THE FRIENDS OF FORT YORK AND GARRISON COMMON

What THE FRIENDS OF FORT YORK AND GARRISON COMMON does

The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common is a federally-registered Canadian charitable organization incorporated in 1995 that supports the operations, preservation, programming, and advocacy of Fort York National Historic Site — a 43-acre property in Toronto comprising Fort York, Garrison Common, the Fort York Armoury, and Victoria Memorial Square. The site itself, dating to a garrison ordered by John Graves Simcoe in 1793 and a key War-of-1812 site, is owned and operated by the City of Toronto through Toronto History Museums; The Friends operate as a volunteer-driven support organization funding exhibits, artifact conservation, capital projects, and seasonal interpretive staff rather than as the site's operator.

The organization's core programmatic products are the Fort York Guard (a 20-25-person seasonal living-history re-enactment unit, taken over from the City in 1999) and the Fife and Drum Corps (a youth music corps founded in 2000). Content products include The Fife and Drum quarterly newsletter (published continuously since 1996, currently Volume 27), multiple published books such as Fort York: Stories from the Birthplace of Toronto (2018) and Fort York: a Short History and Guide (2008), and two Whitecap-published historic cookbooks. The organization also maintains the Fort York Library/Research Centre on a volunteer basis and supports events including the Indigenous Arts Festival and the Historic Foodways Programme.

Revenue derives entirely from donations, fundraising campaigns, and grants from federal, provincial, municipal, and private-foundation sources enabled by charitable-status tax-receipt issuance. Distribution is concentrated regionally — physical site visitation at Fort York Boulevard, supplemented by City-of-Toronto-operated virtual tours and an online Shopify museum shop — with marketing executed through the newsletter, the official website (friendsoffortyork.ca), Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Governance is by a Board of up to 25 directors (who also constitute the corporate membership), led by Chair Don Cranston, Executive Director Cheryl Dilisi, and Co-Founder/Past-Chair Stephen Otto.

Name

THE FRIENDS OF FORT YORK AND GARRISON COMMON

Legal name

The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common

Website

https://friendsoffortyork.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common is a federally-registered Canadian charitable organization incorporated in 1995 that supports preservation, programming, fundraising, and advocacy for Fort York National Historic Site in Toronto, operating the Fort York Guard, the Fife and Drum Corps, a quarterly newsletter, and historical publications.

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through donations, fundraising campaigns, and grants to support operations, the Fort York Guard wages, Fife and Drum Corps, exhibits, acquisitions, artifact conservation, and capital projects.
2. Charitable Organization Revenue: Federally-registered charitable organization incorporated in 1995, able to issue tax receipts for donations and receive grants from various levels of government and private foundations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common is a volunteer, federally-registered charitable organization that supports preservation, programming, advocacy, and publications for the 43-acre Fort York National Historic Site. The organization operates and largely funds the Fort York Guard (est. 1999) and Fife and Drum Corps (est. 2000) — living history programs employing 20-25 young people seasonally — and publishes The Fife and Drum newsletter plus books and cookbooks about Toronto's founding history.

Product overview

The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common is a volunteer charitable organization (incorporated 1995) that supports Fort York National Historic Site through multiple programs and services. The organization operates the Fort York Guard (est. 1999) and Fife and Drum Corps (est. 2000), maintaining a living history presence at the fort with seasonal staff of 20-25 young volunteers. It publishes The Fife and Drum newsletter (quarterly since 1996), maintains the Fort York Library/Research Centre, and supports educational publications including books and cookbooks. The organization also facilitates virtual tours and an online museum shop through the City of Toronto's Toronto History Museums platform. The 43-acre Fort York National Historic Site includes Fort York, Garrison Common, Fort York Armoury, and Victoria Memorial Square.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fort York Guard: Military re-enactment unit recruited, trained, and outfitted annually by The Friends of Fort York, consisting of 20-25 young men and women. The organization took over responsibility for the Guard from the City in 1999.
• Fife and Drum Corps
• The Fife and Drum

