Thea Bowman Center

What Thea Bowman Center does

Thea Bowman Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization founded in 1966 as a Hunger Center under Epiphany Catholic Church and operating independently since the church's closure in 2009. Headquartered at 11901 Oakfield Ave in southeast Cleveland's Mt. Pleasant neighborhood—where approximately 65% of families live near or below the poverty line—the center delivers a portfolio of free in-person services organized around four program lines: Community Education (Adult Literacy/GED preparation, Computer Basics/Internet/Email/Windows 11/Telehealth/Microsoft Office classes, and Workforce Development with job fairs and placement support); Health & Wellness (a Saturday food pantry serving roughly 9,000 residents annually, hot lunches from five partner churches, senior outreach for adults 60+, barbershop men's-health outreach, free IRS-certified tax-prep January through April, and a seasonal Intergenerational Garden with Ohio State Extension); Youth & Family (K-8 summer camp, after-school programming at Nathan Hale School, and lead-agency coordination of MyCom Mt. Pleasant); and Volunteer Support (food-pantry, literacy, computer-coaching, senior, youth, and clothing-closet placements).

Revenue is generated entirely through donations and charitable contributions from individuals, families, companies, foundations, and churches, with no fee-for-service pricing. The go-to-market is community-led: outreach runs through a network of 8+ Catholic partner parishes and 25+ community partners, plus a digital presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and an email newsletter via a Wix-hosted website. Operational scale is small (11–50 employees), management is led by Executive Director Jeremy Taylor under a board chaired by President Shawn Kennedy with Vice President Alicia Jordan, Treasurer Frank Tinus, and Secretary Gina Eaton, with a 13-member board including a Board Emeritus.

The center is named after Sr. Thea Bowman, FSPA, Ph.D., a charismatic African-American nun and intercultural-awareness advocate. Technology infrastructure is minimal—no proprietary platform, APIs, or AI systems are disclosed—and service delivery is fundamentally relational and place-based, with the value proposition rooted in a listening-first approach and nearly six decades of community trust in Mt. Pleasant.

Name

Thea Bowman Center

Legal name

Thea Bowman Center

Website

https://theabowmancenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thea Bowman Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Cleveland's Mt. Pleasant neighborhood providing free food support, GED and computer literacy education, K-8 youth programs, and senior outreach through a network of 25+ community and church partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAL

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAAAFAB

Community Center Education Programs

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

SECONDARYEDACALAH

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

Keywords

• Community social services
• Food assistance programs
• Adult education services
• Youth development programs
• Workforce development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Thea Bowman Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, families, companies, foundations, and churches to fund operations and programs.
2. Volunteer Support: Community members contribute their time and skills to support center programs including food pantry operations, literacy tutoring, computer training, and youth programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thea Bowman Center is a nonprofit community organization that delivers food support, children's and youth programs, adult education, and workforce development services to residents of the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio. It operates as a community anchor institution providing wraparound social services and educational programming to address local needs.

Product overview

Thea Bowman Center is a community anchor organization offering a portfolio of social service programs rather than a unified technology product. The center provides four core service areas: Community Education (GED preparation, computer literacy classes, and workforce development), Health and Wellness (food pantry, hot meals, seniors programs, barbershop outreach, and tax preparation), Youth and Family (summer camp, after-school programs, and MYCOM youth network), and Volunteer Support. The organization serves the Mt. Pleasant community of southeast Cleveland, with 65% of families living near or below poverty level. Founded in 1966 as a Hunger Center under Epiphany Catholic Church, the center operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Support Program
• Children and Youth Programs
• Adult Education Services
• Health and Wellness Programs
• Volunteer and Community Engagement

Quantifiable outcome

• 9000 residents served annually through food pantry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Caucus on Black Aging (NCBA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization collaborating with Thea Bowman Center to serve the Mt. Pleasant community
• Youth Opportunities UnlimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner for summer camp counselor positions, connecting youth with employment opportunities
• Cleveland Public Library (Mt. Pleasant and E. 130th St branches)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner providing library resources and hosting field trips for youth programs
• Cleveland State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner supporting community education initiatives
• Church of the AssumptioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of five partner churches that prepare hot meals every Saturday for community members
• Church of the GesucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• Church of the ResurrectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• Church of St. DominiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• St. Rita's ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• St. Columbkille Catholic ParishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• St. John of the Cross ParishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• Holy Spirit Catholic ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• Saints Cosmas & Damian ParishcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner church providing hot meals and community support services
• Rotary Club of ClevelandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerService organization partner supporting community initiatives
• Starting PointminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting community partnerships and programs
• Murtis Taylor Human Services CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman services partner organization serving the community
• Business Volunteers UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization connecting business volunteers with community needs
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek-letter organization partner supporting community service initiatives
• GradePower TutoringminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTutoring partner supporting youth education programs
• Volunteer MatchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline platform connecting volunteers with Thea Bowman Center opportunities
• MY COM Mt. Pleasant RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThea Bowman Center serves as the lead agency for the MyCom network in the Mt. Pleasant community, coordinating youth services across multiple agencies
• Ohio State Extension - Summer SproutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the Intergenerational Garden program, providing fresh seasonal vegetables to community members

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Greater Cleveland Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Cleveland area — comparable food-distribution mission but operating at a much larger geographic scale.
• Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland: Large regional faith-based social services network — comparable origin (Thea Bowman Center began under a Catholic parish) and overlapping food, youth, and senior services across Northeast Ohio.
• United Way of Greater Cleveland: Regional funder and convener of human-services nonprofits — comparable donor base and overlap with Thea Bowman Center's grant-funded funding model.

Direct peers

• May Dugan Center: Cleveland-based community center serving neighborhoods with food assistance, adult education, and youth programs — directly comparable mission and service mix to Thea Bowman Center.
• West Side Catholic Center: Cleveland community services organization providing food, clothing, adult education, and case management to residents in need — comparable integrated human-services model.
• Murtis Taylor Human Services Center: Cleveland-based multi-service center providing food, youth, senior, and case management programs to under-resourced communities — overlapping service portfolio and even listed as a partner of Thea Bowman Center.
• Providence House: Cleveland crisis nursery and family services nonprofit serving at-risk children and families with residential and community-based programs — comparable neighborhood-anchored model.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland: Cleveland youth development organization offering after-school, summer, and educational enrichment for K-12 youth — directly overlapping the youth programming at Thea Bowman Center.
• Centers for Families and Children: Cleveland-based multi-service nonprofit providing early childhood, family support, and community programs — directly comparable integrated service model.
• East Cleveland Neighborhood Center: Community-based services organization in adjacent East Cleveland providing food, education, and youth services to a similar urban, low-income population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theabowmancenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thea-bowman-center
• Instagraminstagram.com/THEABOWMANCENTER
• Xx.com/TheaBowman1

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Thea Bowman Center