Kurling for Kids

What Kurling for Kids does

Kurling for Kids (K4K) is a volunteer-driven Canadian registered charity founded in 1999 by Robert Sears and Sylvie Sanschagrin after their daughter Jessica received life-saving treatment at CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital. The organization operates as a community-led fundraising vehicle that organizes annual curling bonspiels, golf tournaments, and raffle draws to direct money to children's hospitals across Canada. K4K has a formal Member Club program with 15+ affiliated curling clubs across Quebec and Manitoba, and a growing presence in Ontario and Alberta; participating clubs provide ice time and volunteer labor while K4K provides event structure, branded materials, and an online participant center. The organization reports raising over $5.8 million cumulatively since 1999, with a record $570,000 raised in 2024, supporting 9 children's hospitals and over 1,000 children through funded equipment and programs.

K4K's product surface is event-based rather than technology-based. The core offering is the K4K Curling Tournament, described as the largest single-day, volunteer-led curling fundraising event in Canada, supplemented by K4K Golf Tournaments and an annual K4K Raffle Draw (20,000 tickets, 15 prizes valued at $14,000). The underlying technology stack is a third-party SaaS platform, Akaraisin, which hosts online registration, personal fundraising pages, donor tracking, and raffle ticket sales; Google reCAPTCHA is used on contact forms. There is no proprietary technology, no developer-facing API, no AI components, and no native mobile application.

The business model is donation-driven rather than revenue-generating in the conventional sense. Revenue streams include individual and team registration fees ($75 per individual, $300 per team of 4-5, $2,000 for corporate teams), raffle ticket sales ($5 per ticket or $125 per 25-ticket booklet), corporate sponsorships via the Circle of Friends program, and direct monetary donations. K4K is entirely volunteer-staffed, including board members, club ambassadors, and event volunteers, with 1-10 employees listed as the organizational headcount. All funds raised are passed through to children's hospitals in the regions where they are collected, with the organization itself receiving only the portion of registration fees and raffle proceeds needed to cover operational costs.

Name

Kurling for Kids

Legal name

Kurling for Kids

Website

https://kurlingforkids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kurling for Kids is a volunteer-driven Canadian charity founded in 1999 that organizes curling tournaments, golf tournaments, and raffle draws to raise funds for children's hospitals across Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta, having raised over $5.8 million cumulatively through its member club network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Fundraising

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Tournament Organizers (MPAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK), Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ), Amateur Event & Tournament Organizers (Meets, Invitationals, Opens) (MPAKACAL)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising events
• Children's hospital donations
• Curling tournament fundraiser
• Community sports fundraising
• Nonprofit charity organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Hubert

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-time and recurring monetary donations from individuals and corporations supporting children's hospitals.
2. Registration Fees: $75 per individual participant, $300 per team (4-5 members), $2000 for corporate teams. Fees include tax receipts and count toward fundraising minimums.
3. Raffle Tickets: Raffle ticket sales with 20,000 tickets available. Prizes valued at $14,000. Bulk discount available (25 tickets for $125 vs $125 individually).
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support events through the Circle of Friends program and other sponsorship tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kurling for Kids organizes curling tournaments, golf tournaments, and raffle draws as community-led fundraising events to raise money for children's hospitals across Canada. Participants register, fundraise from donors, and compete at member curling clubs, while the organization also runs corporate sponsorship programs and an online participant center for donations and merchandise. Funds raised are directed to children's hospitals in the regions where they are collected.

