What Mining Matters does

Mining Matters is a national Canadian charitable organization (registration number 88775 6435 RR0001) headquartered in Toronto that educates young people about Earth sciences, minerals, and the mining industry. Its primary audience is K-12 students and teachers across Canada, with a secondary focus on Indigenous youth and communities served through culturally tailored programs such as Mining Rocks! and GEMS Kits. The organization operates four core program lines — Teacher Training, School Programs, Indigenous Programs, and STEM Partnerships — and distributes a broad library of curriculum-aligned educational content including posters, activity books, lesson plans, videos, mineral identification guides, and hands-on engineering challenges (e.g., Wind Turbine Engineering Challenge, Cookie Mining).

The organization's "technology" is predominantly educational content rather than software infrastructure. Notable digital products include the Virtual Escape Rooms series (Refuge Station, Mine, Core Shack), an interactive browser-based game sponsored by Teck Resources, and the Junior Explorers Challenge, an illustrated national-geography learning experience launched in January 2026. Content is produced in multiple languages including English, French, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Spanish, Anishininiimowin, Cree, and Ojibway, and is distributed free of charge through website downloads, direct kit distribution to schools and Indigenous communities, and teacher-training workshops.

Mining Matters is funded by government grants, foundation contributions, and donations from corporations and individuals; it does not charge fees for most programs or resources. Named core financial and strategic partners include Agnico Eagle Mines, the Government of Ontario, PDAC, Kinross Gold, Canadian Heritage, the Government of Northwest Territories, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, and Glencore (Raglan Mine). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the organization has no identified parent company or subsidiaries.

Name

Mining Matters

Legal name

Mining Matters

Website

https://miningmatters.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mining Matters is a Canadian charitable organization headquartered in Toronto that delivers free, curriculum-aligned Earth science and mining education to K-12 students, teachers, and Indigenous communities nationwide through programs, workshops, and multilingual digital and physical resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Mining Matters is a charitable organization funded by government grants, foundation contributions, and donations from corporations and individuals. The organization does not charge for most educational programs and resources.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mining Matters is a national Canadian charitable organization that develops and delivers free Earth science, geology, minerals, and mining education programs and resources for young people. Its offerings span teacher training, in-school and virtual student workshops, Indigenous community programs, STEM partnerships, and a published library of posters, activity books, lesson plans, and educational games.

