09/30/2026
Social enterprises are proving that doing business and doing good can go hand in hand in Ottawa.
With support from the Ottawa Community Foundation, the Centre for Social Enterprise Development (CSED) has released the Ottawa Social Enterprise Needs and Opportunities Survey Findings Report, based on responses from 70 local charities and non-profits.
Key findings:
• Local social enterprises earned $41.9M in revenue last year and supported 376 full-time jobs
• 90% of organizations say earned revenue is important to their long-term sustainability
• Most are small and local: 57.4% have 1 to 5 staff, and 81.5% sell within Ottawa-Gatineau
• Only 12.1% of sales go to government buyers, showing room to grow through social procurement
What’s holding them back: limited staff time, access to funding, and reaching new customers.
What would help:
• Stronger connections to business and public-sector buyers
• Flexible start-up funding and seed capital
• One-on-one coaching, training and peer learning
Read the full report and recommendations:https://csedottawa.ca/2026-ottawa-social-enterprise-survey/
