What DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC. does

DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC., operating as Thrive Youth Development Canada, is a Canadian registered charity founded in 1996 that delivers free arts-based leadership and experiential learning programs for children and youth aged 9 to 17 in under-resourced communities. Headquartered in Toronto at the Ashbridge Estate (1444 Queen St E, Suite 101), the organization operates programs across Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, remote First Nation communities, and virtually under Canadian charitable registration number 88691 7764 RR0002.

The organization's product portfolio comprises four core programs—Learn Create Explore (LCE) for ages 9-13, Build to Change (BTC) for ages 12-15, Youth Lead Impact (YLI) for ages 14-18, and Thrive Days in-school events—built on a proprietary Theory of Change Model that intentionally progresses participants from self-identity exploration through peer interaction to community leadership. Programs are delivered through partnerships with school boards, community organizations, and a network of professional artist-educators in formats spanning in-school workshops, after-school intensives, and summer/spring break camps in Rexdale, Thorncliffe Park, Surrey, Vancouver, and Etobicoke. Reported outcomes include 96% of students identifying as leaders after participating and 86% reporting they feel like their "best selves," with 100% of parents and teachers approving of repeat engagement.

Thrive Youth operates as a non-profit with revenue generated entirely through donations, foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, corporate employee engagement programs (Thrive Days, Creativity Kits, Team Building Workshops), and planned giving. Flagship financial supporters include RBC as National Lead Supporter of YLI, Peter Gilgan Foundation and Counselling Foundation of Canada for BTC, and Ecclesiastical Insurance; the annual Anti-Gala draws broad corporate sponsorship from HUB International, Markel, KPMG, PwC, BMO, Manulife, and Canada Life. The organization has cumulatively served over 20,000 young Canadians and operates with 11-50 staff plus a Board of Directors drawn from major Canadian financial and professional services firms including HUB International, RBC, Fairfax Financial, EY, CAPREIT, and Infrastructure Ontario.

Name

DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC.

Legal name

DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC.

Website

https://thriveyouth.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC. (Thrive Youth Development Canada) is a Toronto-based Canadian charity founded in 1996 that delivers free arts-based leadership and experiential learning programs to children and youth aged 9-17 in under-resourced communities across Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Growth Mindset, Motivation & Goal-Setting Programs (EDAMAIAE), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL)

Keywords

• Youth development programs
• Arts-based education
• Leadership training
• Nonprofit youth services
• Experiential learning programs

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. Individual Donations: Direct donations from individual supporters who believe in the organization's mission to empower young leaders. The organization accepts one-time and recurring donations.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations (e.g., Peter Gilgan Foundation, Counselling Foundation of Canada, Bradstreet Family Foundation, COMART Foundation) and corporations (e.g., RBC as National Lead Supporter, Ecclesiastical Insurance Community Impact Grant) to support specific programs.
3. Corporate Employee Engagement: Organizations partner with Thrive for employee engagement activities including Thrive Days, Creativity Kits, Supply Drives, and Team Building Workshops. These activations provide options that cater to a broad range of CSR budgets.
4. Planned Giving and Bequests: Individuals can include Thrive Youth in their estate or long-term financial planning through bequests, gifts of life insurance, or securities donations.
5. Securities Donations: Acceptance of gifts of stocks or securities through CanadaHelps, providing tax benefits to donors while generating support for operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Thrive Youth Development Canada (legally DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC.) delivers free arts-based leadership development and experiential learning programs for children and youth aged 9 to 17 in under-resourced Canadian communities. Core programs include Learn Create Explore (LCE) in-school and summer workshops, Build to Change (BTC) after-school project-based training, Youth Lead Impact (YLI) innovation incubator, and Thrive Days full-day in-school leadership events, all delivered free of charge.

