Women Building PEI

What Women Building PEI does

Women's Network PEI (also referred to as Women Building PEI) is a Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island-based not-for-profit organization founded in 1984 that advances gender equity for women and gender-diverse people across the province. It operates as a community-based service delivery and advocacy body, delivering a portfolio of roughly a dozen distinct programs including Trade HERizons (career exploration in trades and technology for ages 22-45), Still Visible (peer support for senior women 55+), Girls+ at Bat (introductory baseball for youth 9-13), Reconnections (intergenerational peer support for rural adults 18+), Pathways to Thrive (a five-year community-based research project on culturally safe support for gender-based violence survivors), Wild Hub and The HUB (youth after-school programs), SHIFT to STEM (STEM workshops for youth), the S.T.R.I.D.E. survivor-led advisory committee, the Art of Thriving PhotoVoice project, and the Ignite! workplace training program. It also acts as a referral service connecting participants across PEI to needed programs.

The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and employs 11-15 staff including program coordinators, facilitators, and operations personnel. Its business model is grant-funded: primary revenue comes from multi-year federal and provincial government grants (Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Interministerial Women's Secretariat of PEI, and the Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population through Canada-PEI Labour Market Agreements), supplemented by an annual Celebrate Island Women fundraiser (which raised over $7,000 in 2024), individual donations through a sustainer program, and modest fee-for-service revenue from the Ignite! workplace training program. All participant-facing programs are free for eligible participants.

Distribution is regional and direct: programs are delivered in community centers, libraries, partner facilities, and rural venues across PEI through staff facilitation and a network of formal partnerships with Holland College, Construction Association PEI, PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, BIPOC USHR, Black Cultural Society PEI, PEERS Alliance, Aboriginal Women's Association of PEI, Jays Care Foundation, PEI Wild Child Forest School, WomenatthecentrE, UPEI Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, and government funders. Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, Instagram), an email newsletter, the wnpei.org website, community referrals, and event-based outreach.

Name

Women Building PEI

Legal name

Women's Network PEI

Website

https://www.wnpei.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women Building PEI is a Charlottetown-based not-for-profit organization delivering community programs, peer support, career training, and advocacy for women and gender-diverse people across Prince Edward Island, funded primarily by federal and provincial government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Women's advocacy programs
• Gender equity services
• Peer support groups
• Community-based training
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottetown

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Grants: Primary revenue from government funding agencies including Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), Interministerial Women's Secretariat (Province of PEI), Department of Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population (Canada-PEI Labour Market Agreements). Multi-year project funding for specific initiatives.
2. Fundraising and Donations: Annual fundraiser 'Celebrate Island Women' generates operational funds. Individual donations through sustainer program and one-time contributions. Community fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Women's Network PEI is a not-for-profit organization that delivers free community-based programs, peer support groups, career exploration training, and advocacy services for women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Prince Edward Island. Its core offerings include Trade HERizons (trades/technology career exploration), Still Visible (senior women's peer support), Reconnections (rural intergenerational support), Pathways to Thrive (GBV survivor support), and youth programs such as Girls+ at Bat and Wild Hub/The HUB. The organization also operates referral services and workplace programs (Ignite!) for businesses, government, and NGOs.

