenous Barrie, Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin), Health Programs (Indigenous Health Outreach, Life Long Care, Urban Indigenous Healthy Living), and Justice Programs (Indigenous Bail Verification, Indigenous Criminal Court, Restorative Justice). These programs work together to provide holistic support across the lifespan addressing health, wellness, education, employment, family, and justice needs of the urban Indigenous community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Indigenous Healthy Babies, Healthy Children Provides Indigenous culturally based supports to families working with children with physical, mental, emotional and social issues, including prenatal support and children ages 0 to 6.
• Akwe:Go Provides 1:1 support and group activities for Indigenous children ages 7 to 12 to improve quality of life through culturally appropriate programs and guidance for healthier choices.
• Wasa Nabin Provides one-to-one support and community-based activities for Indigenous youth ages 13 to 18 promoting goal attainment, healthy choices, and wholistic wellbeing.
• Apatisiwin Employment & Training Provides opportunities for urban Indigenous people to improve their economic lives through culturally based employment supportive services.
• Indigenous Family Support Supports families with children ages 0 to 6 focusing on improving wholistic health and well-being through Indigenous culture.
• Indigenous Healing & Wellness Provides services to families and individuals working to end family violence, including crisis intervention, peer counseling, advocacy, and referrals.
• Cultural Resources Supports awareness of traditional teachings, planning, and cultural knowledge within the Friendship Centre, with a focus on meeting the needs of families.
• Hunger to Hope Indigenous Barrie Raises awareness for sustainable food security by identifying gaps in existing services and increasing practical access to healthy food for Indigenous community members.
• Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin Provides Indigenous culture-based 1:1 peer counselling and group activities focusing on Indigenous men and male youth committed to ending violence against Indigenous women and girls.
• Indigenous Health Outreach Health Outreach Workers combine traditional and mainstream programs to help improve Indigenous health outcomes and reduce family violence.
• Life Long Care Provides care and services to all ages with physical disabilities, health issues, developmental disabilities, and to those who are frail and/or elderly.
• Urban Indigenous Healthy Living A community-based initiative supporting urban Indigenous people through fitness, nutrition, and healthy lifestyle guidance to prevent health issues.
• Indigenous Bail Verification Provides Indigenous culturally based supports at bail hearings and assists in the selection of suitable Indigenous clients for bail supervision and surety release.
• Indigenous Criminal Court Assists Indigenous people who have come into contact with the criminal justice system, ensuring they receive the best available legal and justice-related services.
• Restorative Justice Assists individuals charged with suitable low-risk offences in the Barrie criminal court by managing Indigenous diversions with case management, youth empowerment, community referrals, and guidance. Funded by the Attorney General's Office of Ontario.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% success rate for youth participating in Amnesty Days program - students who were failing or at risk of failing were able to pass their courses
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988The Barrie Native Friendship Centre became a member of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC). OFIFC is a provincial umbrella organization that supports a network of Indigenous Friendship Centres across Ontario. This membership provides access to resources, advocacy, and network support for the centre's mission to serve urban Indigenous populations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Odawa Native Friendship Centre: Ottawa-based Indigenous friendship centre and OFIFC member offering cultural, health, justice, and community programs to urban Indigenous peoples. Directly comparable in service model, scope, and OFIFC affiliation.
• Anishnawbe Health Toronto: Toronto-based Indigenous health and community service organization combining traditional healing with Western medicine. Comparable in offering health outreach, cultural programming, and serving urban Indigenous populations, though with a stronger clinical health focus.
• Toronto Native Community Centre (TNCC): Toronto-based Indigenous friendship centre offering comparable wraparound programming including youth, family, health, and justice services to urban Indigenous populations. Operates at larger scale in a different geography but is structurally and programmatically analogous.

Broad incumbents

• Métis Nation of Ontario: Provincial Métis governance body providing health, housing, education, and community programs. Comparable in delivering culturally appropriate programs to Indigenous communities in Ontario, though serving a distinct nation.
• Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC): Provincial umbrella organization supporting 30+ Indigenous Friendship Centres across Ontario. OFIFC is BNFC's core network partner and the closest comparable in scope and mission, serving as both peer and parent network.
• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC): Federal department funding and delivering programs for Indigenous peoples including urban Indigenous populations. A major upstream funder of friendship centres and the source of many of BNFC's grant programs.

Others

• United Way Simcoe Muskoka: Regional United Way chapter funding and convening social services including Indigenous programs in BNFC's service geography. Acts as a potential funding partner and complementary service network rather than direct competitor.
• Canadian Centre for Housing Policy and Research: Policy and research organization focused on housing and community services for vulnerable populations including Indigenous peoples. Adjacent to BNFC's work in family support and food security but operates at policy rather than direct service level.
• Well Living House (St. Michael's Hospital): Indigenous health research centre focused on urban Indigenous community wellness in Toronto. Comparable mission (urban Indigenous health and community well-being) but operates as a research/advocacy unit rather than direct service provider.

Regional players

• Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto: Toronto-based Indigenous community organization providing culturally based programs for Indigenous women and families. Comparable in cultural service delivery and family support focus, though regionally concentrated in Toronto.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barrienativefc
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarrieNativeFriendshipCentre
• Instagraminstagram.com/barrienativefriendshipcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barrie-native-friendship-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barrie Native Friendship Centre