CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY - OTTAWA

What CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY - OTTAWA does

CoSA Ottawa (Circles of Support and Accountability - Ottawa) is a registered Canadian charity that delivers the Circles of Support and Accountability program, a community-based restorative justice service for the reintegration of individuals who have been incarcerated for sexual offences. Operating in Ottawa since 1998 under the auspices of St. John the Evangelist Church and incorporated as an independent registered charity in 2013, the organization applies the Circle model: each Core Member is matched with 3-4 trained and screened community volunteers and supported by staff via bi-weekly circle meetings and weekly one-on-one check-ins over a minimum one-year commitment. Core Members are referred by criminal justice professionals (parole officers, chaplains, defence lawyers, psychiatrists) or self-refer voluntarily, and services are provided at no cost.

The organization's deliverable is method-based rather than technology-based. Core offerings consist of the CoSA reintegration program itself, an approximately 10-hour Volunteer Training Program delivered over 4-6 weeks, the 2024 awareness documentary 'Facing Our Messy Lives', periodic newsletters, annual reports, and a Membership Program. Operations rely on commodity third-party tools including Zeffy for donations, Vome for volunteer applications, Simplyk for ticketing, Mailchimp for newsletters, and WordPress for the public website and blog (Circles of Change). There is no proprietary software platform or AI-enabled functionality.

CoSA Ottawa's revenue model is donation-driven and diversified across individual one-time and monthly contributions, legacy giving (including the Pat Love Legacy Fund and John Richardson Legacy Fund), vehicle donations via Donate A Car Canada, event fundraising (No More Victims Gala, Tasting & Toasting, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend), $25/year community memberships, and institutional grants from the Ottawa Community Foundation, United Way Ottawa, and anonymous private foundations. Federal funding through Public Safety Canada, historically the primary institutional funder, concluded in March 2022 and the organization is currently operating without that anchor. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, currently led by Program Director Michaela De Curtis, Executive Director Susan Love (program coordinator since 2002), and Board President Dillon Brady.

Name

CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY - OTTAWA

Legal name

Circles of Support and Accountability - Ottawa

Website

https://cosa-ottawa.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restorative Justice / Offender Reintegration Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry & Justice-Involved Support Services (BPAGAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

Keywords

• Restorative justice services
• Offender reintegration support
• Community circle mentoring
• Post-release accountability
• Volunteer reentry program

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

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. Individual Donations: One-time and monthly donations from individual supporters, processed through Zeffy (a 100% free platform for nonprofits). Donations support volunteer training, Core Member resources, social programming, and staff coordination.
2. Annual Membership Fees: Membership fees of $25/year charged to community members who wish to attend AGMs and vote on Board Directors and bylaw changes.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue raised through events including the annual No More Victims Gala (e.g., raised over $13,000 in 2022; $19,650 at Tasting & Toasting 2026), and the Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend.
4. Legacy Giving: Bequests in wills, gifts in memory/tribute, gifts from donor-advised funds, and gifts of life insurance. Named legacy funds include the Pat Love Legacy Fund and the John Richardson Legacy Fund.
5. Vehicle Donations: Vehicle donations through Donate A Car Canada, which handles towing/recycling/auction and forwards proceeds to CoSA Ottawa.
6. Institutional Funding: Funding from federal government (Public Safety Canada via CoSA Canada), Ottawa Community Foundation, United Way Ottawa, and anonymous private foundations. Federal funding concluded March 2022, creating a sustainability crisis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CoSA Ottawa delivers a community-based restorative justice reintegration program for adults who have been incarcerated for sexual offences and voluntarily seek support. Each Core Member is matched with 3-4 trained community volunteers in a Circle that meets bi-weekly (with weekly one-on-one check-ins) over a minimum one-year commitment, providing practical assistance (housing, employment, medical, social services), emotional support, accountability, and pro-social role modeling to prevent reoffending. Services are provided free of charge to participants and supplemented by a volunteer training program, annual membership program, and awareness-building activities.