Products and services

• The Fife and Drum Newsletter A quarterly newsletter serving as the archive of The Friends of Fort York and Garrison Common, published since 1996, featuring over 27 years of historical articles and news about Fort York. Available in PDF format through the website archive and intended for members, donors, researchers, and heritage enthusiasts.
• Fort York: Stories from the Birthplace of Toronto A book edited by Adrian Gamble and published in 2018, supported by The Friends of Fort York, documenting stories from the founding of Toronto at Fort York for general readers, educators, and heritage enthusiasts.
• Fort York: a Short History and Guide A historical guide and short history of Fort York, supported for publication in 2008 by The Friends of Fort York, intended for visitors, educators, and history enthusiasts.
• Setting a Fine Table: Historic Desserts and Drinks from the Officers' Kitchens at Fort York A historic cookbook published in 2013 by Whitecap, supported by The Friends of Fort York, featuring recipes from Fort York's Officers' Kitchens for general readers and food/historical-cooking enthusiasts.
• Recipes for Victory: Great War Food from the Front and Kitchens Back Home in Canada A historic cookbook published in 2018 by Whitecap, supported by The Friends of Fort York, documenting food and recipes from the Great War era for general readers and food/history enthusiasts.
• Virtual Tours Online virtual tours of Fort York National Historic Site, made available through the Toronto History Museums platform, providing remote public access to the historic site for general visitors, schools, and researchers unable to attend in person.
• Museum Shop Online An online retail platform operated by the City of Toronto through Toronto History Museums at cityoftoronto.myshopify.com, offering historical artifacts, merchandise, and publications for general consumers and visitors.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Texas A&M UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Collaborated with Texas A&M University on research related to a schooner excavated near Fort York. The university came into possession of the schooner in 2015, resulting in an MSc thesis on its construction by student Julia Herbst in 2019.
• City of Toronto (Toronto History Museums)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFort York is owned and operated by the City of Toronto through Toronto History Museums. The Friends of Fort York supports the site through fundraising, programming, advocacy, and working with fort staff on exhibits, programs, and live interpreters.
• Fort York FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated charitable foundation that accepts gifts of artifacts on behalf of Fort York. The Friends of Fort York accepts gifts of artifacts through the Fort York Foundation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Toronto Foundation: Toronto Foundation is a community foundation serving the Toronto region. It is comparable only as a Toronto-based charitable ecosystem participant, not as a heritage-preservation peer.

Direct peers

• National Trust for Canada: National Trust for Canada is a national heritage preservation charity focused on built heritage, conservation, and advocacy across the country. It is a directly comparable charitable peer operating at a larger national scale.
• Canadian Museums Association: The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization representing Canadian museums and museum professionals. It is a directly comparable membership-based heritage organization operating in the same sector.
• Ontario Heritage Trust: Ontario Heritage Trust is a provincial agency that conserves and interprets Ontario's heritage properties. It is a direct peer in the Ontario heritage-preservation space, though it operates as a public agency rather than a volunteer charity.
• Friends of the Canadian War Museum: Friends of the Canadian War Museum is a charitable support organization for a major Canadian military-history institution. It is structurally identical to the Friends of Fort York: a federal charity raising funds and supporting programming for a national heritage site.
• Heritage Toronto: Heritage Toronto is a charitable non-profit focused on the history and built heritage of Toronto. It is directly comparable as a Toronto-based heritage advocacy and education charity serving a similar donor and audience base.
• The Vimy Foundation: The Vimy Foundation is a Canadian charitable organization focused on military-history education, leadership programs, and commemoration. It overlaps directly with Fort York's War of 1812 educational mandate and donor demographic.

Regional players

• Heritage Montreal: Heritage Montreal is a charitable foundation dedicated to the protection and promotion of Montreal's architectural and historical heritage. It is a strong functional peer in a different Canadian city.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FortYorkFriends
• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Friends-of-Fort-York-and-Garrison-Common-222028998006349
• Instagraminstagram.com/fortyorkfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about THE FRIENDS OF FORT YORK AND GARRISON COMMON