Product overview

Thrive Youth Development Canada (formerly DAREarts) offers a portfolio of free arts-based youth development programs including Learn Create Explore (LCE) for ages 9-13, Build to Change (BTC) for ages 12-15, Youth Lead Impact (YLI) for ages 14-18, and Thrive Days in-school workshops. Programs are delivered in Ontario, British Columbia, and virtually, with summer camp locations in Rexdale, Thorncliffe Park, Surrey, and Vancouver. The organization also runs corporate employee engagement programs and an annual Anti-Gala event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learn Create Explore (LCE) Free in-school and summer arts-based leadership workshops for children aged 9 to 13 in grades 4 to 7, led by professional artist-educators and delivered directly in school classrooms.
• Build to Change (BTC) Free ten-session after-school program for youth aged 12 to 15 combining project management skill-building workshops with a variety of art forms to support young people who want to make a difference in their community.
• Youth Lead Impact (YLI)

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of students report they feel like their 'best selves' working with Thrive Youth
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• HUB InternationalflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Signature Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala. Partner for corporate employee engagement including Thrive Days at schools where HUB employees volunteer alongside students in arts-based leadership activities.
• MarkelcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Luminary Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala. Partner for Thrive Days corporate volunteer events supporting youth leadership development.
• Vancouver School BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Educational partner for Youth Lead Impact (YLI) program delivery. Hosted YLI Spring Break program at Windermere Secondary School. Ongoing partnership for school-based programming.
• National Ballet of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner through Share the Magic program, providing tickets to The Nutcracker performance for Thrive Youth participants and their families, offering exposure to world-class performing arts.
• LEAF (Linear Ecological Artistic Foundation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner for Spring Break LCE program, leading urban forest exploration activities that inspired campers' eco-sustainability projects.
• Clay With MeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Community art partner for Spring Break LCE program, leading hands-on mosaic tile crafting workshops.
• Fashion Takes ActionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner for Spring Break LCE program, delivering workshops on sustainable fashion through the 7 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Repair, Resell, Rent, Recycle).
• Green Thumbs TorontominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Community partner providing venue and workshop for Spring Break LCE camp at Allan Gardens, including urban gardening and nature drawing activities.
• NBIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025VIP Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• DefinityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Bold Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• Intact InsuranceminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Bold Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Courageous Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• ManulifeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Courageous Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• PwCminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Courageous Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• BMOminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Brave Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.
• Canada LifeminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Brave Sponsor of the 2025 Anti-Gala.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frontier College: Canadian literacy and learning nonprofit serving children, youth, and adults in under-resourced communities through volunteer-based programming. Comparable to Thrive Youth Development Canada on community-based, free, donor-funded educational programming for underserved populations, but with a literacy rather than arts-based curriculum.
• Junior Achievement Canada: Canadian nonprofit delivering experiential education in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship to youth, including in under-resourced communities. Comparable to Thrive on youth-skill-development mission, experiential methodology, school-based delivery, and donor/corporate funding model, though focused on business rather than arts skills.
• Right To Play: International nonprofit that uses sport and play-based experiential learning to deliver leadership and life-skills outcomes for children and youth in underserved communities. Closely comparable to Thrive Youth Development Canada on model (free programs, donor-funded, leadership-development outcomes) with sport substituting for arts as the experiential medium.
• Pathways to Education: Canadian nonprofit providing multi-year supports to youth in low-income communities to increase high school graduation and post-secondary access. Comparable to Thrive on youth-development mission, school-based delivery in under-resourced Canadian communities, and philanthropic funding model, though focused on academic rather than arts outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Toronto: Toronto-based nonprofit delivering settlement, housing, and youth programming including girls' and young women's leadership programs. Comparable to Thrive Youth Development Canada on youth leadership development, Toronto presence, donor-funded delivery, and focus on underserved populations.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada: National federation of youth-serving clubs offering after-school programming in under-resourced communities across Canada. Overlaps with Thrive on youth development, after-school delivery, and school-community partnerships, but operates at much broader scale and with recreation rather than arts-based curriculum focus.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada: Canadian youth mentoring nonprofit serving children and youth facing adversity through volunteer mentoring relationships. Comparable to Thrive Youth Development Canada on youth-development mission, donor-funded model, and presence in underserved Canadian communities, but focused on one-to-one mentoring rather than group arts programming.

Regional players

• Covenant House Toronto: Toronto-based charity providing shelter, housing, and youth services for at-risk and homeless youth. Comparable to Thrive on youth-development mission and free donor-funded programming in under-resourced Toronto communities, but focused on crisis intervention rather than arts-based leadership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thriveyouthcan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 DAREARTS FOUNDATION INC.