What Kakivak Association does

Kakivak Association is a private, nonprofit community economic development organization founded in 2000 and headquartered at 109-924 Mivvik Street, Iqaluit, Nunavut. It serves Inuit beneficiaries across 13 communities in the Qikiqtani Region, a 2,200 km geographic span running from Sanikiluaq in southeast Hudson Bay to Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Its mission is to deliver programs and services that enhance community strengths in education, employment, business development, childcare, and the arts.

The organization administers a portfolio of funding programs rather than operating a unified product. Service lines include (i) Students & Youth programs (post-secondary education sponsorship, summer work experience, mentored work placements, science and technology initiatives, career awareness); (ii) Inuit Business Development programs (Makigiaqvik Loans up to $50,000 at 8.5% interest, Sivummut Grants up to $25,000, Small Tools Grants up to $2,500, and the Economic Opportunity Fund up to $10,000); (iii) Employer & Training Partner programs (Individual Sponsorship, Wage Subsidy, Employment-Related Training, Disability Assistance); (iv) Job Seeker support (career counseling and placement); and (v) Childcare Centre support (operations and maintenance funding, Inuit staff incentives, facility construction, plus in-kind provision of medical-grade air purifiers and Home Learning Kits). Major recent initiatives include the $3.1M, three-year High Arctic Trades Training Program serving up to 60 trainees across five High Arctic communities and the QIA-backed $25M cumulative childcare facility construction program across five communities.

The business model is grant administration rather than commercial revenue: Kakivak acts as a delivery agent for federal and Inuit-organization funding streams, principally Employment and Social Development Canada (Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Strategy, Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care) and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association. Programs are free to beneficiaries; go-to-market is community-led through the Iqaluit office, a toll-free line (1-800-561-0911), bilingual English/Inuktitut website, and partnerships with Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation, NCC Development Limited, Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corporation, and Qikiqtani Industry Ltd. The organization is governed by a five-member Inuit board (Chair Adamie Itorcheak, Vice Chair Michael Qappik, Secretary Treasurer Phyllis Kanayuk, Directors Methusalah Kunuk and Micheline Kilabuk-Cote) and is led by CEO/President Sheila Kolola.

Name

Kakivak Association

Legal name

Kakivak Association

Website

https://www.kakivak.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kakivak Association is a nonprofit community economic development organization founded in 2000 and based in Iqaluit that administers federal and Inuit-organization funding programs in education, employment, business development, childcare, and the arts for Inuit beneficiaries across the 13 communities of the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Economic Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous/Tribal Education Authorities & Boards (EDADABAM)

Keywords

• Community economic development
• Inuit employment services
• Post-secondary education funding
• Indigenous business loans
• Childcare infrastructure funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Iqaluit

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Program Administration: Kakivak receives funding from federal and Inuit organization sources to administer community economic development programs including training, employment, childcare, and business development services. The organization acts as a delivery agent for programs funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and other government bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kakivak Association is a nonprofit community economic development organization that administers government-funded programs and redistributes funding to Inuit beneficiaries in the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut. It delivers five main service lines: post-secondary education funding for students, business development loans and grants for Inuit-owned businesses, wage subsidies and training funding for employers, career services for job seekers, and operations/maintenance funding plus infrastructure development for childcare centres. Programs are delivered through direct applications, community outreach, and partnerships with Inuit organizations across 13 communities.

