BGC Funding Innovation Inc.

What BGC Funding Innovation Inc. does

BGC Funding Innovation Inc., doing business as Funding Innovation, is a Burlington, Ontario-based company founded in January 2015 that operates a sealed-bid art easel auction program to raise funds for Canadian charities. The company places branded art easels in retail venues where shoppers submit written bids on framed prints (typically valued at $300-$500) starting at a $225 minimum bid; winning bidders pay a $29.95 shipping fee. Each retail location is paired with one or more of 100+ charity partners including Children's Miracle Network, Support Our Troops, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Make-A-Wish Canada, SickKids Foundation, and the British Columbia Children's Hospital Foundation.

The business has scaled to 2,200+ easel hosting locations across 12+ national retail chains — notably Dairy Queen, Canadian Tire, Save on Foods, Metro, Giant Tiger, and The Beer Store — and is supported by 22 regional offices and approximately 80 employees. Framed prints are sourced and produced via manufacturing partners including Frameworth and Art East. Since inception the company has channeled more than $18.1M to charitable causes, demonstrating both operating scale and a decade-long track record of venue and nonprofit expansion.

The revenue model is a transaction fee on each winning bid: charities receive 75% or more of the winning bid while the company retains the residual margin (approximately 17%) plus shipping revenue. In 2024 the company added a direct-to-consumer e-commerce Shop to liquidate inventory outside the in-store auction channel, and through its Airways of Heroes program it has extended the easel format into Canadian airports in partnership with Support Our Troops. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with no external funding rounds disclosed.

Name

BGC Funding Innovation Inc.

Legal name

BGC Funding Innovation Inc.

Website

https://fundinginnovation.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Funding Innovation is a Burlington, Ontario company that operates a sealed-bid art easel auction program in 2,200+ Canadian retail locations, channeling the majority of winning bid proceeds to 100+ charity partners and retaining a transaction-fee margin on each sale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art Easel Auction Proceeds: Revenue is generated from successful bids on art, sport, and music prints displayed on art easels in retail locations. Winning bidders pay the bid amount plus applicable taxes and shipping. A minimum of 75% of net proceeds is donated to charity partners; on a program-to-date basis charities have received over 83% of net proceeds. Funding Innovation retains the remainder to cover operations, technology, and infrastructure investment.
2. E-commerce Print Liquidation Sales: The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling surplus inventory of Canadian-made art, sport, music, and TV/movie prints at liquidation prices. Revenue is generated through one-time product transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BGC Funding Innovation Inc. operates the Art Easel Program, a national sealed-bid auction fundraising initiative that places display easels featuring fully licensed Canadian-made art, sport, and music prints in partner retail locations. Consumers place bids over a two-week cycle, with a minimum bid of $225 CDN; a minimum of 75% of net proceeds (program-to-date over 83%) is donated to charity partners. The company supplements this core model with a direct-to-consumer e-commerce Shop selling surplus inventory of licensed prints at liquidation prices.

