Third Space Charity Society

What Third Space Charity Society does

Third Space Charity Society is a Canadian registered charity (BN 830890109RR0001) founded in 2012 by the Stober Family and headquartered at 1708 Dolphin Avenue #104 in Kelowna, British Columbia, with a satellite office at the UBC Okanagan Student Union Building. The organization operates a single dual-impact program: providing pay-what-you-can supportive care counselling to young adults aged 18 to 29 in the Central Okanagan while simultaneously training graduate counselling students through a clinically-supervised practicum. Counselling is delivered both in-person and online, with clients unable to pay eligible for up to seven free sessions. Services are staffed by supervised graduate student clinicians drawn from partner institutions including UBC Okanagan, Gonzaga, Yorkville, CityU, and Athabasca, under registered clinical supervisors.

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack: individual and monthly donations (processed via CanadaHelps), community grants (Valley First Community Endowment Grant, City of Kelowna Social Development Grant), a founding family foundation (Stober Foundation), corporate sponsorships (Nicola Wealth as Gold, PurKids Foundation as Silver, Doak Shirreff Lawyers as Bronze, plus Raymond James donation matching), and event-driven fundraising. The flagship community engagement asset is the OPEN SPACE Event Series, co-hosted with Okanagan Lifestyle on a tri-annual cadence, which has attracted over 600 guests and raised more than $82,000 since its 2024 launch. Additional fundraising events include Trainer Revenge (fitness) and Pins for Purpose (bowling). An Ambassador Program provides volunteer-driven community advocacy.

The organization's go-to-market is community-led: referrals and partnerships with UBC Okanagan and 40+ local organizations drive client acquisition, supplemented by content marketing (blog, Instagram, quarterly email newsletter) and earned media through community collaborations. Leadership consists of Executive Director Megan Woodruff, Director of Operations Jennifer Vulcan, a clinical supervision team (Sharlene O'Reilly, Barb Egan), a Community Engagement Manager (Aarya Issar), Financial Manager (Chemen Osberg), and a Board of Directors chaired by Patrick Ng. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; headcount is reported at 1-10. The organization holds no patents or proprietary technology assets — its competitive position rests on community ecosystem, talent pipeline, and brand trust rather than technological differentiation.

Name

Third Space Charity Society

Legal name

Third Space Charity

Website

https://thirdspacecanada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Third Space Charity Society is a Kelowna, BC registered charity founded in 2012 that delivers pay-what-you-can supportive counselling to young adults aged 18-29 in the Central Okanagan while training graduate counselling students through a clinically-supervised internship program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Counselling Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Mental health counselling
• Pay-what-you-can counselling
• Graduate counselling internships
• Nonprofit mental wellness
• Youth mental health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual and monthly donations from community partners and supporters. The organization accepts donations through CanadaHelps platform and runs fundraising events (OPEN SPACE, Trainer Revenge, Pins for Purpose) that directly fund the pay-what-you-can counselling program.
2. Community Grants: Funding from government and foundation grants including Valley First Community Endowment Grant, City of Kelowna Social Development Grant, and other community foundation sponsors. These grants support operations and specific programming.
3. Pay-What-You-Can Fees: Fee-for-service counselling on a pay-what-you-can model. Clients who cannot pay still receive up to 7 sessions of supportive care counselling at no cost. This creates accessible mental health services while generating modest revenue from those who can contribute.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Third Space Charity Society delivers accessible, pay-what-you-can supportive care counselling to Central Okanagan residents aged 18 to 29, online and in-person, with up to 7 free sessions available for clients unable to pay. Service delivery is provided by graduate student clinicians under registered clinical counsellor supervision, and the organization simultaneously operates a Graduate Student Counselling Internship Training Program for emerging mental health professionals. Funding is sourced through donations, foundation and municipal grants, and community fundraising events such as the OPEN SPACE Event Series.

Product overview

Third Space Charity Society operates a single-program, dual-impact model centered on providing accessible mental health services to young adults while simultaneously training the next generation of mental health professionals. The organization offers Pay-What-You-Can Supportive Care Counselling services for individuals aged 18-29, delivered by supervised graduate student clinicians. This core counselling service is supported by the Graduate Student Counselling Internship Training Program, which provides real-world experience to emerging practitioners. The OPEN SPACE Event Series is a community engagement initiative that raises funds for counselling services while fostering mental wellness conversations. Additional offerings include the Ambassador Program for community advocacy and the Caring for the Carer's Award for recognizing mental health worker support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OPEN SPACE Event Series: A community conversation series for mental wellness, co-hosted with Okanagan Lifestyle, designed to strengthen mental wellness through honest connection and dialogue.

