Ladybug House

What Ladybug House does

Ladybug House is a 501(c)(3) public charity (Tax ID 90-1020508) founded in 2013 by Suzanne Gwynn, a retired RN with 35+ years of pediatric hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant experience, headquartered in Washington State with a mailing address in Milton, Washington. The organization is building what it describes as Washington State's first freestanding, community-based, family-centered pediatric palliative care home, a planned 12-suite facility in the greater Puget Sound area intended to serve the WAMI region (Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) with 24/7 respite, comfort-focused care, and end-of-life support at no out-of-pocket cost to families. Until the facility opens, Ladybug House delivers five volunteer-run community programs: Holiday Support, the Plushy Annual Event, Bereavement Support (including Bereavement Portraits and a Mother's Bereavement Retreat Weekend launched in 2023), Caregiver Cafeteria Support, and Ladybug Love. A Virtual Child Life Program has been announced for future launch.

The organization's revenue model is philanthropic rather than commercial, consisting of individual donations, corporate and foundation giving, workplace giving with employer matching, planned/legacy gifts, and event-driven fundraising (annual fundraiser breakfasts, Halloween balls, wine and art events, circus events, Soiree en Blanc). An additional major capital campaign structured as 1,000 donors each contributing $1,000 is targeting $1 million to support land acquisition and construction. A future sustainable funding model is referenced as incorporating Medicaid and insurance reimbursement once the facility opens. Programs are delivered free of charge to families, and the organization is volunteer-led with a 1-10 employee footprint, supported by named Pillars of Support including law firm Foster Garvey, architecture firm NBBJ, the University of Washington, several other universities, and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, alongside peer-learning relationships with Crescent Cove (Minnesota) and George Mark Children's House (the first pediatric palliative care house in the U.S.). As of the most recent milestones, 700+ families have been served through community outreach programs since 2016, and the organization received recognition at the 2023 Maruzza Congress in Rome for its caregiver needs study.

Name

Ladybug House

Legal name

Ladybug House

Website

https://ladybughouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ladybug House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit building Washington State's first freestanding, family-centered pediatric palliative care home in greater Puget Sound, serving families of children with serious or complex medical conditions across the WAMI region. It currently runs five volunteer-led community programs while raising capital for the planned 12-suite facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (6239), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Hospice / Hospice House (Facility-Based) (HLADAHAC)

Keywords

• Pediatric palliative care
• Respite care services
• Family bereavement support
• Nonprofit healthcare programs
• Community-based care

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropy and Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations supporting the nonprofit mission to build Washington's first pediatric palliative care home and run community programs.
2. Workplace Giving: Payroll deduction programs and employer gift matching programs where workplace donations support the organization.
3. Planned Giving/Legacy Giving: Legacy donations and planned giving options mentioned as ways to support the mission.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ladybug House is building Washington's first freestanding community-based, family-centered pediatric palliative care home featuring 12 family suites, therapy rooms, an interactive playground, family-style kitchen, and media room, with all services provided at no out-of-pocket cost to families. Until the facility opens, the organization delivers five active community programs—Holiday Support, Plushy Annual Event, Bereavement Support (portraits and mother's retreat), Caregiver Cafeteria Support, and Ladybug Love—run by volunteers serving children, adolescents, and young adults with serious or complex medical conditions across the WAMI region.

