Christian Children's Fund of Canada

What Christian Children's Fund of Canada does

Christian Children's Fund of Canada (operating as Children Believe) is a Canadian registered charity founded in 1960 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario. The organization runs child sponsorship and international development programming across 8 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America — specifically Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Mali, Nicaragua, and Paraguay. It supports more than 37,100 sponsored children and reaches over 1.7 million people through programs in health, nutrition, WASH, education, livelihoods, and child protection.

The business model is funded through a diversified revenue mix: 58% from individual cash donations, 23% from institutional grants (including Global Affairs Canada), 15% from gifts-in-kind, and 4% from investments and other sources. Programs are delivered via in-country field offices and partners, with 75 cents of every dollar directed to program activity and the remainder covering fundraising and administration. The organization is a member of the ChildFund Alliance and uses the CommRISE platform for monthly recurring giving and child sponsorship administration.

Leadership is provided by CEO Fred Witteveen. The 2022 rebrand to Children Believe reflects a strategic repositioning to broaden the donor base beyond traditional faith-based supporters, complemented by new acquisition channels such as the Giveroo door-to-door fundraising partnership and continued institutional grant-funded projects.

Name

Christian Children's Fund of Canada

Legal name

Christian Children's Fund of Canada

Website

https://childrenbelieve.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Canadian charity (operating as Children Believe) running child sponsorship and international development programs across 8 countries, supporting 37,100+ sponsored children and reaching 1.7M+ people through health, education, and livelihoods initiatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Humanitarian Aid

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB), School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD)

Keywords

• Child sponsorship programs
• International development
• Donor fundraising
• Humanitarian aid
• Global charity services

Headquarters

HQ city

Markham

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: 58% of revenue from cash donations including child sponsorship, one-time gifts, and monthly recurring donations through CommRISE program
2. Grants: 23% of revenue from institutional grants including government funding (Global Affairs Canada), foundations (AFAS Foundation), and multilateral organizations
3. Gifts-in-Kind: 15% of revenue from in-kind contributions
4. Investments and Other Income: 4% of revenue from investments and other income sources

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Children Believe operates child sponsorship and international development programs that connect Canadian donors with children and communities in eight developing countries. The organization delivers education, health/nutrition/WASH, child protection, and economic empowerment services through 25+ local partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, financed by recurring sponsorship contributions, one-time donations, and institutional grants.

Product overview

Children Believe operates as a child sponsorship and international development organization offering a unified platform of giving programs. The core offerings include CommRISE (monthly giving with real-time community updates), child sponsorship with direct communication features (email, letters, photos via MailTag), and a Gift for Good catalogue of tangible items. Additional giving options include general donations, legacy/planned giving, and child gifts for special occasions. The organization also conducts door-to-door fundraising through its partnership with Giveroo using secure tablet-based donation processing. Programs focus on education, health/WASH, child protection, and economic empowerment across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CommRISE Monthly Giving Program
• Sponsor a Child
• Gifts for Good Catalogue
• General Donation
• Legacy Giving
• Child Gifts

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.7 million+ people directly reached across 8 countries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ChildFund AllianceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren Believe is one of 11 child-focused development organizations in the ChildFund Alliance, providing access to a global network reaching nearly 23 million children in 70 countries. Alliance members collaborate on children's issues and tackle injustices with shared resources.
• GiveroocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian face-to-face fundraising service provider for door-to-door campaigns. Giveroo fundraisers represent Children Believe in communities across Canada, collecting one-time gifts using secure PCI-compliant tablets. Fundraisers are compensated through hourly wages, not commission.
• BBBC Nazareth (Berehanu Berhiwot Church)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term local partner in Ethiopia, 37+ years of partnership supporting education, women's empowerment, and child development. Over 3,352 children directly supported, 9 schools established, 23 Self-Help Groups formed for women's economic empowerment.
• SARDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in India implementing community nutrition initiatives and documentation programs with tribal communities including the Chenchu tribal group in Andhra Pradesh.
• IRCDScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in India implementing youth-focused climate resilience program in Tamil Nadu, helping young people understand climate change, build leadership skills, and take action.
• OCEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Burkina Faso working in Zam community to provide school kits, clean water (borehole), latrines, and teacher training for conflict-affected children.
• Tahima Baptist Child Development ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in Ghana working on establishing health posts and supporting Bongnaayili community with first aid training, essential medicines, and maternal health services.
• Fundación AldacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Paraguay implementing Mita Arandu early childhood development project in districts of Abaí and San Juan Nepomuceno, Caazapá.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Save the Children Canada: Major Canadian international development NGO focusing on children's education, health, and protection, with sponsorship-adjacent fundraising and overlapping geographic priorities including West Africa, Ethiopia, and India.
• SOS Children's Villages Canada: Canada-rooted child-focused international NGO with sponsorship-style programs (child sponsorship villages) targeting similar donor demographics in Canada and overlapping program countries.
• CARE Canada: Canadian international development NGO with comparable programs in gender equality, food security, and WASH across similar geographies; competes for both individual donors and institutional grants.
• World Vision Canada: Largest Canadian child-sponsorship and international development NGO. Direct rival for the same Canadian donor pool with overlapping sponsorship, monthly giving, and gift-catalogue programs in many of the same field countries.
• Plan International Canada: Canadian arm of a global child-rights and gender-equity NGO with sponsorship-style giving and field programs in many of the same countries as Children Believe, competing directly for Canadian donor dollars.
• Right To Play International (Canada): Canadian-headquartered child-focused international development organization with comparable sport-and-education programming and donor base in Canada, including monthly and major giving.
• Compassion International (Compassion Canada): Global Christian child-sponsorship organization operating in the same model as Children Believe (formerly Christian Children's Fund of Canada), serving comparable beneficiary populations across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• ChildFund International: U.S.-based sister member of the ChildFund Alliance with the same sponsorship heritage; competes for sponsorship revenue from North American donors targeting children in overlapping field countries.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF Canada: Dominant incumbent in international child-welfare fundraising in Canada, including sponsorship-style donations. Significantly larger brand and donor base, competing for the same Canadian household-level giving.

Others

• Global Affairs Canada (funding ecosystem): Not a competitor but a key institutional funder (via CHANGE project and other grants) that all Canadian international development NGOs bid against for budget cycles; shapes program-level strategy and revenue exposure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childrenbelieve
• YouTubeyoutube.com/childrenbelieveCA
• Facebookfacebook.com/childrenbelieveCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/christian-children's-fund-of-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/childrenbelieveCA

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Christian Children's Fund of Canada