Bessie’s Angels

What Bessie’s Angels does

Bessie's Angels is a 501C3 nonprofit organization founded in December 2015 and headquartered at 17017 Miles Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. The organization serves young women ages 16-24 who have experienced the foster care system — many from low-income or below-poverty-line backgrounds — in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Its portfolio of interrelated direct services includes Bessie's Place (low-income housing operated in cooperation with the Cleveland Land Bank), a mobile food pantry with scheduled M/W/F delivery, on-site laundry facilities, utility and rental assistance, the "Cooking with Bessie's Angels" monthly cooking program with free ingredient delivery, and I.M.P.A.C.T. life-skills workshops and the Annual Empowerment Summit co-presented with Cuyahoga Community College and the Division of Children & Family Services. All services are provided free of charge to eligible beneficiaries.

The revenue model is donation-dependent rather than commercial: funding flows from individual donors (preset tiers of $10/$20/$30/$40 or custom amounts, on one-time, weekly, or monthly recurring cadence), corporate sponsorship with board-level ties to Fifth Third Bank and Cleveland Clinic, and event-based fundraising led by the Annual Bessie's Walk/Race 5K (13th iteration held in 2024; next scheduled May 30, 2026). A single disclosed institutional grant of $25,000 from The Cleveland Foundation was recorded on May 2, 2022. There is no commercial product, no mobile application, no API, and no AI/ML technology layer — service delivery is executed through physical Bessie's Place homes, on-site facilities, and in-person workshops using a community-led go-to-motion. The organization is governed by a board of directors chaired by LaToya Smith (Fifth Third Bank VP), with Vice Chair Keith Burgess (Fifth Third Bank SVP), Treasurer Rashedah Mims, and Secretary Naomi Pedan, alongside other members from McMullan Realty, Cleveland Clinic, R-Cap Security, TMG Services, and On Purpose Now; Founder/Executive Director Tonya Perkins-Stoudermire leads operations. Geographic scope is explicitly restricted to Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, with no indication of multi-market expansion in the source data.

Name

Bessie’s Angels

Legal name

Bessie's Angels

Website

https://bessiesangels.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bessie's Angels is a Cleveland, Ohio-based 501C3 nonprofit founded in 2015 that provides low-income housing, mobile food pantry, laundry services, utility assistance, and life-skills workshops to young women ages 16-24 transitioning out of foster care in Cuyahoga County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Foster Care Social Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Transitional housing
• Youth mentorship
• Nonprofit social services
• Food assistance programs

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Bessie's Angels accepts monetary donations at preset amounts ($10, $20, $30, $40) or custom amounts. Donors can choose between one-time, weekly, or monthly donation frequencies.
2. Event Fundraising: The organization raises funds through annual events such as the Bessie's Walk/Race, with proceeds supporting the opening of additional Bessie's Place homes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bessie's Angels is a Cleveland-based 501C3 nonprofit that provides direct support services to young women aged 16-24 transitioning out of foster care. Its core offerings are Bessie's Place low-income housing, a mobile food pantry with delivery, on-site laundry facilities, utility and rental assistance, life-skills workshops (I.M.P.A.C.T. Sessions), monthly cooking classes (Cooking with Bessie's Angels), and annual community events such as the Bessie's Walk/Race and Annual Empowerment Summit.