Product overview

Ladybug House is a nonprofit organization building Washington's first freestanding pediatric palliative care home (currently in development), supplemented by active community outreach programs. The core offering is a planned 12-suite palliative care facility providing respite, comfort-focused medical care, and end-of-life support at no cost to families. Currently, five volunteer-run community programs operate: Holiday Support, Plushy Annual Event, Bereavement Support (including portraits and retreats), Caregiver Cafeteria Support, and Ladybug Love. A Virtual Child Life program is planned for future implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pediatric Palliative Care Home A planned freestanding, family-centered palliative care home for children, adolescents, and young adults with serious or complex medical conditions. The facility will offer 12 family suites, therapy rooms (music, art, sensory), an interactive playground, a family-style kitchen with a cook, a media room, and meditation areas. Services include 24/7 support with no out-of-pocket cost to families, providing respite care, comfort-focused medical care, and end-of-life support for families in the WAMI region.
• Holiday Support Program Provides financial and emotional support to families during holidays, birthdays, graduations, and special occasions. Families are secretly nominated, wishes are gathered, and gifts are delivered with dignity and love to families caring for children with serious medical conditions.
• Plushy Annual Event Children or bereaved family members submit artwork or pictures which are transformed into huggable custom plush toys. Each creation is revealed during a virtual community celebration, involving over 60 volunteers and local sponsors.
• Bereavement Support Includes Bereavement Portraits (framed portraits of children after the first year of passing, created by volunteer artist Jeff Echevarria) and the Mother's Bereavement Retreat Weekend (launched in 2023, providing nurturing space for mothers to connect, grieve, and heal through group support and creative therapy).
• Caregiver Cafeteria Support Provides cafeteria gift cards to caregivers with extended hospital stays, primarily serving families on Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant units, ICU, and medical/surgical units. Future plans include weekly Starbucks coffee cards and meal delivery for families inpatient over three months.
• Ladybug Love A catch-all support program providing various assistance from gas cards and baseball tickets to evening outings for parents, burial plots, beds, and diapers. Addresses practical needs that families face during extended medical care.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ families served through community programs since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Foster GarveycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm providing legal support as a Pillar of Support. Has been supporting since 2013.
• NBBJcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm listed as Pillar of Support, likely involved in building design for the future pediatric palliative care home.
• Seattle Cancer Care AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Colleen S. Delaney, MD from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance publicly supports the Ladybug House mission.
• University of WashingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner listed as Pillar of Support.
• Seattle UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner and SeattleU Day of Service collaborator.
• Central Washington UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner listed as Pillar of Support.
• Seattle Pacific UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner listed as Pillar of Support.
• Pacific University OregonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational institution partner listed as Pillar of Support.
• Crescent CovecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesota-based pediatric palliative care home. Katie Lindenfelser, Founder & CEO, spoke at Ladybug House's 2nd Annual Breakfast to share the Crescent Cove model and inspire support.
• George Mark Children's HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst pediatric palliative care house. Kathy Hull, founder, flew out to share her journey and encourage support for Ladybug House.
• Wenatchee Youth CircusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPresented A Day with the Circus event benefiting Ladybug House, raising funds and awareness.
• Quality PressminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated funds from customer appreciation gifts to support Ladybug House.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Crescent Cove: Minnesota-based freestanding pediatric palliative care home and the explicit operational model referenced by Ladybug House. Crescent Cove's founder Katie Lindenfelser has presented at Ladybug House events, indicating active peer mentorship and direct comparability in mission, facility design, and family-centered care delivery.
• George Mark Children's House: The first pediatric palliative care house in the United States, located in California. Founder Kathy Hull has directly advised Ladybug House, making it the founding reference model for the planned Washington facility in terms of residential pediatric palliative care services.
• Ryan House: Arizona-based pediatric palliative care home serving children with life-limiting conditions. Directly comparable in offering respite, palliative, and end-of-life care in a non-hospital home-like setting, representing an established peer institution for the Ladybug House model.

Regional players

• Canuck Place Children's Hospice: Canada's first freestanding pediatric palliative care hospice, operating in British Columbia with a similar model of family-centered respite and end-of-life care. Comparable in service model and target population, though serving a different country.
• Helen & Douglas House: UK-based children's hospice providing respite, palliative, and end-of-life care in a homelike setting. Comparable in operational model and target population (children with serious medical conditions and their families), though operating in a different country with different healthcare reimbursement structures.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Children's Hospital: Major pediatric hospital partner where Ladybug House's founder previously worked and where Ladybug House's Caregiver Cafeteria Support program operates. Represents the broader incumbent pediatric care ecosystem that Ladybug House complements with non-hospital respite and palliative services.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: National nonprofit providing family housing and support during pediatric medical care. While broader in mission and not palliative-care-specific, RMHC addresses adjacent family-support needs for pediatric patients and competes for overlapping donor dollars.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: National nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Shares target demographic (families of children with serious medical conditions), donor base, and non-medical support mission, though Make-A-Wish focuses on wish-granting rather than respite/palliative care.

Others

• Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering programs (entertainment, gaming, hospital wear) to seriously ill children and their families. Comparable in mission to support pediatric patients and their families during serious illness, but focuses on hospital-based distraction programs rather than residential respite.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity advocating for and supporting children's palliative care services nationally. Comparable in mission to advance pediatric palliative care, though operating as an umbrella advocacy and support organization rather than a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ladybughouse/fundraisers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/suzanne-gwynn-rn-74634628
• Xx.com/ladybug_house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ladybug House