What Ywca Banff does

YWCA Banff is a registered Canadian charity (No. 896331485RR0001), headquartered at 102 Spray Ave, Banff, Alberta, with a secondary planned site in Canmore via the Higher Ground Project. The organization delivers a comprehensive suite of community social services in the Bow Valley region — a tourism-dependent corridor where approximately 90% of the local economy is driven by tourism and ~3,800 tourism workers annually access YWCA programs. Core service lines include emergency shelter, transitional housing (Bridge House), affordable housing (Courtyard Project — 33 units), trauma-informed counselling, and violence prevention/education programs (Harmony Project, Power of Being a Girl conferences, Upstander Training). Customer segments include women and families experiencing domestic or sexual violence, immigrant and refugee women (via The Shoe Project), youth in grades 4–12, and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members.

Historically, YWCA Banff operated a social enterprise hotel for 30 years (closed March 31, 2025) that generated approximately 60% of annual revenues, with the remainder sourced from individual donations, recurring fundraising events (VINEart Gala, Charity Classic, Hope for the Holidays), and government grants (federal, Alberta, municipal). The organization employs 11–50 staff and is governed by an independent Board of Directors led by Kate Boyd (President) and CEO Ebony Rempel (since January 2021). Underlying technology is limited to a standard non-profit stack — a website, social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), email newsletter, and DonorPerfect-integrated donation forms; there is no proprietary platform, API offering, or advanced technology component documented.

In December 2024, YWCA Banff entered a transformative partnership with SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) and the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation, anchored by a $30M donation — the largest in the organization's history. The deal allocates $20M to SAIT for a Banff-based hospitality training campus and $10M to YWCA Banff for capital upgrades (counselling spaces, emergency shelter enhancements, transitional housing renovations). The strategic intent is to substitute the historical hotel revenue stream with partnership-based, donation-funded, and government-funded programming while expanding capacity in housing and workforce training. Major institutional funding relationships include the Government of Alberta ($2.6M for Courtyard), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (~$6.34M in September 2021), the National Housing Strategy's Affordable Housing Innovation Fund ($1.35M), and the Banff Canmore Community Foundation (Wilson Endowment Fund of $270,000).

Name

Ywca Banff

Legal name

YWCA Banff

Website

https://ywcabanff.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YWCA Banff is a registered Canadian charity that delivers housing, shelter, counselling, and violence-prevention services to women, families, and vulnerable populations (including tourism workers) across the Bow Valley region in Alberta.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Domestic violence services
• Emergency shelter services
• Transitional housing programs
• Violence prevention education
• Community counselling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Banff

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Enterprise Hotel (Historical): The YWCA Banff Hotel operated as a social enterprise for 30 years, generating revenues that were reinvested into domestic and sexual violence prevention programs and capital infrastructure. The hotel typically accounted for 60% of annual revenues. The hotel closed on March 31, 2025 as part of a strategic transition to partner with SAIT and the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation.
2. Donations and Fundraising: YWCA Banff relies on funding from donors, funders, and community partners. The organization conducts various fundraising campaigns and events including VINEart Gala, Charity Classic, Hope for the Holidays campaign, and monthly donation programs.
3. Government Grants and Funding: Funding from federal, provincial, and municipal governments including grants for violence prevention, housing projects, and COVID-19 response support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YWCA Banff delivers emergency shelter, transitional and affordable housing, trauma-informed counselling, and violence prevention education programs for women, children, and families experiencing gender-based violence in the Bow Valley region. It operates a 90,000-square-foot campus providing integrated wraparound services alongside community programming and social enterprise initiatives.

