LiftED

What LiftED does

LiftED Literacy and Leadership (formerly The Leacock Foundation) is a registered Canadian charity (#890014541RR0001) founded in 1992 by Peter Oliver and headquartered at 2323 Yonge Street, Suite 303, Toronto, Ontario. The organization delivers seven free literacy and leadership programs — LEAP into Literacy Summer Day Camp, Saturday Morning Literacy Club, Reading Buddies, March Break Math Literacy, Take the LEAD, Environmental LEADers, and JUMP Math — to youth from senior kindergarten through Grade 12 in four underserved Toronto communities: St. James Town, Scarborough, Jane and Driftwood, and Thorncliffe Park. Programs are taught by Ontario Certified Teachers in small groups of 12–16 students and are delivered through 13 named partner schools under agreements with the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board, with no fees charged to participants.

The charity's core technology is human-led instruction and community-based program delivery rather than any software platform; there is no proprietary technology stack, mobile application, or API surface. Distribution is entirely through school-board partnerships, with students enrolled via online forms or teacher recommendations. Revenue is generated entirely through donations and fundraising: individual giving, corporate sponsorships (Scotiabank, TD Bank Group, CIBC Foundation, CN, KPMG, Telus, Empire Life, Nicola Wealth, etc.), foundation grants (Jackman, Temerty, Wealthsimple, Traquair, Lewitt, Pottruff, and others), Rotary and Kiwanis club contributions, and community events such as the 2026 Constantine Yorkville Run charity partnership. The operating model has 41 staff, no subsidiaries, no parent company, and no equity funding history. In 2024, the organization rebranded from The Leacock Foundation to LiftED Literacy and Leadership to reflect its evolved mission, and it continues to publicize alum success stories (e.g., acceptance to York University, research roles at Holland Bloorview) as evidence of long-term program impact.

Name

LiftED

Legal name

LiftED Literacy and Leadership

Website

https://liftededucation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LiftED Literacy and Leadership is a Toronto-based registered Canadian charity that delivers free literacy and leadership programs to youth in underserved Toronto communities through partnerships with the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Literacy Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAB

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDANAJAA

K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Remedial, Credit Recovery & Academic Catch-Up Programs

Keywords

• Youth literacy programs
• Leadership development
• After-school programs
• Summer literacy camps
• Peer mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

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. Donations and Fundraising: LiftED operates as a registered Canadian charity (#890014541RR0001) that raises funds through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and fundraising events to sustain free youth programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LiftED Literacy and Leadership delivers seven free literacy and leadership programs to youth from senior kindergarten through Grade 12 in underserved Toronto communities. Programs are offered at no cost to students through partnerships with the Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board, taught by Ontario Certified Teachers in small class sizes. The organization is funded entirely through donations, foundation grants, and fundraising events.

