Catie's Closet

What Catie's Closet does

Catie's Closet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Dracut, Massachusetts that operates a network of free in-school 'closets' providing clothing, toiletries, shoes, and basic necessities to preK-12 students living in poverty. Founded in 2010 in memory of Catie Bisson, the organization has grown from a single closet at Lowell High School to 143 schools across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, serving more than 105,000 students in districts where 50%+ of the student body is economically disadvantaged. Its core product is a dual-track service model: the In-School Closet Program embeds discreet shopping spaces directly inside partner schools so students can self-select items during school hours, while the SOS Urgent Response Program delivers customized two-week clothing and essentials packages to children in crisis transitions (homelessness, foster care, refugee resettlement, fire, abuse) within 48 hours via vetted social service agency partners.

The organization runs a physical goods and volunteer operations model with no proprietary technology platform; the underlying 'platform' is the network of school-embedded closets plus three distribution centers (Dracut, Boston, East Longmeadow), supported by conventional SaaS tools (WooCommerce for the Be Me Marketplace, Classy.org for peer-to-peer fundraising, Every.org for non-cash asset donations, Pardot for email, Double the Donation for matching gifts). A national affiliate licensing model allows independent 501(c)(3) organizations in new regions to license the Catie's Closet name and use its inventory and marketing systems, provided they serve at least 50 schools or 50,000 students. The Be Me® registered sub-brand extends the mission into a self-esteem and empowerment movement, with a branded merchandise marketplace generating incremental revenue.

Revenue is generated entirely through philanthropic channels: corporate sponsorships across defined tiers ($2,500 Confidence Partner to $100,000+ Leadership Partner, plus per-closet School Success Partners at $25K-$50K and SOS tiers at $7,500-$15,000), individual donations (one-time, monthly Catie's Circle from $10/month, peer-to-peer, planned giving via DAFs, crypto, stock), foundation and government grants (e.g., Imagine Learning Foundation $100K in 2025, Liberty Mutual Foundation $210K in 2024), the Be Me Marketplace merchandise e-commerce channel ($5-$45 price points), and an annual signature gala that raised $459,000 in 2026. The organization reports that 95-96 cents of every dollar raised is deployed to direct programming services, and is rated Platinum by Candid and 4-Stars by Charity Navigator.

Name

Catie's Closet

Legal name

Catie's Closet, Inc.

Website

https://catiescloset.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catie's Closet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates free in-school clothing closets in 143 schools across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, serving more than 105,000 preK-12 students living in poverty. It also delivers 48-hour emergency clothing packages to children in crisis via vetted social service agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dracut

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship and Philanthropy: Companies and foundations sponsor Catie's Closet at defined tiers: Leadership Partner ($100,000+), School Success Partner ($25,000–$50,000 per closet), SOS Urgent Response Partner ($7,500–$15,000), and Confidence Partner ($2,500–$5,000). Sponsors receive logo placement, event recognition, employee engagement opportunities, and impact reporting.
2. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute via one-time and recurring monthly donations (Catie's Circle program), peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and event attendance. The annual gala 'A Night to Open Doors' raised $459,000 in 2026. Donors receive tax receipts and giving levels with recognition benefits.
3. Be Me Marketplace (Merchandise Sales): The Be Me Marketplace sells branded merchandise (sweatshirts, t-shirts, flip flops, tote bags, wine glasses, etc.) at price points from $5 to $45. Proceeds fund the purchase of basic necessities for students served.
4. Foundation and Government Grants: Catie's Closet receives grants from foundations including the Imagine Learning Foundation ($100,000 in 2025) and Liberty Mutual Foundation ($210,000 in 2025). Grants are designated for specific programs such as the SOS Urgent Response Program or school-specific closet operations.
5. Planned Giving and Non-Cash Asset Donations: Donors contribute through donor-advised funds (DAFs), IRA qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), cryptocurrency, appreciated stock, and legacy bequests. The organization partners with Every.org to process DAF, crypto, and stock donations online.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Catie's Closet operates free, fully stocked in-school clothing boutiques inside schools where at least 50% of students are economically disadvantaged, giving preK-12 students dignified, on-demand access to clothing, toiletries, and basic necessities during school hours. It also runs the SOS Urgent Response Program, delivering customized two-week emergency clothing packages within 48 hours to children in crisis (homeless, foster care, refugees, fire victims, abuse survivors) through vetted social service agencies. The organization is funded entirely through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and foundation grants.

Product overview

Catie's Closet operates a dual-program model centered on providing children in need with clothing and basic necessities through in-school access. The In-School Closet Program transforms spaces inside schools into free shopping venues where preK-12 students can discreetly select clothing and essentials. The SOS Urgent Response Program complements this by delivering emergency packages within 48 hours to children in crisis through vetted social service agency partners. The Be Me Initiative serves as an empowerment sub-brand promoting self-love, with the Be Me Marketplace as its merchandise extension. Together, these programs and the 140+ closet network form a unified approach to removing barriers to education for economically disadvantaged students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Be Me: A self-love movement and initiative that empowers kids to explore who they are as individuals and gives them the boost they need to express themselves with unapologetic confidence. The Be Me Initiative includes the Be Me Marketplace which sells merchandise, with proceeds supporting the students served.