Product overview

YWCA Banff offers a comprehensive suite of social services focused on empowering women and creating a safe, inclusive Bow Valley community. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including housing services (affordable housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing through Bridge House and the Higher Ground Project), violence prevention programs (Harmony Project, counselling), and youth empowerment initiatives (Power of Being a Girl conferences, The Shoe Project for immigrant women). Additional offerings include community education events, women's circle gatherings, and the now-closed YWCA Banff Hotel social enterprise that previously funded operations. The organization recently partnered with SAIT and the Wim & Nancy Pauw Foundation for a new tourism and hospitality centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harmony Project: A program bringing together service providers to end sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Bow Valley, focusing on violence prevention, awareness, and training.
• The Shoe Project
• Power of Being a Girl

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 4,200 individuals annually with approximately 3,800 working in the tourism industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with SAIT to create a new tourism and hospitality centre at YWCA Banff, training hospitality professionals. This partnership allows YWCA Banff to transition away from the hotel model and focus on community service core programs while providing world-class training for tourism industry workers.
• Homeless to Housing CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInter-agency group including Addiction and Mental Health, Job Resource Centre, Town of Banff, Town of Canmore, and YWCA Banff, led the Rural Housing and Service Needs Estimation Project to measure housing and homelessness service needs.
• Town of BanffcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with YWCA Banff to provide isolation spaces during COVID-19 pandemic. Provided funding support for community response programs.
• REST Program (Canmore)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWCA Banff staff member helped launch the REST Program in Canmore, a winter mat program supporting vulnerable individuals.
• Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (ACWS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACWS created the Leading Change gender-based violence prevention training program that YWCA Banff delivers in the Bow Valley, with funding from Alberta Status of Women.
• Fenlands Recreation CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for Power of Being a Girl conferences in Banff, providing Meeting Room 1 for the event.
• Banff Pride and Canmore PrideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partners for Allyship in Action workshop presented by The Harmony Project, supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ community inclusion.
• Centre for SexualityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Power of Being a Girl TEEN conference workshop on gender stereotypes, healthy relationships, consent, and bystander intervention.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley: Bow Valley peer organization addressing homelessness and housing insecurity; YWCA Banff's Board Chair also sits on this organization's board, reflecting tight regional collaboration.
• Wellspring Calgary (now YWCA Hub for Calgary): Comparable YWCA-affiliated entity delivering community and housing services within Alberta; useful reference for governance, scale, and funding tactics in the same regional context.

Direct peers

• Niagara Region Women's Shelter (Willowridge Welcome Centre): Non-profit operating emergency shelter, transitional housing, and violence-prevention programming for women and children; broadly comparable operating model to YWCA Banff's shelter and housing portfolio.
• Sagesse: Calgary-based non-profit delivering domestic violence prevention programming, healthy-relationship education, and survivor support; comparable peer given overlapping prevention-focused offerings.
• YWCA Calgary: Alberta-based YWCA chapter offering emergency shelter, transitional and affordable housing, counselling, and violence-prevention programming — directly comparable service mix and target population in the same province.
• Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter: Specialized shelter and support services for women and children fleeing domestic violence in Alberta; closely comparable mission, service design, and funding model.

Broad incumbents

• YWCA Canada: National federation that YWCA Banff is part of; coordinates policy, advocacy, and federation-wide programming for women and gender equity across Canada, making it the closest umbrella peer.
• Canadian Women's Foundation: National funder and convener focused on gender-based violence prevention and women's economic empowerment; relevant as a programmatic and funding-network peer across the same beneficiary population.
• Alberta Council of Women's Shelters: Provincial umbrella body coordinating Alberta's network of women's shelters; YWCA Banff participates through the Leading Change program and received the 2020 Inspiration Award from ACWS.

Others

• Addiction and Mental Health Services (Alberta Health Services - Bow Valley): Public-sector partner operating in the same Bow Valley catchment; YWCA Banff refers and co-serves clients with AHS on housing, mental health, and addiction, making it a closely linked ecosystem peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/YWCABanff
• Facebookfacebook.com/YWCABanff
• Instagraminstagram.com/ywcabanff
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ywca-banff

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Ywca Banff