York Region Women's Foundation

What York Region Women's Foundation does

York Region Women's Foundation (YRWF) is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization founded in 2016 and domiciled in York Region, Ontario, that delivers free, barrier-free community programs and research to racialized and marginalized women and girls. Its mission is organized around three pillars: combating violence against women, advancing economic opportunities, and increasing health and wellness. The current active program portfolio includes Women's Work Women's Worth (an employment equity research project and toolkit for Black, South Asian, and Indo-Caribbean women), My Canada! (annual cultural celebration event), Mind Matters (mental health and wellness program for senior women), Golden Girls (weekly seniors social club at Aaniin Community Center), and Art Of Movement (free martial arts program for girls ages 12-17 delivered with Martial Smarts). Past offerings have included soccer programs (GirlGoals), interpreter companion services, interactive workshops, art classes, and research publications such as the Inclusive Aging-Friendly Community Report and Art Against Ageism.

The organization operates without proprietary technology: its core delivery is in-person programming, and digital touchpoints consist of a WordPress website, a PayPal-enabled donation portal, and off-the-shelf social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) plus an email newsletter and SurveyMonkey-based community surveys. YRWF's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating — all programs are provided free of charge to participants, and the foundation is sustained by individual donations, corporate sponsorships (cause marketing, matching gifts, workplace giving, customer giving, volunteerism), and federal government grants such as the New Horizons for Seniors Program and the CPRA Community Sport for All Initiative. Its go-to-market is direct community outreach within York Region through community-center-based delivery and partnerships with municipal recreation bodies, other non-profits (e.g., Human Endeavour), academic institutions (University of Waterloo, McMaster University), and provincial accessibility bodies. No financial scale metrics — revenue, headcount, donor base — are disclosed.

Name

York Region Women's Foundation

Legal name

York Region Women's Foundation

Website

https://yrwf.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

York Region Women's Foundation is a Canadian non-profit founded in 2016 that delivers free community programs, research, and advocacy to racialized and marginalized women and girls in York Region, Ontario, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGABAF

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Women's advocacy services
• Community equity programs
• Senior wellness programs
• Youth empowerment programs
• Settlement support services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

York Region Women's Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 that delivers free community programs and services for racialized and marginalized women and girls across York Region, Ontario. Its work is organized around three pillars: combatting violence against women, advancing economic opportunities, and increasing health and wellness. Programs are offered at no cost to participants, with language supports such as Interpreter Companions to remove access barriers.

Product overview

York Region Women's Foundation operates as a non-profit organization offering equity-based community programs rather than a traditional product company. The portfolio includes current programs focused on martial arts for girls (Art Of Movement), senior social connection (Golden Girls), mental health (Mind Matters), employment equity (Women's Work, Women's Worth), cultural celebration (My Canada!), and youth sports (GirlGoals). Past offerings have included art classes, interactive workshops, interpreter services, peer support, and research publications on age-friendly communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women's Work Women's Worth
• Art Of Movement
• Golden Girls Seniors Social Group
• Mind Matters
• My Canada!
• GirlGoals
• Her Say Her Way
• Art Against Ageism
• Interpreter Companions
• Interactive Workshops
• Art Classes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Martial SmartscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Martial Smarts partners with YRWF to deliver the Art Of Movement martial arts program for underserved and racialized girls ages 12-17. This partnership provides martial arts instruction in a safe and welcoming private space.
• Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023CPRA, via the Community Sport for All Initiative funded by the Government of Canada, supports the Art Of Movement martial arts program for girls in York Region.
• Human EndeavoursupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Human Endeavour, a non-profit serving York and Simcoe regions, collaborated on research regarding social isolation of immigrant women and seniors. CEO Noor Din provided expert perspective for the Inclusive AFC Report.
• The Ontario Seniors' SecretariatsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnered with the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, University of Waterloo, and McMaster University to develop the Age-Friendly Communities guide used for the Inclusive Aging-Friendly Community Report.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• United Way Greater Toronto: Major regional funder and social-services convener in the GTA. Comparable as an ecosystem participant that funds many of the same community-based programs YRWF partners with, and represents both a potential funder and an indirect peer in addressing community social needs.

Emerging players

• PFLAG Canada: National non-profit supporting LGBTQ individuals and their families. Partially comparable given YRWF's targeted programs for LGBTQ seniors and newcomer women — overlapping on inclusion, advocacy, and community support for marginalized populations.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Shelters Canada: National umbrella organization supporting violence-against-women shelters and services across Canada. Comparable as a coordinating body addressing violence against women — one of YRWF's three stated mission pillars — with national policy and advocacy scope.
• YWCA Canada: National federation of YWCAs delivering housing, employment, and anti-violence services to women and girls. Comparable mission and program categories (economic advancement, violence prevention, wellness), with significantly broader geographic and operational scale.

Direct peers

• Canadian Women's Foundation: National grantmaking and program-delivery foundation advancing gender equality across Canada. Directly comparable as a women's-focused non-profit offering economic empowerment, violence prevention and inclusion programs, though at a national rather than regional scale.
• Nellie's: Toronto-based non-profit providing shelter, transitional housing and outreach for women and children fleeing violence. Directly comparable as a women-focused social-services non-profit in the GTA addressing violence and economic instability, though with a more shelter-centric model.
• Interval House: Greater Toronto Area non-profit offering shelter, counseling and anti-violence programs for women. Comparable as a GTA women's services organization addressing violence against women and economic vulnerability, with overlap in target population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/YorkRegionWF
• Facebookfacebook.com/YorkRegionWF
• Instagraminstagram.com/yorkregionwf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yrwf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about York Region Women's Foundation