Product overview

Funding Innovation operates primarily as a fundraising organization offering the Art Easel Program as its core product—a sealed bid auction platform where licensed Canadian-made framed prints (featuring sports, music, TV & movies, and general art) are displayed on easels in retail partner locations for public bidding, with proceeds donated to charity partners. The company also operates a supplementary e-commerce Shop for print liquidation sales. The Art Easel Program requires retailers to provide 4 square feet of space and charges no cost or risk to charity partners, with a minimum of 75% of net proceeds donated.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Easel Program A national sealed-bid auction fundraising program that places display easels featuring fully licensed Canadian-made art, sport, and music prints in partner retail locations across Canada. Retail customers place bids over a 14-day period with a minimum bid of $225 CDN; a minimum of 75% of net proceeds (program-to-date over 83%) is donated to charity partners, and 100% of any bid over $500 CDN is donated. The program is provided to charities at zero cost, zero risk, and zero time commitment, and to retailers at no cost in exchange for 4 square feet of floor space.
• Shop (Print Liquidation E-commerce) A direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront selling surplus inventory of fully licensed Canadian-made art, sport, music, and TV/movie prints at liquidation prices. Prices range from $50 to $300+ with Canada-wide shipping, providing retail consumers with access to the same print quality offered through the Art Easel Program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimum 75% of net proceeds donated to charities; actual program-to-date donation rate exceeds 83%.
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dairy Queen CanadacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDairy Queen Canada has been a corporate partner since 2016. 140+ DQ franchise locations across Canada host art easels benefiting Children's Miracle Network Canada. Together they have raised over $700,000 for CMN. Dairy Queen also celebrated reaching $500,000 raised for CMN in December 2020. 160+ DQ locations have raised over $700,000 for CMN.
• Canadian TirecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Canadian retail chain hosting art easels in support of charity partners. Canadian Tire is one of the founding corporate partners referenced in the $6 million milestone announcement by June 2019.
• Save on FoodscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSave on Foods hosts art easels in support of charity partners. In late 2016, Save-On-Foods agreed to host easels in 134 stores across Western Canada in support of BC Children's Hospital Foundation, a key milestone in the BCCHF reaching $1 million.
• Metro Ontario Inc. / Food BasicscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMetro Ontario has been hosting easels for Track3 in Metro and Food Basics stores throughout Ontario since 2015. Metro raised $1,000,000 for Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports Association as of February 2024, making it a flagship partner milestone.
• Buy-Low FoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional grocery chain hosting art easels in support of local charity partners.
• The Beer StoreminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Beer Store hosts art easels supporting local charity partners, including the Support Our Troops 'Airways of Heroes' program at airport locations.
• Giant TigerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiscount retailer chain hosting art easels as part of the national corporate partner network.
• Frameworth Sports MarketingcoreTechnology or IntegrationOne of two Canadian manufacturing partners. Frameworth, based in Toronto, produces the sports, music, and art prints featured on the art easels. The company has an eye for detail ensuring the best product quality on the market.
• Art EastcoreTechnology or IntegrationSecond Canadian manufacturing partner, based in London, Ontario. Art East works with Funding Innovation on all aspects of design and production, creating high-quality Canadian-made prints.
• Children's Miracle Network CanadacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational charity partner. Funding Innovation has raised over $3 million for CMN Canada as of September 2020. CMN is dedicated to supporting children's hospitals across Canada.
• Support Our TroopscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial charitable cause of the Canadian Armed Forces, administered by Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services. Funding Innovation is a principal fundraiser for Support Our Troops, having raised over $1.2 million including over $500,000 through the 'Airways of Heroes' airport program involving 22 airports across Canada.
• Ducks Unlimited CanadacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational conservation charity partner since September 2019. Funding Innovation raised $1 million for DUC as of June 2022, supporting nationwide wetland and grassland conservation efforts.
• Make-A-Wish CanadacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational charity partner granting magical wishes to children with critical illnesses. Funding Innovation raised over $500,000 for Make-A-Wish Canada as of November 2020.
• Jumpstart (Canadian Tire Jumpstart)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational charity partner dedicated to helping kids participate in sport. Listed among the national charity partners on the Partners page.
• Ontario Track3 Adaptive Sports AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVolunteer-powered charity enabling kids and youth with disabilities to participate in snow sports. Metro Ontario raised $1,000,000 for Track3 through the Art Easel Program since 2015.
• Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGTAA hosts Support Our Troops art easels throughout Pearson International Airport. Joined the program in November 2022. The 'Airways of Heroes' initiative has raised over $400,000 for Support Our Troops across 22 airports.
• SickKids FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSickKids Foundation is a national charity partner. Funding Innovation's support helps ensure SickKids and children's hospitals across Canada can respond to the most urgent funding needs.
• BC Children's Hospital FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPart of Children's Miracle Network, BCCHF is the only hospital in British Columbia devoted exclusively to children's care. Funding Innovation raised over $1 million for BCCHF as of May 2021, starting from $8,057.35 in the first year.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Omaze: Charity fundraising platform offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences and prizes in exchange for donations. Comparable to Funding Innovation as a prize/experience-driven charity fundraising model, though operating at a larger consumer brand scale.

Broad incumbents

• Bonterra (Network for Good): Established nonprofit software suite covering fundraising, CRM, and grants management. Comparable as a charity-fundraising infrastructure provider, though much broader in scope than Funding Innovation's auction-focused model.

Direct peers

• Handbid: Mobile-first charity auction and fundraising platform used by nonprofits for events. Comparable to Funding Innovation as an auction-driven fundraising tool for charities, though deployed at fundraising events rather than in-store displays.
• ClickBid: Online and mobile auction platform purpose-built for nonprofit fundraising. Comparable to Funding Innovation as an auction-enabled charity fundraising solution, focused on event-night digital bidding rather than retail-place bidding.
• RallyUp: All-in-one fundraising platform with auctions, raffles, and sweepstakes for nonprofits. Comparable to Funding Innovation as a multi-format charity fundraising platform, delivered online rather than through physical retail easels.
• Auctria: Charity auction event management software used by nonprofits to run online, silent, and live auctions. Comparable to Funding Innovation's sealed-bid auction mechanic, though software-based and event-driven rather than embedded in retail locations.
• GalaBid: Charity auction software platform serving nonprofits and schools with silent, live, and online auctions. Closely comparable to Funding Innovation's core auction mechanic for charity fundraising, but focused on event-based rather than continuous retail auctions.
• Givebutter: Online fundraising platform offering auctions, peer-to-peer campaigns, and donation pages for nonprofits. Comparable to Funding Innovation as a fundraising intermediation platform for charities, but operates digitally rather than through retail-host placement.
• OneCause: US-based leading provider of charity auction and fundraising software for nonprofits, schools, and churches. Directly comparable to Funding Innovation's auction-driven fundraising model, though delivered via digital/mobile platforms rather than physical retail easels.

Others

• Great Big Canvas: Online retailer of framed art prints, posters, and wall decor. Comparable to Funding Innovation's Shop product line (licensed print retail), but lacks the charity-fundraising component that defines the parent business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fundinginnovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 BGC Funding Innovation Inc.