Restore Merced

What Restore Merced does

Restore Merced is a 501(c)-style Christian nonprofit founded in 2016 and headquartered at 419 W. 19th Street, Merced, California. The organization creates transitional employment opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment — including those affected by incarceration, substance abuse, material poverty, or homelessness — and pairs paid work with coaching, life-skills training, and what it describes as transformative friendship. Services are delivered at no cost to participants and are funded through government service contracts and donations.

The organization's core offering is the Restore Jobs program, launched in 2018, which deploys work crews performing litter abatement, general cleanup, and grounds maintenance for the City of Merced, Merced County, and the Caltrans/BCOE Back 2 Work Program. In 2024, Restore Merced expanded its program portfolio by launching Restore Farms, an agricultural training venture that grows and sells fresh produce while providing paid work experience to trainees. The organization measures participant progress through a weekly "stability index" tracking housing, emergency savings, transportation, employment, friendships, self-image, work performance, and spiritual growth, with cumulative reported outcomes of 170 jobs created, 24 driver's licenses obtained, and 43 bank accounts opened.

Restore Merced operates with 1-10 staff and is led by Executive Director and Co-Founder Matt St Pierre and Board President and Co-Founder Caleb Medefind. It is a privately funded, donation- and contract-supported nonprofit with no disclosed equity investors, no technology platform, and no proprietary software; its competitive differentiation rests on a faith-based framework, deep local roots in Merced County since 2016, and a holistic approach that combines practical employment outcomes with relational and spiritual support.

Name

Restore Merced

Legal name

Restore Merced

Website

https://restoremerced.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Restore Merced is a Merced, California-based Christian nonprofit founded in 2016 that provides transitional employment, coaching, and life-skills training to individuals with barriers to employment through its Restore Jobs and Restore Farms programs, funded by government contracts and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development & Transitional Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Temporary Help Services (56132), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Reentry Programs (Justice-Involved) (EDAAAOAG), Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA)

Keywords

• Transitional employment services
• Workforce development programs
• Faith-based nonprofit services
• Community beautification services
• Job training coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Merced

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. Government Service Contracts: Revenue from performing litter abatement and general cleanup work for the City of Merced, Merced County, and the Caltrans/BCOE Back 2 Work Program.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Revenue from individual donors and organizational supporters who contribute to fund the organization's programs and mission.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Restore Merced delivers transitional employment and life skills training to individuals with barriers to employment through its Restore Jobs program (coaching, job placement, litter abatement/cleanup work crews) and its Restore Farms agricultural training initiative (growing and selling fresh produce while providing paid work experience). All programs are offered free of charge to participants and funded by government service contracts and charitable donations.

Product overview

Restore Merced operates as a single unified program portfolio centered on transitional employment and job training services. The organization offers two core programs: Restore Jobs (launched 2018), which provides transitional employment, coaching, and life skills training for individuals with employment barriers; and Restore Farms (launched 2024), an agricultural training program that provides employment and fresh produce sales while extending the job training mission into Merced County's farming industry. Both programs share the organization's holistic approach to stability, incorporating spiritual guidance, relational health support, and practical employment skills through a 'Roadmap to Stability' framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Restore Jobs: Transitional employment, coaching, and life skills training program for individuals with barriers to employment.
• Restore Farms

Products and services

• Restore Jobs A transitional employment program that provides coaching, life skills training, and job placement services to individuals with barriers to employment, including those affected by incarceration, substance abuse, homelessness, or poverty. The program includes a stability index tool to track personal growth and transformation outcomes, and operates paid work crews performing litter abatement and cleanup services for government partners.
• Restore Farms An agricultural training venture that combines people-focused transformational work with Merced County's farming industry. The program grows and sells fresh produce while providing employment and training to individuals with barriers to employment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 170 jobs created for program participants
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• MercominorOthersMerco logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• FluetschminorOthersFluetsch logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• KirbyminorOthersKirby logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• FATJDminorOthersFATJD logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• Via TrailwaysminorOthersVia Trailways logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• Image MastersminorOthersImage Masters logo appears on the partners page of Restore Merced's website, indicating some form of organizational partnership or support relationship.
• City of MercedcoreOthersGovernment partner for litter abatement and cleanup services. Restore Merced performs community beautification work for the city under this partnership.
• Merced CountycoreOthersGovernment partner for litter abatement and cleanup services. Restore Merced performs community beautification work for the county under this partnership.
• Caltrans/BCOE Back 2 Work ProgramcoreOthersState workforce development program partnership providing work opportunities and funding support for Restore Merced's transitional employment program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO): National workforce reentry nonprofit providing transitional employment and job placement to people returning from incarceration. Directly comparable model to Restore Merced's Restore Jobs, though operating at much larger scale across multiple states.
• Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center: Large faith-based organization providing residential rehabilitation, workforce training, and reentry support nationally. Restore Merced's Billy Bremen previously worked at a Salvation Army program in Stockton, indicating direct operational familiarity.
• Goodwill Industries International: National nonprofit network providing job training, transitional employment, and workforce development for individuals facing barriers to employment. Operates a much broader portfolio but addresses the same core population with similar services.
• Pioneer Human Services: Social enterprise nonprofit providing workforce development, behavioral health, and reentry services, including social enterprises that provide employment to program participants. Comparable in combining earned-revenue enterprises with workforce reentry programming.

Direct peers

• The Last Mile: Nonprofit providing technology-based workforce training and reentry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Shares Restore Merced's focus on economic mobility through skills training and employment pathway creation.
• Rubicon Programs: Bay Area/Central California nonprofit providing workforce development, reentry services, and transitional employment to individuals with barriers including incarceration and homelessness. Operates a directly comparable earned-employment model in California.
• Root & Rebound: California-based reentry nonprofit providing legal services, workforce support, and advocacy for formerly incarcerated individuals. Shares Restore Merced's focus on California justice-involved population reentry.
• Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit providing reentry support, workforce development, and holistic services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Comparable in mission, holistic approach, and transitional employment model to Restore Merced.
• Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR): Community-based reentry nonprofit providing employment assistance, case management, and support services for justice-involved individuals. Operates a comparable small-scale, community-embedded model similar to Restore Merced.
• Dave's Killer Bread Foundation: Foundation advocating for and supporting second-chance employment for people with criminal backgrounds. Particularly relevant as a model demonstrating how an agricultural/food-based enterprise (bread bakery) can create reentry employment pathways similar to Restore Farms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RestoreMerced
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/restore-merced

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Restore Merced