Habitus Consulting Collective

What Habitus Consulting Collective does

Habitus Consulting Collective is a Calgary-based professional services firm founded in 2015 (with a 2014 founding date referenced in firmographics data) that delivers social impact research, evaluation, and strategic planning services to nonprofits, community organizations, and government agencies across Western Canada and the United Kingdom. The firm employs approximately 9 to 16 staff, including co-founders Lisa Elford and Amanda Weightman and Principal Sherry Choma, and has completed more than 160 projects since inception spanning topics such as refugee resettlement, Indigenous community support, anti-racism, homelessness, and health equity. Service offerings include three core lines — Research, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning — supplemented by Data Auditing, Anti-Racism Strategy Building, Community Engagement, and Facilitation and Training. The firm's methodology centers on participatory, equity-focused, and culturally sensitive approaches that prioritize community voice and lived experience in evidence generation.

The underlying technology stack consists of qualitative and quantitative research methods, participatory evaluation frameworks, and custom data auditing practices rather than a software product platform; the firm does not publish APIs, SDKs, or AI-enabled tooling. Its business model is project-based fee-for-service consulting, with engagements typically quote-based and structured around client needs in the social sector. The go-to-market approach is sales-led and relationship-driven, leveraging content marketing through blog posts, publications, webinars, and a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Distribution is concentrated in direct professional consulting engagements, with notable long-term anchor clients such as Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS), Rise Calgary, and the University of Calgary's YARI-Collective. Habitus maintains an Alberta/Canada headquarters alongside UK operations under the Habitus Collective UK brand, supported by partnerships with academic institutions, Indigenous-led organizations, and trans-Atlantic nonprofit networks.

Habitus is privately held, founder-led, with no disclosed external funding rounds, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. It is certified as a Living Wage Employer by the Alberta Living Wage Network. Ownership appears to rest with the co-founders, though specific equity arrangements are not publicly disclosed. The firm operates in a niche segment of the broader management consulting and social research market, with differentiation anchored in equity-centered methodology, deep community trust, and interdisciplinary expertise rather than scale or technology leadership.

Name

Habitus Consulting Collective

Legal name

Habitus Collective Consulting

Website

https://habituscollective.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Habitus Consulting Collective is a Calgary-based social impact consulting firm delivering equity-focused research, evaluation, and strategic planning services to nonprofits, community organizations, and government agencies across Canada and the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Consulting

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Social impact consulting
• Program evaluation services
• Community-based research
• Nonprofit strategic planning
• Equity-focused consulting

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Project-based professional services including research, evaluation, strategy, data auditing, facilitation and training. Revenue generated through fee-for-service engagements with government agencies, nonprofits, and community organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Habitus Consulting Collective provides participatory, equity-focused research, program evaluation, and strategic planning services to communities, nonprofits, and government agencies. The firm specializes in culturally sensitive, community-led research approaches that translate evidence into actionable recommendations, supported by data auditing, anti-racism strategy building, community engagement, and facilitation and training offerings.

Product overview

Habitus Consulting Collective offers a unified suite of social impact consulting services rather than a software product platform. The core offerings consist of Research, Evaluation, and Strategic Planning services, supported by specialized capabilities in Data Auditing, Anti-Racism Strategy Building, Community Engagement, and Facilitation and Training. The company employs participatory, equity-focused approaches to help communities, nonprofits, and governments drive meaningful social change through evidence-based research and collaborative strategy development. All services are delivered by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, evaluators, and strategists based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Services Specialized, culturally sensitive research that respects diverse voices and delivers actionable findings for communities, nonprofits, and governments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 160 successful projects completed across Alberta, Canada, and the UK

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing research partnership with University of Calgary including YARI-Collective collaboration, neurodiversity in work-integrated learning initiatives, and academic research partnerships. Habitus has collaborated with university researchers and has supported student practicum placements.
• Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor client and collaborative partner for multiple evaluation projects including Cultural Brokerage Program, Sport for Settlement, Family Violence Broker, and COVID-19 vaccination partnership initiatives.
• Rise CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership supporting Rise Calgary with strategic planning, quality improvement, and evidence-based decision-making for serving Calgarians on low incomes.
• MomentumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Talking Taxes pilot program supporting Indigenous communities through culturally sensitive tax filing assistance.
• Siksika Employment Trainings Services (SETS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Talking Taxes pilot program providing on-site support at SETS location for Indigenous community tax support services.
• Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the Talking Taxes pilot, providing free tax clinics and volunteer support for Indigenous community tax filing.
• AAISA (Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partner in the Alberta Syrian Refugee Resettlement Experience Study alongside Habitus and Dr. Julie Drolet from University of Calgary.
• GOAT ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborated to host presentations on anti-Blackness in the hair and beauty industry, featuring researchers from York University and Ryerson University.
• United Way Calgary and AreaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in trans-Atlantic panel discussion on community engagement and community-led research topics.
• Samaritans UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner in trans-Atlantic practitioner panel exploring community engagement versus community-led research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• La Piana Consulting: U.S. firm exclusively focused on nonprofit and philanthropic strategy, including strategic planning, mergers, and evaluation support. Comparable in mission alignment and service offerings for nonprofit and community-based clients.
• Informing Change: U.S. research and evaluation firm partnering with foundations, nonprofits, and government on equity-centered, participatory evaluation. Comparable in emphasis on community-led research and learning-focused evaluation practice.
• Edge Research: U.S. research and evaluation firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and associations with mixed-method, equity-aware research. Directly comparable in research/evaluation methodology and social-sector client base.
• TCC Group: U.S. consulting firm providing strategy, evaluation, and capacity-building services to nonprofits and foundations. Highly comparable in service mix (research, evaluation, strategy) and in serving funder and nonprofit clients with equity-focused work.
• PolicyWise for Children & Families: Alberta-based social research and evaluation organization producing evidence on children, families, and communities. Directly comparable to Habitus in operating geography, social-sector research methodology, and government/funder client base.
• SiMPACT Strategy: Calgary-based management consulting firm specializing in evaluation, social impact measurement, and strategy for the nonprofit and public sectors. Closest geographic and service-line competitor to Habitus in Western Canada.

Others

• Imagine Canada: Canadian umbrella organization for the charitable and nonprofit sector, providing research, policy, and standards (e.g., Standards Program). Adjacent to Habitus as a sector-supporting entity that also commissions research and evaluation in the same client ecosystem.

Regional players

• Tamarack Institute: Canadian institute focused on community change, collective impact, and cross-sector collaboration, primarily serving Canadian municipalities, nonprofits, and funders. Thematically aligned with Habitus's community engagement and social impact work but operates as a learning community rather than a consultancy.

Broad incumbents

• The Bridgespan Group: Large, established global nonprofit and philanthropic strategy consulting firm. Operates in the same social-sector advisory space but at significantly greater scale, with a broader portfolio spanning strategy, philanthropy, and sector research.
• Goss Gilroy Inc. Established Canadian management consulting firm with a dedicated social sector practice covering evaluation, strategy, and organizational reviews. Comparable Canadian consulting competitor with broader portfolio and longer operating history.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/habitusconsultingcollective
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/habitus-consulting-collective
• Instagraminstagram.com/habitus_collective/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Habitus Consulting Collective