GRIS-Montréal
GRIS-Montréal is a Quebec non-profit charity that delivers testimonial-based LGBTQ+ demystification workshops in secondary schools through a network of 250 trained volunteer facilitators, supplemented by pedagogical guides, a podcast, and academic research on youth attitudes toward sexual and gender diversity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What GRIS-Montréal does
GRIS-Montréal (legal name: Le Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention Social de Montréal) is a Quebec-registered non-profit organization and Canadian charity (registration 89119 1629 RR0001), founded in 1993 and headquartered at 3155 rue Hochelaga in Montréal. The organization's core activity is the delivery of testimonial-based demystification workshops in secondary schools across Quebec, led by trained LGBTQ+ volunteer facilitators who share personal lived experiences and run open Q&A sessions with students. Its stated objectives are to demystify sexual and gender diversity, orient individuals to relevant community resources, and conduct related research, with a Direction de la recherche led by Marianne Chbat. Under Executive Director Marie Houzeau, who has led the organization since 2005, GRIS has trained 1,097 volunteers and reached over 438,000 young people since 2005, with approximately 30,000 youth served annually by 250 active volunteers.
GRIS-Montréal's product surface is anchored on the school demystification workshop, and is supplemented by pedagogical publications (including the "Transcending Transphobia," "Modèles recherchés," and "United in Diversity" guides priced $19.95–$99.95), the "Je m'appelle GRIS-Montréal" podcast, the "Si tu savais… Lettres à l'ado que j'ai été" testimonial letter project, the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize for schools, and academic events such as the ACFAS 2026 colloquium. The underlying "technology" is human capital — a vetted, trained volunteer corps and 30+ years of curriculum and brand equity — rather than software; the organization's digital footprint consists of a content website (gris.ca), podcast hosting on Captivate.fm, and standard social media channels.
The organization's business model is a diversified non-profit funding stack: roughly 25% of revenue comes from government sources (Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services plus provincial and federal MP support), with the balance sourced from individual donations (monthly tiers $10–$200, plus one-time gifts, with tax receipts issued), corporate donations and a fundraising cabinet anchored by Banque Nationale, foundation partners (Simple Plan Foundation, Conseil québécois LGBT), a symbolic $5 annual membership, and publication sales. Annual fundraising campaigns regularly exceed $375,000 CAD (e.g., $420,000+ in 2024-2025), and a new flagship two-day benefit event, "Les Grands rendez-vous du GRIS," is institutionalizing corporate and community engagement. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, with schools requesting interventions directly and the "GRIS part en tournée" project extending delivery beyond Montréal into Quebec regions.
GRIS-Montréal firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- GRIS-Montréal
- Legal name
- Le Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention Social de Montréal
- Website
- https://gris.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- GRIS-Montréal is a Quebec non-profit charity that delivers testimonial-based LGBTQ+ demystification workshops in secondary schools through a network of 250 trained volunteer facilitators, supplemented by pedagogical guides, a podcast, and academic research on youth attitudes toward sexual and gender diversity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
GRIS-Montréal industry classification
Industry- Product category
- LGBTQ+ Education and Demystification Services
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Co-Teaching & In-Class Instructional Support (Specialist Teachers) (EDAKABAA)
Keywords
Where GRIS-Montréal is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
GRIS-Montréal business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-receipted donations from individuals form a major part of annual budget. Monthly donation options available ($10-$200/month).
- Government Funding: Funding from Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services ( MSSS ) for operations. Also receives support from provincial and federal Members of Parliament.
- Corporate Donations: Corporate sponsors and partners contribute to annual budget through the fundraising cabinet campaign.
- Membership Fees: $5 annual symbolic membership fee for volunteers and supporters.
- Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising campaign with personalized fundraising initiatives, events like Les Grands rendez-vous du GRIS, and campaign cabinets.
