Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne

What Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne does

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne (CSL) is a non-profit community organization (organisme communautaire autonome) founded in 1996 and headquartered at 4126 rue Saint-Denis, Bureau 301, in Montreal, Quebec. It is the only community center in Quebec specifically dedicated to lesbian, lesboqueer, and sapphic persons, and operates with a deliberately small team of approximately two paid staff supported by volunteers. Its service portfolio covers individual intervention, drop-in (sans rendez-vous) support, support groups, sexology consultations, violence conjugale (domestic violence) support, LGBTQ+ asylum and refugee assistance, commissioner of oaths services (assermentation), training and workshops, and a social/activities program (movie nights, jams, board games, picnics). CSL also publishes educational resources, most notably a 2025 84-page Coming Out Guide and a Safer Sex Guide, and runs an inclusive feminist services project alongside the AmoVr – La blessure du silence project on intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: outreach is conducted through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, an email newsletter, and word-of-mouth, while services are delivered in person at the Montreal office and via online registration. Its revenue model combines annual membership fees (with free or reduced-cost services for members and a $3 fee for non-members on certain activities), individual donations collected through the Zeffy platform, and government and foundation grants — anchored by a sponsorship from Quebec's Ministère de la Justice and supplemented by smaller community partnerships (Plein milieu, Centre des femmes de Montréal, CINEMANIA Festival, Festi-Fierté). CSL has no proprietary technology platform, software product, or app; its only technology dependencies are a WordPress-based website, Microsoft Forms for event registration, and standard donation and e-commerce tooling.

Strategically, CSL has maintained a steady-state operating posture for nearly three decades, prioritizing continuity of community service over scale. Recent activity in 2025–2026 has been a mix of program maintenance (annual "Over the Rainbow" fundraising supper, April 2026), publication of updated educational guides (February 2025), and disruption (cancellation of the June 2026 Dyke March with associated donation refunds). The organization is governed by General Director Audrey Mantha and is a member of Quebec's broader community organization network (RIOCM), engaging in collective advocacy for community organization funding.

Name

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne

Legal name

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne

Website

https://solidaritelesbienne.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne is a Montreal-based non-profit community organization founded in 1996 that provides intervention, support groups, sexology, violence support, and asylum assistance to lesbian, lesboqueer, and sapphic persons in Quebec.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Community Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAFAGAO

Community-Based Preventive & Health Promotion Clinics

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Primary Care & Community Health Providers

SECONDARYHLAFAGAN

Primary Care for Underserved Populations (e.g., migrant, homeless, refugee clinics)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Healthcare Providers & Systems/Primary Care & Community Health Providers

Keywords

• LGBTQ community services
• Lesbian support services
• Asylum seeker assistance
• Sexual health counseling
• Community support groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership available for a fee, with benefits including free or discounted access to certain services and activities.
2. Donations: Individual donations accepted through the website via Zeffy platform. Donations were refunded following Dyke March cancellation.
3. Government and community funding: As a community organization (organisme communautaire), CSL receives funding from government programs and foundations. Listed as having sponsors (commanditaires).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne is a non-profit community organization that provides direct support, intervention, and social services to lesbian, lesboqueer, and sapphic persons in Montreal. Its core offerings include individual intervention, walk-in drop-in support, LGBTQ+ asylum and refugee assistance, sexology consultations, peer support groups, assermentation, training workshops, domestic violence intervention, and a calendar of community activities. Services are delivered from a single physical location and through online registration channels, with most services free for members and a $3 fee for non-members on selected activities.

Product overview

Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne (CSL) offers a comprehensive suite of community services for the lesbian, lesboqueer, and sapphic community in Montreal. The organization's core offerings include direct intervention services (individual support, drop-in consultations, sexology), support groups, violence support services, asylum/refugee assistance, and educational training programs. CSL also provides social activities (movie nights, musical jams, board games, picnics), maintains an online membership store, and publishes educational resources including guides on coming out and safer sex practices. All services are designed with an anti-oppressive, inclusive approach welcoming diverse gender identities and sexual orientations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intervention Services Individual short- and longer-term support sessions for lesbian, lesboqueer, and sapphic community members, including crisis support and personalized follow-up. Available to community members seeking one-on-one guidance.
• Drop-in Services (Sans rendez-vous)
• LGBTQ Asylum and Refugee Services
• Support Groups (Groupes de soutien)
• Sexology Services
• Assermentation Services
• Training and Workshops (Formations)
• Domestic Violence Support (Violence conjugale)
• Community Activities Program (Activités)
• Annual Membership

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Plein milieuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on community activities such as a picnic at Parc Lafontaine. Plein milieu is a community organization working with the CSL on intergenerational and intercultural community engagement.
• Centre des femmes de Montréal (programme femmes autochtones)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Parc Lafontaine picnic activity, specifically focused on Indigenous women's programming within the Montreal women's center network.
• CINEMANIA FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCSL has a partnership with the CINEMANIA festival, promoting queer cinema to the community.
• Quebec Justice (Ministère de la Justice)coreOthersListed as a sponsor (commanditaire) of the CSL, providing government funding support for community services.
• Festi-Fierté (festival afro-caribéen LGBTQIA+)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSL promotes Festi-Fierté events and volunteer opportunities, supporting the Afro-Caribbean LGBTQ+ festival.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Maison Plein Coeur: Montreal community organization offering services to people living with HIV, with significant LGBTQ+ community overlap. Comparable in operating model (community-based, Montreal-rooted, Quebec government-funded) and partial population overlap.
• ASTTEQ: Quebec trans advocacy and peer support organization providing helpline, intervention, and community services. Comparable as a Quebec LGBTQ+ community services nonprofit with similar GTM and funding profile.
• GRIS-Montréal: Montreal-based research and intervention organization addressing homophobia and transphobia. Comparable as a Quebec LGBTQ+ intervention and education provider, though focused on demystification rather than lesbian-specific community services.
• Interligne: Quebec province-wide LGBTQ+ helpline and support organization offering listening, intervention, and referral services. Directly comparable as a community-based LGBTQ+ social support provider serving French-speaking Quebec.
• The 519: Toronto LGBTQ+ community center offering drop-in services, programming, counseling, and referrals. The closest large-scale Canadian analogue to CSL's community center model, though Toronto-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@centredesolidaritelesbienn2766
• Facebookfacebook.com/centredesolidarite
• Instagraminstagram.com/csl_mtl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-de-solidarite-lesbienne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Centre de Solidarité Lesbienne