Product overview

LiftED is an educational charity offering a portfolio of seven free literacy and leadership programs for youth in senior kindergarten through Grade 12 in underserved Toronto communities (St. James Town, Scarborough, Jane and Driftwood, and Thorncliffe Park). The programs include LEAP into Literacy Summer Day Camp (summer literacy intervention addressing summer slide), Saturday Morning Literacy Club (STEAM-integrated weekend literacy enrichment), Reading Buddies (peer mentorship for early readers), March Break Math Literacy (March break math intervention), Take the LEAD (civic action club for Grades 5-8), Environmental LEADers (outdoor leadership with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority), and JUMP Math (math confidence building). All programs are offered free of charge through partnerships with Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEAP into Literacy Summer Day Camp A free summer day camp program with small class sizes of 12 to 16 campers, designed to address the 'summer slide' effect by improving literacy and daily living skills through day trips and guest speakers. Targets students from senior kindergarten to Grade 6 in underserved Toronto communities.
• Saturday Morning Literacy Club A free weekend program taught by Ontario Certified Teachers that combines school learning with STEAM curriculum, literacy, community engagement, teamwork, peer mentorship, leadership, and creativity. Serves students from senior kindergarten to Grade 8.
• Take the LEAD – a Community Action Club A free twice-weekly after-school program running October through April that encourages civic engagement, social responsibility, leadership, and community action planning for students in Grades 5 to 8.
• Environmental LEADers A free program delivered in partnership with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority providing youth with outdoor learning activities to discover individual strengths, increase healthy active living, teamwork, effective communication, critical thinking, self-esteem, and leadership. Targets students in Grades 5 and 6.
• March Break Math Literacy A free five-day full-day program during March break providing students with math literacy skill practice through fun and engaging small group instruction to improve confidence and math skills.
• Reading Buddies A free peer support and mentorship program pairing high school students from Branksome Hall with Rose Avenue Jr. Public School students in Grades 2 and 3 for weekly reading and cooperative games sessions.
• JUMP Math A free math literacy program pairing high school students from Branksome Hall with Grade 4 and 5 students from Rose Avenue Jr. Public School, designed to overcome 'math anxiety' by building confidence and resilience through progressively challenging concepts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Students who struggle with reading by Grade 3 are more likely to face ongoing academic challenges and are at higher risk for not completing high school
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Toronto and Region Conservation AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Environmental LEADers program providing youth with outdoor learning activities and leadership development through Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
• Branksome HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh school students from Branksome Hall volunteer in Reading Buddies program, paired with Rose Avenue Jr. Public School students for reading and mentorship.
• Autism Research Centre at Holland Bloorview Kids RehabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAjilan, a LiftED program participant, secured a position as Summer Research and Thesis student at the Autism Research Centre.
• Hospital for Sick ChildrenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAjilan works on his thesis as part of the neonatal neuroscience team at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
• Youth Assisting YouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAjilan mentors youth through Youth Assisting Youth organization alongside his work with LiftED.
• Emily's HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAjilan provides care for terminally ill children at Emily's House as part of his volunteer activities.
• JUMP MathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiftED offers JUMP Math program to help students overcome math anxiety and build confidence through progressively challenging concepts.
• First Book CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing books and resources for literacy programs.
• Indigo Love of Reading FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner supporting literacy initiatives.
• Scientists in SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for educational programming.
• Future Design SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for educational programming.
• Share the Magic: National Ballet of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for arts and cultural programming.
• YEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for youth programming.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Right To Play: Right To Play is a Canadian-founded global nonprofit using sport and play for youth development, including leadership and resilience outcomes. Its youth-development mission and partnership-based delivery model align with LiftED's leadership programming.
• Indspire: Indspire is a Canadian Indigenous-led nonprofit investing in Indigenous youth education through bursaries, programs, and partnerships. Its school-based equity mission for underserved youth is closely comparable to LiftED's community-led literacy work.
• Frontier College: Founded in 1899, Frontier College is a Canadian national literacy nonprofit focused on children, youth, and adults, with a school-based delivery model that closely mirrors LiftED's literacy intervention approach in underserved communities.
• Junior Achievement Canada: Junior Achievement Canada delivers in-school youth programs focused on leadership, financial literacy, and workforce readiness for K-12 students. Its school-based delivery model and youth leadership outcomes align with LiftED's programming.
• Pathways to Education Canada: Pathways to Education supports low-income high school students across Canadian cities through school-based programming, addressing barriers to graduation. Its program model and target population closely parallel LiftED's school-partnered approach with underserved youth.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada delivers youth development programming in underserved communities nationwide, including leadership and after-school offerings. It overlaps with LiftED on community-led youth development and school-age populations.

Broad incumbents

• Kids Help Phone: Kids Help Phone is a major Canadian youth-services nonprofit supporting youth across Canada. While focused on mental health rather than literacy, its youth-services scale and national donor pipeline provide a broad-incumbent comparison.
• YMCA Canada: YMCA Canada offers broad youth programming including literacy, leadership, and after-school services across multiple regions. It is a broader incumbent offering comparable but less specialized programming than LiftED's literacy focus.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada is a long-established national youth-mentorship organization operating across Canada. Its peer-mentorship model (as seen in LiftED's Reading Buddies program) overlaps directly with LiftED's volunteer-driven approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Liftededucation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lifted-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/liftededucation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 LiftED