Product overview

CoSA Ottawa is a nonprofit charitable organization (registered 2013) offering the Circles of Support and Accountability program — a single, community-based restorative justice service. The core CoSA Program is supplemented by a Volunteer Training Program that prepares screened community members to serve in Circles. Additional offerings include the 'Facing Our Messy Lives' documentary for awareness and education, periodic Newsletters, Annual Reports for transparency, and a Membership Program for community engagement. There is no multi-product platform architecture; the organization provides one primary service supported by training, communication, and membership components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% to 80% reduced rate of reoffending for CoSA participants vs matched comparison groups without CoSA support
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, critical and minor.

• St. John the Evangelist Anglican ChurchfoundationalOthersCoSA Ottawa originally operated under the auspices of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church starting in 1998. The church provided initial institutional support and hosting for the organization before it became an independent registered charity in 2013.
• ZeffycriticalTechnology or IntegrationZeffy is the donation platform used by CoSA Ottawa. It is 100% free for nonprofits — covering all credit card fees and charging no platform use fee. CoSA Ottawa receives 100% of donations made through Zeffy.
• Donate A Car CanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonate A Car Canada accepts vehicle donations (cars, trucks, RVs, boats, motorcycles) on behalf of CoSA Ottawa. Vehicles are either recycled or sold at auction, with proceeds forwarded to CoSA Ottawa. Free towing is offered in most Canadian regions.
• Chef Ric'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChef Ric's provided catering for the Tasting & Toasting 2026 fundraising event hosted by CoSA Ottawa at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.
• Potter Settlement Artisan WineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPotter Settlement Artisan Wine provided wine tastings for the Tasting & Toasting 2026 fundraising event, contributing to the event experience and success.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Walls to Bridges (Canadian Association): Canadian program offering post-secondary education inside correctional facilities, supporting reintegration through learning. Overlaps with CoSA Ottawa's reintegration focus but uses a different delivery modality (inside-prison education) and broader population.

Direct peers

• CoSA Toronto: Toronto-area CoSA chapter offering the same Circle-based reintegration program for individuals with sexual offence histories. Direct peer to CoSA Ottawa with overlapping referral pipelines and shared national advocacy.
• Circles South East (UK): UK-based Circle of Support and Accountability program referenced in CoSA Ottawa's research (2002-2012 study with zero re-convictions for contact sexual/violent offences among Core Members). Operates the same Circle model internationally and provides the evidence base CoSA Ottawa cites.
• CoSA Hamilton: Original CoSA chapter founded in 1994 in Hamilton, Ontario. Delivers the same Circle model to Core Members with sexual offence histories using trained volunteers, and shares the same national funding and volunteer training infrastructure as CoSA Ottawa.
• CoSA Canada: National umbrella body for Circles of Support and Accountability in Canada. CoSA Ottawa is an affiliate chapter delivering the same Circle model, sharing brand, training, and federal funding channels (Public Safety Canada routed through CoSA Canada until March 2022).

Broad incumbents

• Elizabeth Fry Society (Ottawa): Ottawa-based chapter of the Elizabeth Fry Society, a broader reentry and social support organization for justice-involved individuals. Susan Love (CoSA Ottawa Executive Director) was previously a founder/president of an Elizabeth Fry Society chapter, indicating close programmatic overlap in reintegration services.
• Community Justice Centers (Ontario): Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General program providing restorative justice and diversion services in multiple cities. Comparable as a public sector provider of community-based justice services, though broader in scope than CoSA Ottawa's Circle model.
• John Howard Society of Ottawa: John Howard Society delivers a broad portfolio of crime prevention, reintegration, and restorative justice services in the Ottawa region. Comparable as a community-based reentry support organization, though it serves a wider population than CoSA Ottawa's exclusive focus on sexual offence histories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CoSAOttawa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circles-of-support-and-accountability-ottawa
• Instagraminstagram.com/cosaottawa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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