Make-A-Wish | Rêves d’enfants Canada

What Make-A-Wish | Rêves d’enfants Canada does

Make-A-Wish | Rêves d'enfants Canada is a Canadian registered charitable organization (BN 881291918 RR 0001) founded in 1983 that fulfills wishes for children aged 3-17 with life-threatening illnesses. The organization operates as part of the global Make-A-Wish International network, with its Canadian entity formed by the 2019 merger of Make-A-Wish Canada and Rêves d'enfants (Wish Children Foundation). It has fulfilled over 40,000 wishes cumulatively, including 1,835 in 2025 across 697 communities, and maintains a national footprint of 14 regional offices from St. John's to Vancouver, plus bilingual English/French operations.

The core service is a six-stage wish journey (Referral, Exploration, Planning, Anticipation, Wish Granting, Community) delivered to medically eligible children through healthcare professional referrals. Wish categories include travel, meet-a-celebrity, become-a-professional, gift wishes (gaming computers, animals), give-back wishes, and an emerging video-game/tech category (163 video game wishes and 281 tech wishes fulfilled in the past two years). The organization also runs Group Wish Trips that aggregate multiple families into shared experiences. Operational delivery is supported by 1,200+ volunteers and 12 core staff, with an executive team of 8+ VPs plus a CEO (Meaghan Stovel McKnight).

The business model is donation-funded across five streams: individual donations (one-time, monthly recurring, major gifts $5,000+, planned/legacy bequests), corporate partnerships (Diamond through Bronze sponsorship tiers), fundraising events (5K Foam Fest, 48 Hour Ride, Allumez un rêve/Trees of Joy), donor-advised fund grants, and gifts of securities. Distribution combines direct donation channels (online, phone, mail) with retail cause-marketing partnerships at EB Games, Couche-Tard, Scaddabush, VIVE Healthy Vending (~2,000 machines), and Groupe Millenium Micro ECO-PC, plus charity streaming via Tiltify. Technology infrastructure is built on third-party platforms (DonorDrive for fundraising pages, Tiltify for live streaming) rather than proprietary systems. Long-duration in-kind partnerships with WestJet (23,000+ donated flights since 2007) and Croix Bleue (130,000+ children insured since 1989) materially underwrite the travel-wish fulfillment model.

Name

Make-A-Wish | Rêves d’enfants Canada

Legal name

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada / Fondation Make-A-Wish Rêves d'enfants Canada

Website

https://revesdenfants.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Make-A-Wish | Rêves d'enfants Canada is a Canadian registered charity founded in 1983 that fulfills life-changing wishes for children aged 3-17 with life-threatening illnesses, operating 14 regional offices nationwide and funded through individual donations, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Wish Granting Charity

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Wish granting
• Children's charity
• Nonprofit organization
• Pediatric critical illness
• Charitable giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual donors including one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, major gifts ($5,000+), and planned/legacy gifts. Represents the primary revenue stream for wish fulfillment.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate donations, sponsorships, cause marketing campaigns, and employee giving programs from business partners across Canada.
3. Fundraising Events: Revenue from events including 5K Foam Fest, 48 Hour Ride, Allumez un rêve (Trees of Joy), and other national/regional fundraising initiatives.
4. Donor-Advised Funds: Grants recommended from donor-advised funds (FOD) held at community foundations, financial institutions, or national providers.
5. Securities/Gifts of Stock: Donations of publicly traded securities, mutual funds, and options which provide tax advantages for donors.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Make-A-Wish | Rêves d'enfants Canada is a Canadian registered nonprofit charitable organization that grants wishes to children aged 3 to 17 who are living with critical illnesses. Founded in 1983, the organization creates transformative, personalized wish experiences for medically eligible children, operating as part of the broader Make-A-Wish International network and serving families across Canada.

