The Social Impact Lab

Name

The Social Impact Lab

Legal name

The Social Impact Lab Alberta

Website

https://thesocialimpactlab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Social Impact Lab Alberta is a non-profit initiative under United Way of Calgary and Area that applies human-centred co-design to help rural Alberta communities address social challenges through Design Labs, training programs, and community-led pilots.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Social innovation consulting
• Community co-design services
• Human-centred design
• Rural community development
• Nonprofit capacity building

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. United Way of Calgary and Area Funding: The Social Impact Lab Alberta is an initiative hosted by United Way of Calgary and Area, receiving organizational support and funding through the United Way entity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Social Impact Lab Alberta provides design-led, co-design based social innovation services to rural and small communities across Alberta. Its core services include the Design-Led Problem Solving program that applies design thinking and community research to help communities co-design actionable solutions, Training and Tools programs that equip changemakers with skills for community innovation, and a portfolio of community Design Labs (Mayerthorpe, Athabasca, Brooks) delivered in partnership with municipalities, FCSS organizations, and Indigenous communities.

Product overview

The Social Impact Lab Alberta offers a portfolio of social innovation services centered on human-centred co-design and community capacity building. The core offerings include Design-Led Problem Solving services that bring diverse stakeholders together to address complex challenges, and Training and Tools that equip changemakers with skills for community change. The organization also produces the Responsible Disruption podcast exploring social innovation and design topics. Their work is delivered through Design Lab initiatives in communities such as Athabasca (2024), Mayerthorpe (October 2024), and Brooks, applying human-centred co-design principles to local challenges. Additional programs include Planet Youth, a youth mental health initiative based on the Icelandic prevention model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Responsible Disruption: A podcast exploring the intersection of social innovation and design, featuring interviews with leading social innovators and designers.
• Athabasca Design Lab (ADL)
• Mayerthorpe Design Lab (MDL)

Products and services

• Design-Led Problem Solving Service that brings together diverse stakeholders to explore complex challenges using design thinking and community research, transforming promising ideas into actionable, community-led pilots.
• Training and Tools Resources and training programs that equip community changemakers with the toolsets, skillsets, and mindsets to lead meaningful community change.
• Athabasca Design Lab (ADL) A human-centred co-design initiative launched in 2024 to address local challenges in Athabasca, Alberta, including the development of a Digital Information Kiosk. Engaged 31 Community Champions and generated 40+ unique concepts.
• Mayerthorpe Design Lab (MDL) A community-driven design lab initiative launched in October 2024 to explore belonging, inclusion, and community well-being using collaborative, action-oriented processes in Mayerthorpe, Alberta. Engaged 12 community co-researchers, conducted 14 interviews and 119 surveys.
• Responsible Disruption Podcast A podcast that explores the intersection of social innovation and design, featuring interviews with leading social innovators and designers. Available on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and PodBean.
• Brooks Community Co-Design Initiative Community co-design initiative in Brooks, Alberta applying human-centred design principles to address local social challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• Athabasca Design Lab engaged 31 Community Champions and generated 40+ unique concepts through a nine-session design process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United Way of Calgary and AreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Social Impact Lab Alberta is an initiative of United Way of Calgary and Area. United Way provides organizational support, funding, and partnership infrastructure. The Lab operates as part of United Way's innovation portfolio to accelerate social impact across Alberta.
• Mayerthorpe Family and Community Support Services (FCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCSS hosts the Mayerthorpe Design Lab, a community-driven initiative supported by The Social Impact Lab Alberta. FCSS provides local infrastructure and community connections for the participatory design process.
• Town of AthabascacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner for the Athabasca Design Lab. The Town has passed a funding proposal to take ownership and ensure long-term maintenance of the Digital Information Kiosk, demonstrating commitment to sustainability beyond the ADL's initial investment.
• J5 DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of the Responsible Disruption podcast. Sydney Johnson, Head of Design at J5 Design, serves as podcast host. J5 Design provides design expertise and collaboration for the Lab's initiatives.
• Town of Mayerthorpe (Municipal Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal leadership and Town Council provided support for the Mayerthorpe Design Lab approach, recognizing value in engaging residents as co-researchers and designers rather than traditional needs assessment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tamarack Institute: Canadian nonprofit focused on community change, collective impact, and reducing poverty. Closest Canadian peer given overlapping mission of community-led social innovation and partnerships with municipalities and NGOs.
• IDEO.org: The nonprofit arm of IDEO applying human-centred design to poverty, health, and social challenges. Most direct global comparable to SIL AB given its shared design-led, community-co-design methodology and nonprofit status.
• Policy Lab (UK Government): UK government design lab applying participatory and human-centred design to public policy. Directly comparable in using co-design methodology to improve public services and community outcomes.
• MindLab (Denmark): Danish public-sector innovation lab applying human-centred design with municipalities and citizens. Comparable in operating government-anchored design labs that train public servants and run community co-design projects.
• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting social ventures and public sector innovation. Comparable in operating social impact programs and supporting mission-driven organizations across Canada, though broader in scope than SIL AB.
• Centre for Social Innovation (Toronto): Civic/social innovation organization supporting community change makers and social ventures. Shares SIL AB's focus on equipping changemakers with tools, training, and capacity-building resources.

Regional players

• BC Centre for Social Innovation: British Columbia-based social innovation support organization. Comparable mission of supporting community changemakers and social ventures, but serves a different Canadian province than SIL AB's Alberta focus.

Broad incumbents

• Nesta: UK innovation foundation running social innovation labs and design-led programs for public good. Operates at significantly larger scale than SIL AB but shares the methodology of applying design and innovation to social challenges.
• Frog Design: Global design and innovation consultancy with significant social impact practice. Uses similar human-centred design methodology as SIL AB but operates at much larger scale across commercial and public sector clients.

Emerging players

• Plan Institute: Canadian nonprofit working on social innovation, disability inclusion, and community change. Smaller and earlier-stage than SIL AB but operates in the same Canadian nonprofit social innovation ecosystem with overlapping methodologies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw8jsQ7uztqv7pFUVNQ-A3w
• Facebookfacebook.com/thesocialimpactlab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-social-impact-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesocialimpactlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Social Impact Lab