Quilt of Belonging

What Quilt of Belonging does

Quilt of Belonging is a registered Canadian charitable organization (#866279441RR0001) stewarding a single 120-foot (36-metre) collaborative textile artwork initiated in 1998 by Ontario artist Esther Bryan. The artifact comprises 263 individually crafted fibre-art blocks representing all of Canada's First Peoples and every nation in the world at the dawn of the new Millennium, and has been viewed by over 3 million people through a touring exhibition program across Canada and internationally. Surrounding the physical quilt is a content ecosystem consisting of a 48-minute documentary, a companion book now in its fifth printing, and a suite of Ontario-curriculum-aligned K-12 educational resources (Teacher's Guide, Games/Crafts/Projects activities, "Create Your Own Quilt" framework, and Sample Projects documentation).

The organization serves three primary customer segments: museums and cultural institutions that host the Quilt for public exhibitions, K-12 schools and educators using the curriculum resources, and community organizations hosting cultural celebrations. GTM is event-driven, with named appearances at the International Plowing Match 2025 and WEFTFest 2025/2026, supplemented by a website, email newsletter, and a Square-hosted online shop. Revenue is generated through charitable donations (facilitated via CanadaHelps.org) and book/merchandise sales; no public pricing exists for hosting or licensing.

Following Esther Bryan's passing, the Board of Directors spent approximately five years evaluating options and in March 2025 entered a strategic partnership with the Three Sisters Cultural Centre of St. Jacobs, Ontario, transferring operational management, relocating the headquarters and archival collections to the TriSisters Art House, and appointing two new board members from the partner organization. The new TriSisters information/education centre was funded by the Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts and the David Johnston R+T Park Community Impact Fund (both held at the Waterloo Region Community Foundation). Governance is by an all-volunteer Board of Directors; no full-time headcount, financial statements, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Quilt of Belonging

Legal name

Quilt of Belonging

Website

https://quiltofbelonging.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Quilt of Belonging is a registered Canadian charity that stewards a 120-foot, 263-block collaborative textile artwork representing all of Canada's First Peoples and every nation in the world, serving museums, K-12 schools, and community organizations through touring exhibitions, a companion book, and Ontario-curriculum-aligned educational resources.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Jacobs

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization operates as a registered Canadian charity (#866279441RR0001) and accepts donations through CanadaHelps.org. Revenue is generated through charitable contributions.
2. Book Sales: The companion book 'Quilt of Belonging' is in its fifth printing, generating revenue through sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quilt of Belonging is a 120-foot (36-metre) collaborative textile art project comprising 263 individually crafted fibre art blocks representing all of Canada's First Peoples and every nation of the world. The organization delivers the physical quilt via traveling exhibitions to museums, schools, and community venues, complemented by a 48-minute documentary, a fifth-edition companion book, and a suite of curriculum-aligned K-12 educational resources including a Teacher's Guide, Games/Crafts/Projects, and a Create Your Own Quilt school program.