Product overview

Women's Network PEI is a not-for-profit organization that offers a portfolio of community programs rather than a unified technology product. The core programs include Trade HERizons (career exploration for trades/technology), Still Visible (senior women's peer support), Girls+ at Bat (youth baseball), Reconnections (rural intergenerational support), Pathways to Thrive (gender-based violence support), Wild Hub and The HUB (youth programs), SHIFT to STEM (STEM workshops), and the Ignite! workplace training program. Additional initiatives include the Art of Thriving PhotoVoice project and ACT BIG Conference on Basic Income Guarantee. The organization also provides general training and workshops to businesses, government, and non-profits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade HERizons A career exploration and college preparation program for women and gender-diverse people focused on trades and technology careers, enhancing essential skills, career exploration and personal development. Participants experience hands-on learning with Holland College and the Construction Association of PEI, meet mentors, tour employers, and earn training certifications. Free for eligible participants (women and gender-diverse individuals aged 22-45 on EI, social assistance, or working less than 25 hr/week).
• Still Visible A Charlottetown-based peer support group for self-identified senior women and gender-diverse folks ages 55 plus. The program supports building connections to help reduce social isolation and meets every two weeks to explore gender, shared experience, and aging.
• Girls+ at Bat An introductory level baseball program aiming to remove barriers girls and gender-diverse youth may face in sports, including perceived lack of skill, limited access, and low confidence. The program focuses on connection, courage, leadership, and love of sport, delivered in partnership with Jays Care Foundation.
• Reconnections An intergenerational peer support group for self-identified women and gender-diverse folks ages 18 plus, creating space for rural Islanders to build connections and reduce isolation through monthly gatherings with shared meals and group-selected activities.
• Pathways to Thrive A five-year community-based research project focused on adapting and evaluating therapeutic practices to be more culturally safe and identity-affirming for underserved survivors of gender-based violence on PEI. Partners include BIPOC USHR, PEERS Alliance, Black Cultural Society PEI, and Aboriginal Women's Association PEI.
• Wild Hub A no-cost, twice-monthly after-school program for youth ages 12-15. Participants cook together, play on the land, learn from guest speakers, host discussion groups, and create art.
• The HUB A free after-school program for youth ages 14-18 where participants connect with peers, explore topics like mental wellness, confidence building, food security and healthy relationships through art, activities, discussion and games.
• Ignite! Program A workplace program for businesses, startups, NGOs, or government departments that helps develop initiatives allowing employees to take care of themselves and their lives while increasing productivity and commitment.
• SHIFT to STEM No-cost career exploration workshops for Jr. High and High School aged students providing a safe place for girls and gender-diverse youth to explore career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) and Trades.
• S.T.R.I.D.E A survivor-led advisory committee for women and gender-diverse people who have experienced Gender-Based Violence. The group meets 4-6 times a year to provide insight and lived experience to Peer Support Workers creating healing programming.
• Art of Thriving A PhotoVoice project that brings forward voices of survivors and individuals who have experienced gender-based violence through photography and writing workshops, using creative expression to process experiences and reclaim narratives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Celebrate Island Women fundraiser raised over $7,000 in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• UPEI Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SV-PRO)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for Art of Thriving PhotoVoice project - developed initiative to offer creative, community-based space for GBV survivors to share stories through photography.
• Coalition Canada for Basic IncomecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025National coalition working to formulate costed model for Basic Income Guarantee in Canada, with PEI taking lead in implementation.
• WomenatthecentrEsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to deliver C6 Peer Counselling Training for survivors of gender-based and intimate partner violence. Nneka MacGregor, Executive Director, facilitates the training.
• PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre (PEIRSAC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Lead organization for Pathways to Thrive five-year community-based research project. PEIRSAC leads the project with WNPEI coordinating community development and relationship building with partner organizations.
• BIPOC USHRcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Pathways to Thrive partner - involved in adaptation and evaluation of therapeutic practices and facilitation of trauma-informed programming for BIPOC GBV survivors.
• Black Cultural Society of PEIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Pathways to Thrive partner - involved in community development and facilitation of culturally-safe programming for Black survivors of gender-based violence.
• PEERS AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Pathways to Thrive partner - provides 2SLGBTQ+ specific expertise for trauma-informed programming and peer support worker coordination.
• Aboriginal Women's Association of PEIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Pathways to Thrive partner - brings Mi'kmaq traditional healing approaches and Indigenous cultural expertise to trauma-informed programming for Indigenous GBV survivors.
• Jays Care FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Long-term partnership since 2018 to deliver Girls+ at Bat introductory baseball program removing barriers to sport for girls and gender-diverse youth ages 9-13.
• Holland CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership for Trade HERizons program - provides hands-on learning opportunities, college preparation, and training certifications for women and gender-diverse participants exploring trades and technology careers.
• Construction Association PEIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partnership for Trade HERizons - connects participants with employer facilities tours and industry mentors in the construction trades sector.
• PEI Wild Child Forest SchoolsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Wild Hub after-school program for youth ages 12-15 combining forest school principles with peer connection and leadership development.
• City of CharlottetownminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partner providing support for Girls At Bat baseball program and Jays Care community events.
• PEI Working Group for a Livable Income (WGLI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition member advocating for Basic Income Guarantee in PEI for over two decades. Co-host of ACT BIG Conference 2025.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women: Provincial gender-equity advisory body operating on Prince Edward Island; directly comparable to WNPEI in mandate around women's status and policy advocacy in the same small-island geography.
• East Prince Women's Information Centre: PEI-based nonprofit providing information, referral, and support services to women on Prince Edward Island; comparable referral and community-support model in the same provincial footprint.
• PEI Coalition for Women in Government: PEI-based coalition WNPEI is a member of; focused on increasing women's political participation. Comparable advocacy mission and provincial scale.
• PEERS Alliance: PEI-based 2SLGBTQ+ nonprofit and direct Pathways to Thrive partner; shares intersectional feminist approach and overlapping community for GBV survivor support.
• PEI Working Group for a Livable Income: PEI coalition co-hosting ACT BIG Conference 2025 with WNPEI; directly comparable advocacy focus on basic income guarantee and economic justice for women on PEI.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada: National federation of YWCAs delivering women's empowerment, gender-based violence response, and equity programming; broader geographic scope but directly overlapping mission and service categories.
• Canadian Women's Foundation: National public foundation funding gender-based violence prevention, economic empowerment, and gender-equity programs; comparable programmatic themes (GBV, economic security, gender equity) at a national grantmaking scale.
• Native Women's Association of Canada: National Indigenous women's advocacy organization; comparable to WNPEI's Aboriginal Women's Association of PEI partnership in serving Indigenous women and survivors of gender-based violence.

Others

• Status of Women Canada / Women and Gender Equality Canada: Federal department that funds WNPEI's Pathways to Thrive and Basic Income projects; not a competitor but the principal funder and policy counterpart shaping WNPEI's operating context.
• Coalition Canada for Basic Income: National coalition co-led with WNPEI's involvement working to formulate a costed basic income model; adjacent policy-ecosystem actor shaping WNPEI's advocacy trajectory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wnpei
• Instagraminstagram.com/womens_networkpei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Women Building PEI