Ethnicity Matters co-founders Bobby Sahni (left) and Howard Lichtman.

No Fixed Address is building upon its North American expansion plans by taking an equity stake in multicultural agency Ethnicity Matters.

The partnership will allow the agencies to “work together in a complementary way to better service each others’ clients and also to create a strategic business foundation for future growth,” says Serge Rancourt, CEO and co-founder of NFA. The exact size or cost of the stake was not disclosed, but was described as an ownership position by NFA.

“With this partnership, Ethnicity Matters and NFA expand capabilities to put a spotlight on multiculturalism,” says Bobby Sahni, co-founder and partner at Ethnicity Matters. “NFA’s integrated model firepower, combined with Ethnicity Matters’ expertise in diverse marketing, creates an opportunity for clients to make their campaigns impactful for all consumers.”

Ethnicity Matters was founded in 2003 by Sahni and Howard Lichtman. Since then, the agency has worked on mulitcultural campaigns for the likes of CIBC, Kruger, Samsung, BC Dairy and Canada Dry Motts.

The deal aligns Ethnicity Matters with the NFA network, which includes L’agence NFA Montreal – formed last year with the folding-in of Supernormal – as well as New York’s Mischief @ No Fixed Address, which launched last June. In addition to those agencies, No Fixed Address has its own offices in Toronto and New York.

The move also formalizes an existing relationship between the two agencies, which began two years ago when Rancourt joined the Ethnicity Matters advisory board. That relationship deepened when Rebecca Ho, who had been part of NFA’s leadership team, moved to Ethnicity Matters as its COO earlier this year.

Last month, No Fixed Address named a new president.