The Friendship Foundation

What The Friendship Foundation does

The Friendship Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID 20-8575157), founded in 2007 and headquartered in Redondo Beach, California, that supports youth (ages 8-17) and adults (18+) with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Its core offering is a portfolio of community-based social, recreational, arts, educational, and (forthcoming) vocational programs, structured around a one-to-one buddy model that pairs neurotypical volunteers with participants. The organization runs 60+ monthly programs five days a week, 80+ Friendship Clubs embedded in K-12 schools across 22+ districts in California, Arizona, and Georgia, and a 6-week Friendship Summer Camp expecting 528 participants and 396 volunteers in 2026. It is currently building a 62,000 square-foot Friendship Campus in Redondo Beach (under a $70M capital campaign, opening Fall 2026) that will add vocational training, life skills development, job placement, and day programs for adults with IDD.

The technology stack is intentionally thin: registration and volunteer management are outsourced to the Sawyer platform for youth programs and the Dash (DaySmart) platform for adult programs, with no proprietary software, AI components, or data assets disclosed. GTM is community-led and event-driven rather than sales-led: volunteers and participants are recruited through school-based Friendship Clubs, word-of-mouth, social media, an email newsletter, and the annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, a flagship event in its 16th year that has cumulatively raised $18M+.

Revenue mechanics are diversified across donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations (the primary stream), a $30 per-walker registration fee on the Skechers Walk, modest program fees for camps and adult programs (with needs-based scholarships), and episodic institutional grants including a $1M federal allocation in February 2023 and a $500K W.M. Keck Foundation grant in February 2025. The organization is led by founder Yossi Mintz (Executive Director/President), a board of eight members with ties to Skechers, UCLA Health, Lakeshore Learning, and local professional services, and a staff in the 11-50 range.

Name

The Friendship Foundation

Legal name

The Friendship Foundation

Website

https://friendshipfoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Friendship Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2007 in Redondo Beach, California, that runs community-based social, recreational, and school-club programs pairing neurotypical volunteers with youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It serves 5,000+ participants and volunteers annually across 22+ school districts and is building a 62,000 sq-ft Friendship Campus opening Fall 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Special Education, Disability Support & Inclusive Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Peer Support, Buddy Programs & Cooperative Learning Facilitation (EDAKABAI)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• Inclusive youth programs
• Special needs recreation
• Community social services
• Vocational day programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Redondo Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The primary revenue source is donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Tax ID: 20-8575157) that relies on charitable contributions to fund programs and scholarships. Donations support Friendship Summer Camp, monthly programs, and inclusive Friendship School Clubs.
2. Event Registration Fees: Registration fees for the annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk generate revenue. Registration is $30 per walker, with proceeds supporting the Friendship Foundation and 6 educational foundations in the South Bay.
3. Program Fees: Fee-based participant programs for youth and adults with disabilities. Financial scholarships are available to ensure all can participate regardless of financial circumstances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Friendship Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that delivers community-based social, recreational, arts, educational, and vocational programs for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Programs are delivered in-person at the Friendship Campus and partner locations, paired with neurotypical peer volunteers to support participants' social and skill development. The organization also runs school-based inclusion clubs and an annual community fundraising walk.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Programs Recreational, social, arts, and educational programs for participants ages 8-17 with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supported by trained peer volunteers. Delivered on a year-round basis at the Friendship Campus and community locations.
• Adult Programs Social, recreational, vocational, and community-engagement programs for participants ages 18 and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities, paired with peer volunteers. Designed to support independence, friendship, and life skills.
• Friendship School Clubs School-based inclusion clubs that bring together students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities for shared social, educational, and recreational activities during the school day. Designed for K-12 school partners.
• Summer Camp Programs Seasonal day-camp-style programming for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering themed recreational and social activities during school break periods.
• Ocean & Surf Therapy Adaptive ocean and surf therapy program for participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities, delivered in partnership with surf therapy specialists.
• Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Annual community fundraising walk presented with title sponsor Skechers that brings together participants, families, volunteers, donors, and corporate teams to raise funds for the organization's programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 participants and volunteers served annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Skechers and Skechers FoundationflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2009Skechers and The Friendship Foundation co-produce the annual Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk. Founded in 2009 by the Greenberg family, Skechers Foundation invests in the Friendship Foundation to support children with special needs and improve education. Since 2009, the walk has raised more than $18 million to support the Friendship Foundation and public education. Skechers provides branding, organizational support, and event infrastructure for the annual walk.
• Jimmy Miller Memorial FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Ocean & Surf Therapy summer program. The Jimmy Miller Memorial Foundation provides surfing instruction from professionals and ocean therapy experiences. The program teaches participants surfing and allows them to experience ocean therapy in a supportive environment.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Best Buddies International: Best Buddies operates one-to-one friendship, leadership, and job programs pairing volunteers with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities—the closest direct analogue to Friendship Foundation's buddy model, though at much larger national/international scale.
• AbilityPath: AbilityPath (formerly Community Gatepath) is a Bay Area-based nonprofit providing programs and services for children and adults with disabilities, including inclusive recreation, social programs, and family support—directly comparable in mission, geography (California), and program mix.
• GiGi's Playhouse: GiGi's Playhouse is a nationwide network of Down syndrome achievement centers offering free educational, therapeutic, and social programs—a direct peer in delivering free, community-based programs to individuals with IDD and their families.
• Miracle League: Miracle League operates adaptive baseball programs for children and adults with disabilities nationwide—a thematic peer to Friendship Foundation's recreational inclusion approach, with shared buddy/peer volunteer mechanics.

Broad incumbents

• Special Olympics Southern California: Special Olympics SoCal offers year-round sports training and competition for individuals with intellectual disabilities—the dominant incumbent in sports/recreation-based inclusion in the same Los Angeles geography as the Friendship Foundation.
• Easterseals Southern California: Easterseals SoCal provides disability services including adult day programs, vocational training, and residential supports—comparable to Friendship Foundation's planned Friendship Campus offerings, but at much larger regional scale with broader service breadth.
• The Arc of California: The Arc is a national advocacy and service network for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing employment, residential, and inclusion programs—directly comparable to Friendship Foundation's mission with significantly broader policy and service footprint.
• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Los Angeles: UCP of LA provides day programs, employment services, and inclusive recreation for people with developmental disabilities in the same LA market, overlapping with Friendship Foundation's adult day and life-skills programming.
• National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS): NDSS is a national advocacy and programs organization serving individuals with Down syndrome and their families, including social and educational programs—comparable in participant demographics and inclusive programming goals, though at national scale.

Others

• JCC Manhattan (and Jewish Community Centers broadly): JCCs operate inclusive recreation, camp, and social programs often including disability-inclusion tracks (e.g., JCC Manhattan), providing an adjacent community-center peer with overlapping inclusive programming and family-services orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/friendshipfoundation
• Xx.com/ffsouthbay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-friendship-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 The Friendship Foundation