Product overview

Bessie's Angels is a nonprofit social services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services to young women ages 16-24 transitioning out of foster care. The core offerings include Bessie's Place (low-income housing), Food Assistance (mobile pantry with delivery), Laundry Assistance, Utility and Housing Assistance, and educational programs (I.M.P.A.C.T. Sessions/Workshops and Cooking with Bessie's Angels). The organization also operates community-building events including an Annual 5K Race/Walk and Annual Empowerment Summit. All services are designed to provide stability, empowerment, and life skills support for the target demographic. The organization operates from Cleveland, Ohio and primarily serves Cuyahoga County residents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bessie's Place Low-income housing homes providing safe, warm, and welcoming living spaces for young women who have aged out of the foster care system, operated in cooperation with the Cleveland Land Bank.
• Food Assistance Mobile food pantry program providing food delivery by appointment to young women in need, with requests accepted Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with 48-hour advance notice required and vegetarian or standard meal options available.
• Laundry Assistance On-site laundry room available to members Wednesday through Saturday from 8:00AM to 7:00PM, with a maximum of 2 loads per appointment.
• Utility, Housing, and Rental Assistance Program helping young women find affordable housing and receive assistance with utility and rental payments to create stability for those facing financial hardship.
• Cooking with Bessie's Angels Monthly cooking program held on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 4:00PM to 6:00PM, with free ingredients delivered to residents of Cuyahoga County for hands-on cooking instruction.
• I.M.P.A.C.T. Sessions and Workshops Educational workshops, mentorship programs, and empowerment initiatives held every 4th Thursday at Cuyahoga Community College Metro Campus, with gift cards and bus passes provided with registration.
• Annual 5K Race/Walk Annual fundraising event (13th Annual Bessie's Walk/Race hosted in 2024; next iteration scheduled for May 30, 2026) to raise funds for opening additional Bessie's Place homes, with free registration and ingredient delivery for Cuyahoga County residents ages 16-24.
• Annual Empowerment Summit Free annual event for young women ages 16-24 featuring inspirational programming, food, workshops, and activities, co-presented with Cuyahoga Community College and the Division of Children & Family Services.
• Donation Program Accepts monetary donations (one-time, weekly, or monthly recurring, with preset options of $10, $20, $30, $40 or custom amounts) to fund mission operations including new programs, low-cost housing maintenance, food pantry, and direct services.
• Volunteer Program Opportunities to support the organization through weekly volunteer events on Sundays, mentoring, event support, and board membership positions.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cuyahoga Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCuyahoga Community College partners with Bessie's Angels to host I.M.P.A.C.T. workshops at their Metro Campus (MCC Building). The college also co-presents the Annual Empowerment Summit alongside Bessie's Angels and the Division of Children & Family Services.
• Cleveland Land BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBessie's Angels partners with the Cleveland Land Bank to open additional 'Bessie's Place' homes, which provide safe housing for young women who have aged out of foster care.
• Division of Children & Family ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Division of Children & Family Services co-presents the Annual Empowerment Summit with Bessie's Angels and Cuyahoga Community College, providing workshops that encourage, educate and support foster youth.
• McMullan RealtyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHenry Stoudermire Jr., Broker/Owner of McMullan Realty, serves on the board of directors, providing real estate expertise and support.
• Channel 5 News ClevelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChannel 5 News Cleveland featured Bessie's Angels in a news segment about local groups helping young women who age out of the foster system, providing media visibility and community awareness.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): Large national nonprofit headquartered in Columbus, OH providing foster care, residential, and youth services. Broad incumbent with overlapping foster care and youth housing service lines.
• Covenant House: National nonprofit providing housing and supportive services for youth experiencing homelessness and aging out of foster care. Broader geographic and demographic coverage but overlapping transitional housing model.

Direct peers

• Ohio Guidestone: Ohio-wide human services organization serving children, families, and at-risk youth through foster care, behavioral health, and independent living programs. Comparable across mission and statewide service mix.
• Beech Brook: Cleveland-area nonprofit providing mental health, foster care, and residential services to children and young adults. Comparable mission around foster care youth in the same Cuyahoga County geography.
• A Place 4 Me (Lighthouse Youth & Family Services): Cincinnati-based program serving youth aging out of foster care with housing, mentoring, and life-skills coaching. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping mission, age cohort (16-24), and Ohio footprint with Bessie's Angels.
• Applewood Centers: Cleveland-based agency offering foster care, adoption, and youth independent living services. Directly comparable on target population and geography.
• Bellefaire JCB: Cleveland-headquartered child welfare and behavioral health agency serving foster youth with residential, education, and community programs. Operates in the same city and overlapping service domain as Bessie's Angels.

Regional players

• Buckeye Ranch: Central Ohio child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit serving foster youth and families. Comparable mission in a different Ohio region, not direct competition with Bessie's Angels in Cleveland.

Emerging players

• A Kid Again: Ohio-based nonprofit providing events and support to families of children with life-threatening conditions. Adjacent nonprofit serving a different vulnerable youth population with similar community-events-led model.

Others

• Humility of Mary Housing (dba Humble Hearts): Northeast Ohio affordable housing provider for vulnerable populations. Comparable housing-first service element that complements Bessie's Place, useful ecosystem peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bessies-angels

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Bessie’s Angels