ROBERT KERR FOUNDATION

Name

ROBERT KERR FOUNDATION

Legal name

Robert Kerr Foundation

Website

https://robertkerrfoundation.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grant-Making

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Private foundation grantmaking
• Charitable endowment funding
• Youth education grants
• Homeless services funding
• Nonprofit capital projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Endowment/Investment Returns: Robert Kerr Foundation operates as a private foundation funded by the endowment left by Robert Kerr upon his death in 2010. The foundation distributes grants annually from investment returns on its endowment, with annual allocations ranging from $350,000-$750,000 depending on the year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Robert Kerr Foundation is a Canadian private foundation that distributes grants twice annually (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer) to nonprofit charities addressing critical needs of children, adolescents, and the homeless. The foundation funds specific projects, capital expenditures, and program-related initiatives rather than general operating funds, with annual grant allocations ranging from $350,000 to $750,000. It also independently leads and funds named capital ventures such as Bob's Dental Clinic and Bob's Kitchen.

Product overview

Robert Kerr Foundation is a Canadian private foundation offering grant funding programs and capital projects focused on children, adolescents, and the homeless. The foundation operates through an online grant management platform, publishes a monthly newsletter (The Slant), and has led capital projects including Bob's Kitchen (kitchen skills training with Ve'ahavta), Bob's Dental Clinic (at Evangel Hall Mission), and emergency relief campaigns like Knix-PPE. The foundation targets charities addressing critical health and education needs through risk-taking, data-driven, and impact-focused funding strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bob's Kitchen: Kitchen skills training program at Ve'ahavta helping clients earn food handling certifications and find employment in the food industry.
• Bob's Dental Clinic
• Knix-PPE Emergency Crisis Relief Campaign
• The Slant

Products and services

• Online Grant Management Program An online, automated grant management platform used to receive and process letters of intent and applications from nonprofit organizations on a twice-yearly (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer) cycle.
• The Slant Newsletter The official monthly newsletter of the Robert Kerr Foundation providing engaging, informative content on giving, philanthropy, education, and homelessness.
• Bob's Dental Clinic A state-of-the-art dental clinic for homeless people at Evangel Hall Mission, independently led and funded by the Robert Kerr Foundation with a $130,000 donation in honor of late director Jeff Lyons.
• Bob's Kitchen A kitchen skills training program at Ve'ahavta providing employment training to help clients earn food handling certifications and find employment in the food industry.
• Knix-PPE Emergency Crisis Relief Campaign An emergency PPE distribution initiative in partnership with Knix that provided personal protective equipment weekly to 85 homeless organizations in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual grant allocations ranging from $350,000 to $750,000 depending on year and strategy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers40 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KnixcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2020Partnership with intimate apparel brand Knix to launch Emergency Crisis Relief Campaign during COVID-19 pandemic. Within two weeks of March 2020, partnered to provide PPE weekly to 85 homeless shelters in Greater Toronto Area. Initially RKF was their only supply source, eventually providing 40% of PPE supply.
• Ve'ahavtacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJewish humanitarian organization partnered with since 2015 for Street Outreach Van and Street Academy. RKF became initial supporter of Street Academy, then provided seed capital for Bob's Kitchen project - reconfiguring offices, expanding kitchen, and developing kitchen skills training program to help clients earn food handling certifications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Muttart Foundation: Edmonton-based Canadian private foundation funding children, youth, homelessness, and capacity building. Comparable in private-foundation model and grant focus on under-served populations.
• The Laidlaw Foundation: Toronto-based private foundation focused on children, youth, and the arts with an emphasis on under-served communities. Directly comparable in children/youth grantmaking and GTA footprint.
• The Maytree Foundation: Toronto-based private foundation focused on poverty reduction and homelessness in the GTA. Highly comparable to RKF in mission, geographic focus, and grantmaking style targeting overlooked populations.
• The Metcalf Foundation: Toronto private foundation funding innovative approaches to social issues including homelessness and economic inclusion. Comparable in scale, private-foundation structure, and GTA focus.
• The Slaight Family Foundation: Canadian private foundation supporting youth, health, and homelessness initiatives. Comparable in mission overlap on vulnerable populations and capital-project-style funding.
• The Atkinson Foundation: Toronto-area private foundation funding economic justice, children and youth, and newcomer settlement. Closely comparable in size, mission overlap on youth/education, and regional concentration.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Greater Toronto: Large GTA funder supporting homelessness, poverty, and youth programs across a broad network of agencies. Comparable in serving the same GTA social-services ecosystem but at much greater scale.
• Toronto Foundation: Community foundation serving the Greater Toronto Area across a wider portfolio of causes. Comparable in geography and grantmaking to nonprofits, but a broader, larger incumbent rather than a focused family foundation.

Emerging players

• MakeWay Foundation: Canadian charity that channels donor funds to community-led environmental and social initiatives; RKF has used MakeWay as a pass-through for the Summerlunch+ grant. Comparable as an intermediary enabling community grantmaking.

Regional players

• The Counselling Foundation of Canada: Canadian private foundation funding education, mental health, and youth career development. Comparable in children/education focus but with national rather than GTA-specific reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/robert-kerr-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/Robert_Kerr_Foundation

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 ROBERT KERR FOUNDATION