Product overview

Kakivak Association is a community economic development organization serving Inuit in the Qikiqtani Region of Nunavut. The organization does not operate a unified software product but rather administers a portfolio of funding and support programs organized into five main service areas: (1) Students & Youth programs including post-secondary education sponsorship, summer work experience, and science/technology initiatives; (2) Inuit Business Development programs offering Makigiaqvik Loans, Sivummut Grants, Small Tool Grants, and Economic Opportunity Funds; (3) Employer & Training Partner programs including individual sponsorship, wage subsidies, and employment-related training; (4) Job Seeker services providing career counseling and placement support; and (5) Childcare Centre support encompassing operations funding, staff incentives, and infrastructure projects including the provision of medical-grade air purifiers. The Qikiqtani COVID-19 Business Relief Program provides additional emergency support. All programs are designed to enhance Inuit participation in education, employment, and business development across the Baffin region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inuit Post-Secondary Education Program Funding program providing financial support for Inuit pursuing post-secondary education and training, including tuition, books, and living allowances. Targeted at Inuit students in the Qikiqtani Region.
• Summer Work Experience Program Employer wage subsidies providing summer work experience opportunities for Inuit students attending secondary or post-secondary school.
• Mentored Work Placements Program Program supporting youth mentored work experiences and skill acquisition for work placements.
• Science and Technology Program Program supporting activities that promote science and technology as an education and career choice, including science camps and computer clubs.
• Career Promotion and Awareness Program Program providing support for career development information and awareness through projects such as career fairs and leadership sessions.
• Makigiaqvik Loans Business financing loans up to $50,000 with fixed interest rate of 8.5% and repayment schedules up to 7 years for eligible Inuit-owned businesses in the Qikiqtani Region.
• Sivummut Grants to Small Businesses Grants supporting establishment or expansion of Inuit-owned businesses, with funding up to $5,000 for pre-startup, $10,000 for startup, and $10,000 for expansion.
• Small Tool Grants Funding for Inuit artists and craftspeople to purchase tools and supplies, with up to $1,000 for carving tools (available once every five years) and up to $2,500 for sewing machines (available once per lifetime).
• Economic Opportunity Fund (EOF) Grants up to $10,000 for tourism-based businesses in communities adjacent to National Parks in the Qikiqtani Region.
• Individual Sponsorship Program Funding for Inuit enrolled in approved employment training programs, providing training allowances, tuition, books, and travel assistance.
• Wage Subsidy Program Program allowing employers to apply for wage subsidies to hire Inuit employees for 12-48 week periods.
• Employment Related Training Program Funding for on-the-job training, apprenticeships, and course purchases to help individuals obtain or improve employment skills.
• Disability Assistance Program Program providing funding for employers to hire individuals with disabilities, including wage subsidies and equipment assistance.
• Childcare Operations and Maintenance Funding Direct support to approved childcare organizations for either attendance-based or basic operations and maintenance funding.
• Inuit Staff Incentives for Childcare Organizations Incentive programs to support staffing at eligible childcare organizations serving Inuit families.
• Qikiqtani COVID-19 Business Relief Program Emergency relief funding program for businesses in the Qikiqtani Region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60 Inuit trainees will receive job placements through the High Arctic Trades Training Program over three years ($3.1 million investment)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 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.

• Makigiaqta Inuit Training CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation is contributing $1.68 million to the High Arctic Trades Training Program, a partnership initiative delivering trades training and employment for up to 60 Inuit trainees. The program advances Makigiaqta's strategic priorities of foundational skills development and training linked with employment, with legacy outcomes of community infrastructure built by Inuit.
• NCC Development LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022NCC Development Limited is the primary delivery partner for the High Arctic Trades Training Program, providing 10 weeks of classroom learning and hands-on training followed by job placements in community infrastructure projects. The program operates in five High Arctic communities: Clyde River, Pond Inlet, Arctic Bay, Resolute Bay, and Grise Fiord. NCC is supported by Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corporation and Qikiqtani Industry Ltd.
• Qikiqtaaluk Business Development CorporationsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Supporting partner in the High Arctic Trades Training Program, providing support to NCC Development Limited in delivering trades training and employment opportunities in High Arctic communities.
• Qikiqtani Industry LtdsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2022Supporting partner in the High Arctic Trades Training Program, providing support to NCC Development Limited in delivering trades training and employment opportunities in High Arctic communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA): QIA is the regional Inuit association for the Qikiqtani Region and Kakivak's primary financial partner for childcare infrastructure. While a funder rather than competitor, it has strategic overlap in community development and infrastructure delivery.
• Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI): NTI is the Nunavut-wide land claims organization that oversees Inuit rights, funding, and policy. It sits upstream of Kakivak as a funder and policy counterpart, with overlapping beneficiary constituencies but a broader mandate.
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK): ITK is the national Inuit representative organization in Canada. It influences federal Indigenous policy and funding frameworks that Kakivak relies on, making it a policy-level peer and ecosystem partner rather than a direct service-delivery competitor.
• AFOA Canada (Aboriginal Financial Officers Association): AFOA is a national Indigenous-led organization delivering capacity-building, training, and financial management programs to Indigenous organizations. Its mandate partially overlaps Kakivak's business development and organizational development programs.

Direct peers

• Kativik Regional Government: Kativik is the Inuit regional government in Nunavik (Northern Quebec) that administers training, employment, and economic development programs for Inuit — a structurally analogous counterpart to Kakivak serving a different Inuit region.
• Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corporation: Makigiaqta is the Inuit Skills and Employment Training Strategy agreement holder for Nunavut, delivering training and employment programs to Inuit — directly overlapping with Kakivak's employment, training, and wage subsidy offerings and co-funding the High Arctic Trades Training Program.

Emerging players

• Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers (Cando): Cando supports Indigenous economic development officers across Canada through training and networking. It overlaps with Kakivak's business development and capacity-building programs but operates nationally rather than within a single region.

Regional players

• Avataq Cultural Institute: Avataq delivers employment, training, and cultural support programs to Inuit in Nunavik. Comparable mandate to Kakivak but operates in Quebec rather than Nunavut, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kakivak-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kakivak Association