Product overview

Make-A-Wish | Reves d'enfants Canada operates as a wish-granting organization with a portfolio of interconnected programs centered on its core wish fulfillment service. The main wish granting program follows a six-stage journey (referral, exploration, planning, anticipation, granting, and community) for children aged 3-17 with life-threatening illnesses. Supporting the core program are multiple donation programs including monthly giving, major gifts, legacy/planned giving, and securities donations, alongside corporate and national partner campaigns. The organization also runs fundraising events (5K Foam Fest, 48 Hours Velo, Allumez un reve) and live streaming fundraising via Tiltify. Wish Gifts (wishgifts.ca) serves as a merchandise catalog. Individual fundraising is facilitated through DonorDrive-powered DIY tools including Kids for Kids and ECHOage programs. Group wish trips provide shared experiences for multiple families. Provincial and national impact reporting documents outcomes, while the Ryan Langford Award recognizes healthcare professionals who facilitate referrals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wish Granting Program Core program that grants personalized wishes to Canadian children aged 3-17 living with critical illnesses, covering experiences such as travel, meetings, gifts, and special events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children who fulfill their wish are 2.5 times less likely to be hospitalized unexpectedly
• +8 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• WestJetcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Since 2007, WestJet has partnered with Make-A-Wish Canada to fulfill travel wishes for seriously ill children. The airline has donated over 23,000 flights, creating unforgettable memories for wish families across Canada.
• Croix Bleue (Blue Cross)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989Since 1989, Croix Bleue has contributed to over 30,000 wishes by providing travel insurance for more than 130,000 seriously ill children and their family members.
• DisneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisney partners with Make-A-Wish to create magical experiences for wish children, including park visits and character meet-and-greets.
• Give Kids the World VillagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGive Kids the World Village provides resort accommodations in Florida for wish families traveling to Orlando-area theme parks.
• StingrayflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond sponsor providing media and entertainment contributions to support wish fulfillment.
• RBC FoundationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor providing financial support for wish programs.
• EB Games CanadaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerNational partner campaign running July-September where donations are collected in EB Games stores across Canada.
• Couche-TardflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor and convenience store partner supporting wish campaigns.
• ScaddabushminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRestaurant chain campaign where a portion of Charity Bread sales is donated to Make-A-Wish Canada.
• VIVE Healthy VendingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSince August 2021, $10 donated per VIVE vending machine in Canada, with nearly 2,000 machines planned.
• Groupe Millenium MicrominorGTM or Marketing PartnerECO-PC certified refurbished computers program generating $5-$10 donations per computer sold (Jan-Dec 2026).
• YupikminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor contributing to wish fulfillment for seriously ill children.
• Tim HortonsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor and national partner supporting wish campaigns.
• Walmart CanadaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor supporting wish fulfillment initiatives.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SickKids Foundation: One of Canada's largest pediatric health charities, fundraising for Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. Comparable in donor scale, corporate partnerships, and pediatric illness focus.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada: Major Canadian children's-health nonprofit supporting families with seriously ill children through housing and family-centered services. Comparable scale, donor base, corporate partnerships, and Canadian footprint.
• Children's Miracle Network (Canada): Canadian pediatric hospital fundraising organization with similar national corporate-partner and retail-cause-marketing model, raising funds for children's hospitals across the country.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest health charity, sharing overlapping pediatric patient populations, donor base, and corporate partner ecosystem with Make-A-Wish Canada.

Direct peers

• Make-A-Wish International: Global federation of Make-A-Wish affiliates operating in 50+ countries. Make-A-Wish Canada is an affiliated chapter, making this the closest direct peer in mission, brand, and operating model.
• Kids Wish Network: U.S. wish-granting charity for children with life-threatening illnesses. Direct peer in mission and operating model, though operating in a different geography.
• Make-A-Wish America: U.S. affiliate and the largest Make-A-Wish chapter globally. Operates an identical wish-granting model, serves children with critical illnesses, and competes for the same corporate partner ecosystem (Disney, airlines, major retailers).
• Starlight Children's Foundation: U.S./Canada-based nonprofit delivering wishes and entertainment experiences to seriously ill children. Overlaps directly with Make-A-Wish's core wish-granting mission and pediatric illness focus.

Others

• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Large national Canadian health nonprofit. Not a wish-granting peer, but comparable in scale, multi-channel fundraising approach, and corporate partnership model relevant to benchmarking Canadian nonprofit operations.

Regional players

• Dream Factory: UK-based wish-granting charity for children with life-threatening conditions. Closely comparable wish-fulfillment model serving a different national geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/makeawishNL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondationrevesdenfants

Compliance5 records

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 Make-A-Wish | Rêves d’enfants Canada