Product overview

Kurling for Kids is a volunteer-driven charitable fundraising organization — not a technology product company. Its offering consists of a portfolio of in-person event-based programs: the core K4K Curling Tournament (the largest single-day volunteer-led curling fundraiser in Canada), the K4K Raffle Draw (annual 20,000-ticket draw with 15 prizes), the K4K Golf Tournament (golf companion event), and Corporate Team Registration. These are supported by an online participant management and fundraising tracking platform (built on Akaraisin) providing personal fundraising pages, donation processing, and team management tools. Supplementary programs include the Circle of Friends corporate sponsorship tier, a Fundraising Rewards incentive program for participants raising $300+, the Host Your Own Fundraiser option for independent organizers, and a formal Member Club program for curling clubs. All funds raised are directed to children's hospitals in the regions where they are collected.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K4K Curling Tournament The primary annual fundraising event in which curling clubs across Canada host day-long bonspiel-style curling games. Participants register, raise funds from donors, and compete while supporting their local children's hospital. Open to individuals, teams of 4-5 members, and corporate teams. The largest single-day, volunteer-led curling fundraising event in Canada.
• K4K Golf Tournament Annual golf tournament fundraiser complementing the curling events. The 6th Annual Montreal tournament is planned for August 2027, and the 4th Annual Lennoxville tournament for September 2026. Open to golfers and corporate teams seeking community fundraising involvement.
• K4K Raffle Draw Annual raffle with 20,000 tickets and 15 prizes totaling $14,000. Ticket sales support children's hospitals, with a portion covering operational costs. Tickets sold at $5 individually or $125 for a 25-ticket booklet (bulk discount).
• Online Participant Centre / Personal Fundraising Pages Hosted on Akaraisin. Participants access customizable pages for donor communication, donation tracking, team management, and fundraising thermometer display. Returning participants retain donor history and prior-year content. Self-service registration and donation platform accessed at k4k.akaraisin.com.
• Corporate Team Registration Corporate teams register for $2,000 with no minimum fundraising requirement. Includes extra visibility for the company and access to corporate sponsorship packages. Designed for organizations seeking team-building and community involvement opportunities.
• Circle of Friends Sponsorship Corporate sponsorship tier providing advertising in the K4K Online Tournament Booklet and website. Companies receive recognition in exchange for financial or in-kind support. Tiered sponsorship packages managed by the Director of Sponsorships and Corporate Events.
• Fundraising Rewards Program Incentive program recognizing participants who raise $300 or more individually. Rewards include prizes at escalating levels. Participants may opt to 'give back' and redirect their reward value to the hospitals instead. Available to fundraiser-only participants as well.
• Host Your Own Fundraiser Allows individuals or organizations to organize independent fundraising events supporting K4K's cause. Provides access to online fundraising tools, a personal fundraising page, and eligibility for Fundraising Rewards without joining a scheduled club event. No registration fee or minimum fundraising requirement.
• Member Club Program Curling clubs formally join K4K as member clubs. The organization provides event structure, trophies, oversized cheques, raffle tickets, and promotional materials; clubs provide ice time, food, and volunteer recruitment. The program spans clubs in Quebec and Manitoba with expansion planned nationwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5.8 million raised since 1999
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• CHU SherbrookeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Mini C-Arm equipment funding ($125,950) to support faster, safer pediatric fracture care. Balance remaining as of May 2026 is $95,950.
• Children's Hospital Foundation of ManitobaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026$30,000 commitment supporting Speech & Language Therapy Camp - first of its kind in Canada, developed by multidisciplinary craniofacial team.
• Boundary Trails Health CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20262026 partnership supporting priority needs as identified in collaboration with K4K.
• Montreal Children's Hospital FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Multi-year commitment of $945,000 (2025-2029) supporting manometry equipment ($120,000), Institute of Pediatric Simulation ($575,000), and Tiny Tim Fund ($250,000) for family support.
• Stollery Children's Hospital FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Early stage partnership with $4,035.79 raised in 2025. Future fundraising dependent on individual or group hosting K4K events in Edmonton.
• CHU Sainte-Justine FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Multi-year partnership from 2021-2028 with $1,000,000 commitment toward the Pediatric Cardiac Sciences Centre. A multidisciplinary initiative bringing together cardiology, cardiac surgery, pediatric intensive care, and neonatology teams.
• CHEO FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture fundraising events in Ottawa dependent on passionate individual or group stepping up to host K4K events.
• SickKids Hospital FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture fundraising events in Toronto dependent on passionate individual or group stepping up to host K4K events.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: Federated Canadian youth-services charity with local clubs delivering programs. Comparable model: member-club network across provinces delivering children's programming funded through community and corporate support.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Canadian youth-mentoring charity with affiliated regional organizations running community events and corporate campaigns. Comparable volunteer-driven, community-based model serving children's welfare across provinces.
• Terry Fox Foundation: Iconic Canadian cancer-research charity funded through the annual Terry Fox Run and community-led events. Closely comparable as a Canadian volunteer-driven, sports-event-based fundraiser with strong national brand recognition and multi-decade track record.
• Right To Play: Global nonprofit that uses sport and play to improve children's lives. Comparable in its use of sport as a vehicle for children's welfare outcomes and its reliance on corporate partnerships and grassroots community engagement.
• Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada: Major Canadian health charity running large-scale community fundraising events (Heart Month, Jump Rope for Heart). Comparable model: event-driven, volunteer-supported, multi-province footprint, hospital/research beneficiary focus.
• Tim Hortons Children's Foundation: Canadian charity sending kids from low-income families to camp, funded through corporate and community campaigns. Comparable as a Canadian children's-welfare charity combining corporate sponsorship with grassroots community fundraising.
• Movember Foundation: Charity that drives fundraising through a sport/lifestyle-linked activity (growing a moustache) tied to men's health. Comparable as a community-participation fundraiser with strong digital engagement and corporate sponsorship base.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: A nonprofit that raises funds for children's hospitals across North America through a wide range of community events, corporate partnerships, and grassroots campaigns. Like K4K, it channels donor dollars to pediatric hospital partners and depends on event-driven fundraising.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada: Canadian charity supporting families of sick children through Ronald McDonald Houses near children's hospitals. Highly comparable as a Canadian nonprofit focused on children's hospital communities, raising funds through community events, corporate sponsorships, and individual donations.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Cancer Society: Canada's largest national cancer charity running Relay For Life and other community fundraising events. Comparable event-driven grassroots fundraising model, but operates at much larger scale and employs paid staff.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kurlingforkids
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Kurlingforkids
• Facebookfacebook.com/KurlingForKids
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kurling-for-kids
• Instagraminstagram.com/kurlingforkids/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Kurling for Kids