The Dinner Party
The Dinner Party was a nonprofit peer-led grief support organization that served young adult grievers (20s-30s) through community Tables and one-on-one Buddy connections across 150+ U.S. cities. The organization closed in May 2026 after 16 years due to funding gaps.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Dinner Party does
The Dinner Party was a nonprofit peer-led grief support organization that operated from approximately 2010 until May 2026 as a program of Trust Labs, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (EIN 86-2104143). It served young adult grievers (primarily in their 20s and 30s) who had experienced the death of a loved one, addressing social isolation and the lack of age-appropriate grief support. Its core products were Tables (small peer-led grief groups meeting in-person in homes and virtually across 150+ U.S. cities) and the Buddy System (staff-matched one-on-one grief connections), supported by an extensive library of downloadable toolkits including the Ritual Collection, Grief Ritual Recipe Book, Self-Care Activity Booklet, Being There Guide, and Host Training Materials.
The organization operated on a donation and membership-based revenue model with recurring contributions from individual supporters; no enterprise pricing, advertising, or fee-for-service revenue streams were disclosed. Its go-to-market was community-led, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, organic Instagram presence, and inbound referrals from partner organizations including The Dougy Center, ShareWell, Refuge in Grief, and Reimagine. Technology infrastructure was minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, downloadable PDFs, and human-mediated matching, with no app, no proprietary platform, and no AI/ML capabilities.
The Dinner Party scaled to 20,000+ young grievers, 1,342 grief groups, and 4,644 Buddy connections over 16 years, with survey outcomes of 97% recommendation rate and 86% sense of belonging. Despite strong impact metrics, the organization faced persistent funding gaps and officially closed in May 2026, with leadership choosing to end well rather than compromise programming quality.
The Dinner Party firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Dinner Party
- Legal name
- The Dinner Party (program of Trust Labs, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization)
- Website
- https://thedinnerparty.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Dinner Party was a nonprofit peer-led grief support organization that served young adult grievers (20s-30s) through community Tables and one-on-one Buddy connections across 150+ U.S. cities. The organization closed in May 2026 after 16 years due to funding gaps.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Dinner Party industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bereavement and Grief Support Services
- NAICS
- Other Individual and Family Services (624190)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)
Keywords
Where The Dinner Party is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Dinner Party business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Membership: Nonprofit organization funded through individual donations and membership fees. Recurring donations from members supported operations. Organization closed in May 2026 due to funding gaps.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
The Dinner Party product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Dinner Party operated peer-led grief support programs for young adults (primarily those in their 20s and 30s) who had experienced the death of a loved one. Its core offerings were Tables — small, volunteer-hosted grief groups meeting in-person in private homes and virtually — and a Buddy System that staff-matched grievers for 1-on-1 peer connections. The organization supplemented these direct programs with a library of downloadable grief resources, toolkits, and curated guides.
Product overview
The Dinner Party was a peer-led grief support organization (now closed as of May 2026) that offered a portfolio of programs connecting young grievers to each other. The core offerings included Tables (peer-led grief groups meeting in-person and virtually across 150+ cities) and a Buddy System for one-on-one matching (now ended). The organization supplemented its direct programs with an extensive library of downloadable resource toolkits including the Ritual Collection, Grief Ritual Recipe Book, A Year of Gathering Guide, Self-Care Activity Booklet, Asking Better Questions Guide, and Being There Guide. These resources were designed to support peer organizers (Hosts), participants (Dinner Partiers), and those supporting grievers in their lives. As a program of Trust Labs, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization operated with a mission to transform life after loss for young adults.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tables: Peer-led grief support groups meeting in-person and virtually for young adult grievers.
- Buddy System
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% of survey respondents would recommend The Dinner Party to a friend
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use The Dinner Party
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Dinner Party technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Dinner Party partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Dinner Party competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Dougy Center: The Dougy Center is a national nonprofit providing peer grief support groups, particularly for children and families. It is the most comparable peer given its peer-led group model and national resource directory, and is directly cited by The Dinner Party as a partner and referral source.
- Refuge in Grief: Refuge in Grief is an online grief community and resource hub run by grief therapist Megan Devine. It overlaps with The Dinner Party in providing emotionally honest grief resources and a non-clinical community voice, and is explicitly listed as a partner resource.
- Reimagine: Reimagine hosts community-driven experiences that help people face adversity, loss, and mortality. Its programming around life, loss, and meaning aligns with The Dinner Party's mission to normalize conversations about death and life after loss, and is listed as a partner resource.
- What's Your Grief: What's Your Grief is run by grief professionals and offers education, exploration, and expression around grief. It is comparable to The Dinner Party as a grief education and resource publisher, and is listed as a partner.
- E-Motion Inc. E-Motion Inc. uses movement, community, and ritual to provide programming for grieving individuals. Its emphasis on ritual parallels The Dinner Party's Ritual Collection and grief community programming, and it is listed as a partner resource.
- ShareWell: ShareWell is a live peer support community where people join online groups or connect 1-on-1 with others facing similar challenges. It is highly comparable to The Dinner Party's Tables and Buddy System models and is listed as a partner.
- Peer Support Space: Peer Support Space is a peer-led organization offering digital communal gatherings including virtual check-ins and activity-based gatherings. It parallels The Dinner Party's virtual Tables and community-led ethos, and is listed as a partner.
Broad incumbents
- Option B: Option B (founded by Sheryl Sandberg) is dedicated to building resilience in the face of adversity. While not exclusively a grief organization, it overlaps with The Dinner Party's mission to support people navigating life after loss through community and resources.
Emerging players
- Modern Widows Club: Modern Widows Club supports widowed individuals through community and resources. It overlaps with The Dinner Party's partner-loss support resources and is cited as a partner, but specializes specifically in partner loss rather than general grief.
- Soaring Spirits: Soaring Spirits is a nonprofit community for widowed people offering peer support programs. It is comparable to The Dinner Party's peer-led community model but focuses specifically on widowhood, and is cited as a partner.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Dinner Party social profiles
Digital presenceThe Dinner Party financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Dinner Party leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Dinner Party funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Dinner Party M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Dinner Party
What does The Dinner Party do?
The Dinner Party operated peer-led grief support programs for young adults (primarily those in their 20s and 30s) who had experienced the death of a loved one. Its core offerings were Tables — small, volunteer-hosted grief groups meeting in-person in private homes and virtually — and a Buddy System that staff-matched grievers for 1-on-1 peer connections. The organization supplemented these direct programs with a library of downloadable grief resources, toolkits, and curated guides.
Is The Dinner Party a public or private company?
The Dinner Party is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently closed.
When was The Dinner Party founded?
The Dinner Party was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Dinner Party based?
The Dinner Party is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Dinner Party make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Membership.
Who are The Dinner Party's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Dougy Center, Refuge in Grief, Reimagine, What's Your Grief, E-Motion Inc., ShareWell and Peer Support Space. Option B is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Modern Widows Club and Soaring Spirits.
Does The Dinner Party have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Dinner Party.
What industry is The Dinner Party in?
The Dinner Party's product category is Bereavement and Grief Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLADAHAL, Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent). Its NAICS code is 624190 and its SIC code is 8300.