- Publications Sales: Sale of pedagogical guides and books including Modèles recherchés teaching guide ($19.95 digital, $24.99 print) and book ($44.95 bundle).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual membership fee |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly donation options |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pedagogical guides and publications |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
GRIS-Montréal product offering
Product offeringCore offering
GRIS-Montréal delivers testimony-based workshops in Quebec secondary schools where openly LGBTQ+ volunteers share their personal experiences and answer student questions to demystify sexual orientation and gender identity. The organization complements these workshops with pedagogical guides (Transcending Transphobia, Modèles recherchés, United in Diversity), a structured volunteer training program, a podcast, and the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize awarded to schools running anti-homophobia projects.
Product overview
GRIS-Montréal operates as a single, unified mission-driven non-profit organization (OBNL) focused on demystifying sexual and gender diversity in schools. The core offering is testimony-based workshops delivered by trained LGBTQ+ volunteers in secondary schools. Supporting products include pedagogical guides (Transcending Transphobia, Modèles recherchés, United in Diversity) for educators, the 'Je m'appelle GRIS-Montréal' podcast for broader outreach, the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize for community engagement, volunteer training programs, annual fundraising campaigns, the 'Si tu savais' testimonial letter project, and academic events like the ACFAS 2026 Colloquium. These offerings work together to advance the organization's mission of education and inclusion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Je m'appelle GRIS-Montréal (Podcast): Podcast featuring testimonials and conversations about LGBTQ+ experiences, produced by GRIS-Montréal
- Prix GRIS-Fondation Simple Plan
- Les Grands rendez-vous du GRIS
Products and services
- School Demystification Workshops
Quantifiable outcome
- Reached over 438,000 young people since 2005 through school interventions
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use GRIS-Montréal
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
GRIS-Montréal technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
GRIS-Montréal partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Banque NationaleflagshipPresenting sponsor of Les Grands rendez-vous du GRIS, a two-day benefit event to support GRIS-Montréal's mission. This is a flagship partnership for the organization's annual fundraising efforts.
- Simple Plan FoundationcoreCo-founder of the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize that awards $2,000 grants to schools for innovative projects to fight homophobia and transphobia. Partnership has spanned multiple years with rock band Simple Plan.
- Conseil québécois LGBTcoreJoint production of the pedagogical guide 'Transcending Transphobia' - a first in Quebec offering educational activities for teaching about trans and non-binary realities.
- CRC ReParE (Centre de recherche sur la participation et le raccommodement)coreCo-organizer of the ACFAS 2026 symposium examining hate speech, polarization, and the experiences of marginalized youth at the intersection of migration, racialization, religion, and LGBTQ+ identities.
- Virage Sonore StudiominorAudio production partner for the GRIS podcast 'Je m'appelle GRIS-Montréal', providing expertise, patience, and technical support for podcast production.
- Université du Québec à Trois-RivièrescoreHost venue for ACFAS 2026 symposium co-organized by GRIS-Montréal and CRC ReParE on May 12, 2026.
- Université de Montréal (École de travail social)coreAcademic partnership with Professor Annie Pullen Sansfaçon serving on the scientific committee for the ACFAS 2026 symposium on hate speech and marginalized youth.
- Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT)coreCo-president of the 2025-2026 fundraising campaign cabinet. Gautier Péchadre, Partner in Turnaround and Insolvency Group at RCGT, co-leads the campaign.
- iA Financial GroupcoreCampaign cabinet member Guillaume Sans serves as President of iA Financial Group's LGBTQ+ Employee Resources Group, representing the company's involvement in GRIS fundraising efforts.
- KPMGminorCampaign cabinet member Derek Derouin is a partner at KPMG and sponsors the firm's Pride Committee.
- Stikeman Elliott LLPminorCampaign cabinet member Nicholas Blach is an attorney who founded the 'Pride Alliance' affinity group at the firm and organized Spinning for Pride events raising funds for GRIS.
- BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais)minorCampaign cabinet member Renaud Gravel is a lawyer and manager who sits on the board of Canadian LGBTQ2S+ Lawyers Association.
- McGill UniversityminorCampaign cabinet member Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin is a lecturer and EDI Associate at McGill's Desautels Faculty of Management.