Products and services

• In-School Closet Program Transforms unused areas inside schools into welcoming spaces where preK-12 students can shop discreetly for clothing, toiletries, and basic necessities during school hours, free of charge. Targets schools where 50%+ of students live in poverty, serving over 105,000 students across 143 schools.
• SOS Urgent Response Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of every dollar raised goes directly to programming and direct services
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Red Sox and JetBlue (MLB.com Partnership)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 April 2025Boston Red Sox and JetBlue partnered with Catie's Closet to distribute over 40,000 baseball hats to Boston Public Schools students and staff through Catie's Closet's school network.
• Earth BreezecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarth Breeze provides laundry detergent for Catie's Closet's closets and SOS orders through their Dignity Through Detergent program — for every package of Eco Sheets sold, they donate ten loads of detergent to organizations serving individuals in need. This addresses a common request from shelters and outreach programs.
• 1% for the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCatie's Closet is a member of 1% for the Planet, pledging to donate 1% of sales revenue to environmental causes. This aligns with the organization's sustainability messaging around textile recycling and environmental impact reduction.
• Every.orgcoreTechnology or IntegrationEvery.org provides the technology platform enabling Catie's Closet to accept online donations via Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), cryptocurrency, and stock. Catie's Closet partners with Every.org and DAFpay to make non-cash asset giving seamless and accessible.
• BombasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBombas is an in-kind partner that donates socks and other clothing items to stock Catie's Closet inventory. As a known sock company with a donation model, Bombas provides ongoing in-kind product contributions.
• New BalanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Balance is an in-kind partner providing shoes and athletic footwear to stock Catie's Closet's closets and SOS orders, directly addressing a critical need for proper-fitting footwear among students in poverty.
• Holyoke Public SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolyoke Public Schools entered a contracted partnership with Catie's Closet in February 2026 to open and operate Catie's Closets across the district, serving nearly 4,800 students in Holyoke schools.
• Chelsea Public SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChelsea Public Schools partnered with Catie's Closet in October 2025 to provide over 2,400 students with free in-school access to clothing and basic necessities at Mary C. Burke Elementary Complex and Morris H. Seigal Clark Avenue Middle School.
• Tonneson + CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTonneson + Co, a Boston-based CPA and advisory firm, launched the Haircare For All initiative by supporting the first 100 students with natural and textured hair care products through Catie's Closet's Be Me program.
• Lowell Sun / Media PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional media outlets including Lowell Sun, MassLive, WWLP, Spectrum News, Boston 25 News, WCVB, and MLB.com provide earned media coverage for Catie's Closet events, partnerships, and impact stories, amplifying awareness and donor engagement.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cradles to Crayons: Cradles to Crayons provides clothing, shoes, and other essentials to children living in poverty through a "Giving Factory" model. It is the closest direct peer to Catie's Closet in mission (children's clothing insecurity) and beneficiary profile, though it operates at larger geographic scale and without the in-school embedded distribution model.
• Baby2Baby: Baby2Baby distributes clothing, diapers, and basic necessities to children in poverty across the U.S. It shares Catie's Closet's focus on essential goods for low-income children and operates a similar high-volume distribution model with major corporate partnerships, but serves a broader age range (infants to teens) and wider geography.
• Shoes That Fit: Shoes That Fit provides new athletic shoes to children in need through school-based distribution, mirroring Catie's Closet's in-school access model. The narrower product focus (shoes) makes it a partial competitor for school partnerships and corporate in-kind donors like New Balance.
• Pajama Program: Pajama Program provides new pajamas and sleep essentials to children in need, often through schools and community partners. It overlaps directly with Catie's Closet's mission of addressing clothing insecurity among school-age children through institutional partnerships.
• Kids In Need Foundation: Kids In Need Foundation supports underserved students by providing school supplies and resources through a national network of educators. While focused on supplies rather than clothing, it competes with Catie's Closet for school-district partnerships and corporate sponsors seeking to address student basic needs.

Broad incumbents

• Goodwill Industries International: Goodwill operates thrift stores and workforce programs that funnel clothing and goods to people in need across the U.S. It is a broad incumbent in clothing reuse and donation infrastructure, but does not specialize in the in-school, child-focused model that defines Catie's Closet.
• The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army provides clothing, shelter, and emergency assistance through a national network. It addresses the same end beneficiaries as Catie's Closet (children and families in crisis) but through a much broader social-services portfolio rather than a focused in-school clothing model.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul: St. Vincent de Paul operates thrift stores and direct-assistance programs providing clothing and household goods to people in poverty. It overlaps with Catie's Closet on clothing provision but does not operate the embedded in-school distribution channel.

Emerging players

• Dress for Success: Dress for Success provides professional clothing and development services to women transitioning into the workforce. While focused on adult women rather than children, it shares Catie's Closet's thesis that clothing access is foundational to economic participation and uses a similar donated-goods + corporate partnership model.
• First Book: First Book distributes books and educational resources to children in need through a national educator network. It uses a comparable school-channel distribution model and corporate partnership structure to address unmet basic needs among low-income students, though focused on literacy rather than clothing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caties_closet
• Facebookfacebook.com/catiesclosetorganization

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

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 Catie's Closet