Built for Impact,
Ready for Market
Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey Report
Social enterprise Astrosankofa. Photo by Garcia Creatives.
Canada’s social enterprise sector is a vital engine driving inclusive growth, innovation, and community resilience across every province and territory. Built for Impact, Ready for Market, is a pivotal report revealing the data, stories, and recommendations emerging from the Canadian Social Enterprise Sector Survey conducted earlier this year.
This is the first national survey data on the sector in a decade, which captures insights from over 400 Canadian social enterprises across every province and territory.
A growing and innovative sector
The report findings identify a sector that is dynamic, innovative, and economically significant:
Growth and innovation: 22% of respondents launched a new enterprise or service offering in the past year, with some exploring innovative approaches like social franchising to social acquisition.
Economic scale: Collectively, these enterprises reported over $6.5 billion in revenue (2025) and paid more than $250 million in wages. Note: These figures likely underrepresent the true scale, as not all enterprises shared this data.
Employment impact: Respondents employ over 18,000 people, including more than 5,600 individuals facing barriers to employment. Note: These figures are also likely underrepresented, as not all enterprises collected or shared this data.
Despite these successes, the sector faces three primary systemic constraints: access to markets (procurement), access to capacity building, and access to finance. While social enterprises drive community wellbeing, they operate in systems not yet built for their unique business models.
Beyond the statistics
This report digs deeper than surface-level numbers. It analyzes the three areas of growth constraint and illustrates innovative solutions through case studies. Buy Social Canada calls for a coordinated shift toward social procurement, tailored capacity building, and patient capital. These levers are essential to unlock the sector’s full potential for inclusive economic growth.
Social enterprise is Canada’s engine for inclusive growth
Explore the report
Certified Social Enterprise The Raw Carrot
Access the full report for comprehensive data, stories of impact and innovation, and key levers for action.
Prefer a snapshot? Start with the 9-page Executive Summary or the 20-page Summary Report.
Learn more about Buy Social Canada’s work at buysocialcanada.com, and subscribe to the Buy Social Canada newsletter for updates, insights, and future opportunities to engage.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that we live, work, and learn on unceded, traditional, and ancestral lands of Indigenous and First Nations peoples. We invite you to consider what efforts we can all take to repair and improve our relations with Indigenous people locally and globally.
Nous reconnaissons respectueusement que nous vivons, travaillons et apprenons sur un territoire traditionnel et ancestral autochtone non cédé. Nous vous exhortons à réfléchir aux efforts que nous pouvons tous entreprendre pour rétablir et améliorer nos relations avec les peuples autochtones d’ici et d’ailleurs.