- LCI Education NetworkminorCampaign cabinet member Claude Marchand is President and CEO of LCI Education network, involved in the fundraising campaign.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights4 records
GRIS-Montréal competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- QMUNITY (Queer Resource Centre): BC-based LGBTQ+ resource centre offering education, counseling, and youth programming for school-aged LGBTQ+ individuals. A regional peer in Western Canada with comparable educational programming.
Direct peers
- GRIS-Québec: Sister organization formed to extend GRIS-Montréal's testimonial workshop model across Quebec regions. Direct peer with operational overlap and joint programming (e.g., the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize).
- Egale Canada Human Rights Trust: Canada's largest LGBTQ+ organization advancing equality through education, research, and legal advocacy with school-based programs. Comparable in mission and educational focus, broader in geographic scope.
- Interligne: Quebec-based organization providing LGBTQ+ helpline services, education, and awareness programs. Comparable as a Quebec LGBTQ+ nonprofit with educational outreach, though its primary mode is crisis support rather than in-school workshops.
- PFLAG Canada: National Canadian nonprofit offering LGBTQ+ education, advocacy, and family support, with chapter-based volunteer networks involved in school outreach. Highly comparable peer as a Canadian organization mobilizing volunteers to deliver LGBTQ+ education and support.
- Fondation Émergence: Quebec-based nonprofit that fights homophobia and transphobia through awareness campaigns, the International Day Against Homophobia, and educational programs in schools. Direct domestic peer in the same Quebec LGBTQ+ education space.
- GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network): US-based nonprofit that works with K-12 schools to develop LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula, training educators, and supporting student-led initiatives. Functions as the most direct peer to GRIS-Montréal's testimonial workshop model in a different geography.
- Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD): Canadian nonprofit engaging youth in LGBTQ+ education and activism through school workshops and an annual queer-camp program. Directly comparable as a peer organization doing school-based LGBTQ+ workshops.
Broad incumbents
- The Trevor Project: Large US LGBTQ+ nonprofit focused on crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, with a growing portfolio of school-based education programs (Trevor Ally training, etc.). A broader, well-funded incumbent in the same space.
Emerging players
- Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec (ASTTEQ): Montreal-based nonprofit serving trans and sex-worker communities, with educational outreach to schools and institutions. Comparable Quebec peer with thematic overlap but narrower focus on trans advocacy.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
GRIS-Montréal social profiles
Digital presenceGRIS-Montréal financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
GRIS-Montréal leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
GRIS-Montréal funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
GRIS-Montréal 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 GRIS-Montréal
What does GRIS-Montréal do?
GRIS-Montréal delivers testimony-based workshops in Quebec secondary schools where openly LGBTQ+ volunteers share their personal experiences and answer student questions to demystify sexual orientation and gender identity. The organization complements these workshops with pedagogical guides (Transcending Transphobia, Modèles recherchés, United in Diversity), a structured volunteer training program, a podcast, and the GRIS-Simple Plan Foundation Prize awarded to schools running anti-homophobia projects.
Is GRIS-Montréal a public or private company?
GRIS-Montréal is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was GRIS-Montréal founded?
GRIS-Montréal was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is GRIS-Montréal based?
GRIS-Montréal is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does GRIS-Montréal make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are government Funding, corporate Donations, membership Fees, fundraising Events and publications Sales.
Who are GRIS-Montréal's main competitors?
QMUNITY (Queer Resource Centre) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are GRIS-Québec, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, Interligne, PFLAG Canada, Fondation Émergence, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) and Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD). The Trevor Project is listed as a broad incumbent. Action Santé Travesti(e)s et Transsexuel(le)s du Québec (ASTTEQ) is listed as an emerging player.
Does GRIS-Montréal have an API?
No public API is recorded for GRIS-Montréal.
What industry is GRIS-Montréal in?
GRIS-Montréal's product category is LGBTQ+ Education and Demystification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAFAE, LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations, with a secondary code of EDAKABAA, Co-Teaching & In-Class Instructional Support (Specialist Teachers). Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.