Product overview

Mining Matters is a national charitable organization dedicated to educating young people about Earth sciences, the minerals industry, and their role in society. The organization offers a diverse portfolio of educational products and programs including Teacher Training services (classroom resource kits, tutorials, workshops, and tours), School Programs (field trip subsidies and virtual geoscience workshops), Indigenous-focused programs (Mining Rocks! and GEMS Kits), and a comprehensive Resources library featuring posters, activities, lesson plans, books, games, and videos. Notable products include the Mining Matters Activity Book available in five languages, Virtual Escape Rooms with multiple game levels, and various engineering challenges. The organization also produces thematic posters covering topics like critical minerals, music and medicine derived from Earth materials, and the role of mining in energy production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Teacher Training Professional development program for educators that includes classroom resource kits, Deeper and Deeper tutorials, PDAC Convention Teachers' Day, Mineral Resources and Mining Education Tours, and teacher workshop booking services. Designed for K-12 teachers delivering Earth science and mining education.
• School Programs Educational programs delivered to schools that include field trip subsidies and virtual student geoscience workshops, supporting Earth science learning for K-12 students.
• Indigenous Programs Specialized culturally relevant programs for Indigenous youth including Mining Rocks! and GEMS Kits, designed for First Nation and Inuit communities with content available in multiple Indigenous languages.
• STEM Partnerships Strategic partnerships that advance STEM education in Earth sciences and mining awareness, expanding Mining Matters' reach through collaboration with STEM organizations.
• Educational Resources Library Comprehensive free library of Earth science educational materials including posters, activities, lesson plans, books, articles, games, videos, and career links covering geology, minerals, metals, sustainability, and mining careers.
• Virtual Escape Rooms Interactive online games featuring Refuge Station, Mine, and Core Shack levels that teach mining concepts through puzzle-solving gameplay with dragon-themed narratives; accessible via desktop or laptop. Includes additional Mine Evolution, quizzes, and archaeological activities from the Royal Ontario Museum.
• Mining Matters Activity Book Activity book for youth ages 9-13 featuring puzzles, codes, word searches, crosswords, and Sudoku about rocks, minerals, metals, and mining careers. Available in English, French, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, and Spanish.
• Wind Turbine Engineering Challenge Hands-on engineering activity where students design and build wind turbines using popsicle sticks, gears, and motors to generate electricity for LED lights, learning about minerals used in renewable energy.
• Mineral Identification Guide Comprehensive guide with photos and information for identifying minerals, including physical characteristics, origins, and everyday uses, featuring real samples such as amethyst, barite, calcite, and chalcopyrite.
• Critical Connections Poster Poster featuring the 34 critical minerals, metals, and elements declared by the Canadian government as essential to renewable energy, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, and other sectors, with bilingual translations in Anishininiimowin, Cree, and Ojibway.
• Music from the Earth Poster Poster exploring the use of minerals, metals, and elements in musical instruments, performances, and audio engineering.
• Medicine from the Ground Up Poster Poster showing how Earth materials are used in dietary essentials, medical instruments, devices, diagnostics, and life-saving treatments.
• Power to the People Poster Poster illustrating how metals and minerals from Earth make energy production and storage possible, highlighting Canada's energy consumption.
• Cutting Edge Poster Poster showcasing how mining enables ice skating equipment and venues for athletic performance.
• Career Links Curated collection of career exploration resources including MiningNeedsYou.ca, educational curriculum, career profiles, scholarships, and links to organizations such as MineralsEd and Women Geoscientists in Canada.
• Cookie Mining Activity Family activity teaching basic cost management in mining where participants extract chocolate chips from cookies using purchased equipment, learning about reclamation costs.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPDAC is a key organizational partner that hosts the annual PDAC Convention Teachers' Day, providing a platform for Mining Matters to reach educators and promote Earth science education.
• Québec Mining AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for the Music from the Earth poster, contributing industry perspective and resources.
• Glencore (Raglan Mine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlencore's Raglan Mine partnered with Mining Matters for the Wind Turbine Engineering Challenge, providing real-world example of sustainable mining operations reducing diesel reliance through wind power in northern Quebec.
• Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and MinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResident geologists from the ministry contribute expertise to educational units and assist in collecting and sizing rock and mineral samples for educational kits. Multiple ministry samples (calcite, feldspar, mica, quartz) are included in mineral identification guides.
• Kidd Creek Mine (Glencore Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided chalcopyrite samples for the Mineral Identification Guide, supporting hands-on educational resources.
• Iron Ore Company of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided hematite samples for educational mineral kits, enabling students to learn with real specimens.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Geoscience BC: Geoscience BC is a non-profit that generates and publicizes geoscience research and supports public Earth science education in British Columbia. It is comparable as a mining-and-geoscience focused charity with an education and outreach mandate, although more research-oriented.
• Canadian Geoscience Education Network (CGEN): CGEN is a national network under the Geological Association of Canada that promotes Earth science awareness and education for the public, teachers, and students — closely aligned with Mining Matters' educational mission and national Canadian reach.
• Women in Mining Canada: Women in Mining Canada is a national non-profit advancing education, awareness, and inclusion in the mining sector. It shares Mining Matters' charitable structure, mining-focused education mission, and industry-partner funding model.
• MineralsEd: MineralsEd is a British Columbia-based non-profit that delivers minerals and mining education resources, lesson plans, and teacher training to K-12 students and educators — directly comparable to Mining Matters' teacher training, school programs, and resources model, though regionally focused on BC rather than national in scope.
• Canadian Geological Foundation: Canadian Geological Foundation is a national charitable foundation that funds geoscience education, outreach, and public awareness initiatives across Canada, mirroring Mining Matters' charitable structure and Earth-science education mission.
• Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR): MiHR is a national Canadian non-profit that supports mining industry workforce development through career awareness, education, and inclusion programs. It is highly comparable to Mining Matters as a national mining-focused education and workforce pipeline organization funded by industry and government.
• SME Foundation (Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration): SME Foundation is the charitable arm of SME that funds K-12 minerals and mining education, teacher training, and public outreach programs in the United States, providing the closest cross-border functional analogue to Mining Matters' national education mission.

Broad incumbents

• Mining Association of Canada (MAC): MAC is the national industry association representing Canadian miners, running programs like MiningWorks that promote public awareness of mining's role in society — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Mining Matters' mining-awareness mission.
• Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC): PDAC is a national mining industry association that runs the annual Teachers' Day program in partnership with Mining Matters. While broader in scope than pure education, PDAC operates education, outreach, and industry-awareness programming directly adjacent to Mining Matters' mandate.

Others

• Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation: Ingenium hosts the STEM Summer Institute for Elementary Teachers featured on Mining Matters' events page and is a museum-based science education organization. It is an ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but is thematically aligned in delivering Canadian STEM and Earth science education to youth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MiningMattersCA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mining-matters
• Instagraminstagram.com/miningmatters
• Xx.com/MiningMattersCA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mining Matters