Product overview

Quilt of Belonging is a single unified product centered on a 120-foot collaborative textile art project with 263 cultural blocks. The offering includes the physical quilt itself, a 48-minute documentary, and a companion book (now in its fifth printing). Educational support is provided through a Teacher's Guide aligned with Ontario curricula (K-12), Games/Crafts and Projects activities, Create Your Own Quilt school programs, and Sample Projects documentation. The Learn section also features Cultural Treasures resources. The organization is managed as a charitable initiative (#866279441RR0001) partnered with the Three Sisters Cultural Centre in St. Jacobs, Ontario.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quilt of Belonging (the textile art installation) A 120-foot (36-metre) long collaborative textile art project featuring 263 individually crafted blocks portraying the rich cultural legacies of all the First Peoples in Canada and every nation of the world at the dawn of the new Millennium; travels as a touring exhibition to museums, schools, and community venues.
• Quilt of Belonging Documentary A 48-minute documentary film about the Quilt of Belonging project, receiving rave reviews and available for global viewing on YouTube.
• Quilt of Belonging Companion Book Published companion book to the Quilt of Belonging textile art project, currently in its fifth printing and sold via the organization's online Square shop.
• Teacher's Guide A comprehensive classroom resource for teachers aligned with Ontario school curricula, focusing on themes of belonging, inclusion, acceptance, diversity, and multiculturalism for Kindergarten through Grade 12.
• Games, Crafts and Projects Online collection of cross-cultural activities for classrooms including drawing activities from various cultures, games such as Potato Game and Animal Safari, One-World Tree, Family Tree, Aboriginal Crossword, Search and Solve treasure hunts, and Textiles Tell our Tales.
• Create Your Own Quilt (school program) A school project framework that allows classrooms to create their own Quilt of Belonging using hexagon-shaped blocks representing the carbon molecule, with instructions for Primary/Junior (K-6), Intermediate (7-8), and Senior (9-12) grades.
• Sample Projects Documentation Documentation of real classroom and school projects using Quilt of Belonging educational resources, including examples from Wasse Abin Pontiac School, Debajehmujig Storytellers programs, Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School, Assiginack Public School, and the Upper Canada District School Board's 100-foot Youth Quilt.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3 million visitors have seen the Quilt
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Three Sisters Cultural CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 March 2025The Quilt of Belonging partnered with the Three Sisters Cultural Centre of St. Jacobs Ontario, a not-for-profit dedicated to supporting the Canadian arts community through events planning and art shows like WEFTFest fibre arts festival and the Kissing Bridge Art Show. They have extensive experience in museum administration, exhibition planning and community art projects. New board members Jax Rula and Adrienne Carter joined from this organization. The Quilt archives and headquarters will move to TriSisters Art House in St. Jacobs.
• TriSisters Art HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTriSisters Art House serves as the new headquarters for Quilt of Belonging. It houses an information/education centre where visitors can learn about the Quilt, how it was created, and access resources for educational needs or to book the Quilt for events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Museum of History: Canada's national museum of human and cultural history. Comparable as a large Canadian cultural institution that develops touring exhibitions and educational resources tied to multicultural heritage, though at much greater scale than the Quilt of Belonging.
• Royal Ontario Museum: Major Canadian museum with extensive educational programming and traveling exhibitions. Comparable as a venue partner and programming benchmark for cultural exhibitions that include educational curriculum integration.
• McMichael Canadian Art Collection: Canadian art gallery focused on Canadian and Indigenous art. Comparable as an institution that tours culturally significant Canadian artwork and runs K-12 educational programs aligned with provincial curricula.
• National Gallery of Canada: Canada's national art museum, operator of educational and touring programs. Comparable as a major institutional reference point for what it means to be designated a Canadian National Treasure and to drive national cultural programming at scale.

Others

• Canada Council for the Arts: Federal arts funding body in Canada. Comparable as a funder and institutional reference point rather than a competitor; relevant for understanding the grant landscape the organization could tap.

Direct peers

• Textile Museum of Canada: Canadian institution dedicated to textile art and cultural textile heritage. Closely comparable as a textile-focused cultural organization that uses fabric-based artifacts for education, exhibition programming, and public engagement with multicultural textile traditions.
• American Folk Art Museum: New York-based museum focused on folk and self-taught art, including quilts and textile traditions. Comparable as a cultural institution that elevates craft-based and community-made textile works as vehicles for storytelling about identity and belonging.
• The National Quilt Museum: U.S.-based museum dedicated to quilt art and fibre arts education. Comparable as a specialist institution that treats quilts as cultural artifacts and develops K-12 educational programs around them.

Emerging players

• Craft Council of Canada / Canadian Craft Biennial: Canadian organization promoting contemporary craft and fibre arts. Comparable as a curator and amplifier of Canadian fibre art and craft, with overlapping audiences at events like WEFTFest.

Regional players

• Heritage Canada Foundation: Canadian heritage advocacy organization. Comparable as a Canadian non-profit that supports cultural heritage preservation, education, and community programming through grants and partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=LsiE2ruW0d8
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quilt-of-belonging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Quilt of Belonging