Products and services

• Pay-What-You-Can Supportive Care Counselling Accessible, supervised supportive care counselling for young adults aged 18 to 29 in the Central Okanagan, delivered online or in-person at no cost or pay-what-you-can rates for up to 7 sessions, with clinical oversight provided by registered clinical counsellors.
• Graduate Student Counselling Internship Training Program A clinically-supervised practicum program providing real-world counselling experience to graduate students of social work and counselling programs from partner institutions including UBC Okanagan, Gonzaga, Yorkville, CityU, and Athabasca, supporting the registered counsellor credentialing pathway.
• OPEN SPACE Event Series A tri-annual community-driven event series co-hosted with Okanagan Lifestyle that supports mental wellness through expert panels, anonymous audience engagement, and community conversation, with proceeds funding the pay-what-you-can counselling program.
• Caring for the Carer's Award An annual recognition award honouring individuals or groups who provide exceptional professional care for frontline mental health care workers, with recipients including Levi Simpson (2024) and Melissa Berry Appleton (2023).

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ community members engaged through OPEN SPACE events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 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 core and secondary.

• University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo-fold partnership: UBCO Student Union Office provides free office space on campus for accessible counselling to students. UBCO School of Social Work partners for the Graduate Student Internship Training Program, providing real-world clinically-supervised experience to future mental health professionals.
• Okanagan LifestylecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts the OPEN SPACE Event Series, a tri-annual mental wellness conversation series. Partners on educational activities including truth and reconciliation and disability awareness. Aligned on multiple levels to support mental health in the community.
• Melissa Berry AppletonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuddhist chaplain, meditation, yoga movement, and trauma-informed mindfulness teacher who supports Third Space Charity interns through training in self-care for frontline work.
• Switch ResearchsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduces science-backed journals and wellness programs supporting mental and emotional health. Their generous donations enable Third Space to offer this resource to staff, interns, and clients free of charge.
• REC FitnesssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPresents Trainer Revenge 2026 event (year 3) in partnership with Nicola Wealth and Great Expectations Foundation. Physical health and mental health event connecting fitness community to accessible counselling fundraising.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kids Help Phone: Canada-wide nonprofit providing free, confidential e-mental health services to young people. Comparable as a broad peer in the youth mental health services space, particularly on accessibility and free-tier service delivery.
• Canadian Mental Health Association - BC Division: Largest Canadian mental health nonprofit, operating programs across BC including BounceBack. Comparable as a peer because it provides community-based mental health services, education, and advocacy in overlapping geographies with overlapping target populations.
• Wellness Together Canada: Government-funded portal offering free mental health and substance use support to Canadians. Comparable as a broad peer in the accessible youth mental health services category, especially on the free online counselling side.

Direct peers

• Jack.org: Canadian nonprofit focused on young adult mental health leadership and peer-to-peer support. Direct peer because it targets a similar demographic (young Canadians) with a community-driven mental wellness mission.
• Foundry: BC-based nonprofit network providing integrated youth mental health and wellness services for ages 12-24, including counselling. Direct peer because both organizations serve young adults in BC with accessible mental health programming and share a similar community-care model.
• Family Services of Greater Vancouver: BC nonprofit providing counselling and social services across the Lower Mainland. Direct peer because it offers accessible, low-cost counselling services in British Columbia with a community-based nonprofit structure similar to Third Space.
• Here2Talk: BC post-secondary student mental health service offering free counselling. Direct peer because it provides free, accessible mental health support specifically to BC students/young adults, overlapping with Third Space's UBC Okanagan student services.
• Open Path Collective: US-based nonprofit connecting clients with therapists for $30-$80 sessions, focused on affordability. Direct peer because its core mission — affordable mental health care for those who cannot pay full price — closely mirrors Third Space's pay-what-you-can model.

Emerging players

• Pacific Post Partum Support Society: BC nonprofit offering peer-support-based mental health services with a volunteer/peer-support model. Comparable as a peer because it uses a similar community-led, peer-supported model to deliver accessible mental health services in British Columbia.

Regional players

• Kelowna Gospel Mission: Kelowna-based nonprofit providing social services, shelter, and community support. Regional peer because it operates in the same Central Okanagan geography serving overlapping vulnerable populations with community-funded programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thirdspacecanada
• Facebookfacebook.com/thirdspacecharity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/third-space-life-charity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Third Space Charity Society