United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

What United Way of the Alberta Capital Region does

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is a registered Canadian charitable nonprofit (BN/Registration Number: 11926 0487 RR0001) founded in 1941 and headquartered at 15132 Stony Plain Road, Edmonton, Alberta. Independently governed by a local volunteer Board of Directors and operating as part of the broader United Way network, the organization coordinates across government, business, and the social sector to address three stated focus areas: strengthening mental well-being, eliminating barriers to educational success, and empowering financial security. It serves the Alberta Capital Region through a portfolio that includes 211 Alberta (a 24/7 phone, text, and chat referral service covering 35,000+ community services in 240 languages), All in for Youth (wraparound school supports across eight Edmonton-area schools), Empower U (financial literacy with matched savings), Make Your Mark (student-led community project grants up to $1,000), Period Promise, and affinity groups including Women United and GenNEXT. The organization reports reaching 624,611 people in 2025 and funds a network of 50+ local agencies delivering 100+ programs and initiatives.

The organization's business model is donation-funded rather than commercial, with no pricing or fee-for-service structure. In 2025 it received more than $24.5 million CAD across three streams: $10.2 million in individual donations, $10.9 million in government and foundation grants, and $3.4 million in corporate gifts. Distribution occurs through funded agency partners, 211 Alberta referral services, school-based programs, and workplace campaigns reaching 400+ organizations, with anchor corporate donors including PCL Construction, Enbridge, and EPCOR (each contributing $900,000+ annually). The workforce consists of 101–250 employees, and the leadership team is led by President and CEO Rob Yager, with Catrin Owen serving as Board Chair for 2025/26.

United Way holds no patents, proprietary technology stack, or product software; technology is operational rather than a differentiator. Its value proposition rests on collective impact, backbone coordination of the regional social sector, and a Top 100 Charity recognition from Charity Intelligence Canada in 2024. There is no external parent, no private equity or public-market ownership, and the organization reports no acquisitions, divestitures, or external funding rounds.

Name

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

Legal name

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region

Website

https://myunitedway.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1941 that coordinates 50+ agencies, 100+ programs, and workplace campaigns to address mental health, educational, and financial security challenges for over 624,000 people annually in the Alberta Capital Region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Charitable fundraising
• Workplace giving campaigns
• Community referral services
• Financial literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Edmonton, Alberta

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. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute to United Way through one-time and recurring donations, with the organization reporting $10.2 million in individual donations in 2025.
2. Corporate Gifts: Corporate partners make donations through workplace campaigns and direct corporate giving, with $3.4 million in corporate gifts reported in 2025.
3. Government and Foundation Grants: United Way receives grants from government bodies and private foundations to support specific programs and initiatives, with $10.9 million in grants reported in 2025.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is a registered charitable nonprofit that mobilizes individual donations, corporate gifts, and government/foundation grants to fund a network of 50+ local agencies and direct programs in the Alberta Capital Region. Its work is organized around three focus areas: strengthening mental well-being, eliminating barriers to educational success, and empowering financial security. Core deliverables include the 211 Alberta referral service, school-based wraparound supports, financial literacy and matched savings programs, and student-led community project grants.

Product overview

United Way of the Alberta Capital Region operates as a social services organization rather than a traditional tech product company. The organization offers a portfolio of community programs and initiatives organized around three focus areas: Strengthening Mental Well-being, Eliminating Barriers to Educational Success, and Empowering Financial Security. The core offerings include 211 Alberta (a referral service), All in for Youth (school-based wraparound supports), Empower U (financial literacy), Make Your Mark (student grants), Period Promise (menstrual equity), and various affinity groups like Women United and GenNEXT. These programs work together through a network of 50+ agency partners to create pathways out of poverty for vulnerable individuals and families in the Alberta Capital Region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 211 Alberta: A comprehensive referral service connecting Albertans with community, government, social, and health services available 24/7 by phone, text, and online chat.
• All in for Youth
• Empower U
• Make Your Mark
• Women United
• GenNEXT
• Period Promise

Quantifiable outcome

• 624,611 people received support in 2025 (275,641 mental well-being, 195,312 financial security, 153,658 educational supports)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Canadian Mental Health Association – Edmonton RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner211 Alberta delivery partner providing mental health expertise and referral services through the province-wide helpline and database of community resources.
• Distress Centre CalgarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner211 Alberta delivery partner supporting 24/7 crisis and referral services across Alberta, working with United Way to connect Albertans to mental health and social supports.
• Government of AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder and collaborator for 211 Alberta and various social programs, providing provincial government support for community initiatives.
• Government of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunder through programs including Emergency Community Support Fund, New Horizons for Seniors, and Social Development and Partnerships Program supporting national initiatives like Resilient Futures.
• TELUS Community BoardcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMake Your Mark program sponsor helping make youth-led community projects possible through grants and corporate support.
• Prosper CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partner leading the Resilient Futures initiative; United Way of the Alberta Capital Region serves as local home for Building Financial Futures, a national financial well-being program.
• PCL ConstructionmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeading workplace campaign supporter and major donor, consistently ranking among top corporate contributors with $900,000+ raised.
• EnbridgemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate supporter and workplace campaign leader, contributing over $900,000 annually through employee giving and corporate gifts.
• EPCORmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner and foundational sponsor for 211 Alberta, supporting community investment with $900,000+ contributions.
• Dentons Canada LLPcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMake Your Mark program sponsor, presenting youth empowerment through student-led community projects.
• Canadian Western BankmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Tie Gala presenting sponsor and major supporter, hosting annual fundraising event.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vancouver Foundation: Canada's largest community foundation with a broader grantmaking and community impact portfolio that overlaps with United Way's intermediary and capacity-building functions.
• United Way Worldwide: Global umbrella organization for the United Way network, providing branding, programmatic frameworks, and national/international coordination that local affiliates like UWACR operate within.

Direct peers

• United Way British Columbia: Provincial United Way serving communities across BC with a similar donor mobilization, agency funding, and community impact model adapted to a multi-region footprint.
• Edmonton Community Foundation: Edmonton-based community foundation operating in the same city with a comparable grantmaking and community investment role, though focused more on endowment-based grantmaking than workplace campaigns.
• United Way Winnipeg: Manitoba-based United Way affiliate using the same community impact model, workplace giving campaigns, and funded-agency network approach to address local poverty.
• United Way of Calgary and Area: Neighboring Alberta-based United Way affiliate operating with the same federated giving structure, workplace campaigns, and community impact programs in the Calgary region.
• Centraide du Grand Montréal: French-Canadian equivalent of United Way serving Greater Montreal with the same federated workplace campaign, agency funding, and collective impact model.
• United Way Greater Toronto: Largest Canadian United Way affiliate serving the Greater Toronto Area with a comparable workplace campaign model, agency funding network, and community impact programs targeting poverty.

Regional players

• Calgary Foundation: Major Calgary-based community foundation operating a similar grantmaking and donor-advised fund model in a comparable but distinct regional market.

Emerging players

• CanadaHelps: Canadian online donation platform enabling direct charitable giving to registered charities, increasingly competing with federated giving models by reducing intermediation between donors and causes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/myunitedway
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UWACR
• Facebookfacebook.com/myunitedway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/myunitedway
• Instagraminstagram.com/myunitedway

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 United Way of the Alberta Capital Region