Tiyya Foundation

What Tiyya Foundation does

Tiyya Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2010 in Southern California by refugee women Owliya Dima and her daughter Meymuna Hussein-Cattan. The foundation provides resettlement support, workforce development, and community integration services to refugees, immigrants, and displaced indigenous families across 25+ nationalities and 15 languages, with a documented reach of 250 households, 750 individuals, and 448 children in 2023. Operations are organized into three core programs — Family Services, Economic Advancement, and Community/Cultural Exchange — delivered from headquarters in La Palma, Orange County, and an East Hollywood, Los Angeles site that also houses the social enterprise restaurant.

Flavors from Afar, launched in 2020 in Little Ethiopia and holding Michelin Bib Gourmand status in 2022 and 2023, is Tiyya's flagship social enterprise and revenue-generating arm. It operates weekday global-cuisine lunches with complimentary coworking, Friday and Saturday Indigenous-cuisine dinners curated by chef participants, and catering services booked via OpenTable; 40% of restaurant revenue is reinvested into Tiyya's mission. Sounds from Afar, a monthly immersive vinyl listening bar slated for the East Hollywood site, extends the cultural-experience surface. The technical stack is modest and standard for a community nonprofit: Squarespace website, PayPal donation processing, Eventbrite ticketing, OpenTable reservations, and Google Forms for employer intake — there are no proprietary platforms or AI-driven systems.

The revenue model is a hybrid of donations, foundation grants, and earned income. Foundation grants anchor the Economic Advancement Program via named commitments from the PIMCO Foundation and Sun Family Foundations (the latter backing job-placement services), with additional support from the Elbaz Family Foundation and others. Individual contributions flow through one-time, recurring, corporate-matching, and donor-advised fund channels (via Orange County Community Foundation, California Community Foundation, and Fidelity). Earned income comes from Flavors from Afar restaurant sales, catering, and ticketed events (Ramadan dinner series, holiday fundraisers, experiential dinners priced $75–$125 per person). Corporate partnerships add a B2B layer through grants, event sponsorship, matching gifts, and a refugee-hiring program structured around the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. With a lean core team of roughly six staff plus a planned LA Executive Director and 85%+ of funding directed to programs in 2022, the organization operates as a high-overhead-efficiency, founder-led, community-anchored nonprofit scale-up rather than a venture-backed enterprise.

Name

Tiyya Foundation

Legal name

Tiyya Foundation

Website

https://tiyya.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tiyya Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides resettlement support, workforce development, and community programs for refugees, immigrants, and displaced indigenous families across Southern California, funded by foundation grants, individual donations, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized social enterprise restaurant Flavors from Afar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and Immigrant Support Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN), Immigrant & Refugee Workforce Integration Programs (EDAAAOAJ), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Refugee resettlement services
• Immigrant community programs
• Workforce development services
• Social enterprise dining
• Family support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. The organization also accepts corporate matching gifts and donor-advised fund contributions.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including PIMCO Foundation and Sun Family Foundations supporting the Economic Advancement Program. In 2022, over 85% of funding went toward program expenses.
3. Flavors from Afar Restaurant Revenue: Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded social enterprise restaurant generates revenue with 40% reinvested into Tiyya Foundation's mission and programming. Operates as weekday lunch with coworking and weekend Indigenous cuisine dinners.
4. Event Revenue: Ticketed events including holiday fundraisers, Ramadan dinner series, and experiential dining experiences generate revenue while advancing the mission.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate grants, event sponsorship, employee engagement programs, and in-kind support from business partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tiyya Foundation is a refugee-founded 501c3 nonprofit that provides resettlement assistance, family support services, workforce development, and English language practice to displaced American families, immigrants, and refugees in Southern California. Through three core programs (Family Services, Economic Advancement, and Community/Cultural Exchange) and its Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded social enterprise restaurant Flavors from Afar, the organization delivers direct human services, job placement, and cultural programming funded by donations, foundation grants, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Tiyya Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by refugee women, offering three core programs: Family Services, Economic Advancement, and Community. The foundation operates Flavors from Afar as its Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded (2022 & 2023) social enterprise restaurant, which trains and employs refugee and immigrant participants. The restaurant, located in East Hollywood, serves as both a dining venue with rotating global and Indigenous cuisines and a community hub with coworking spaces. Additional offerings include the upcoming Sounds from Afar vinyl music bar, youth soccer programs, and various volunteer and corporate partnership opportunities. Forty percent of Flavors from Afar's revenue is reinvested into Tiyya's mission and programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flavors from Afar Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded (2022, 2023) social enterprise restaurant operated in partnership with Tiyya Foundation, featuring rotating international cuisines curated by refugee chef participants, weekday coworking lunches, weekend Indigenous cuisine dinners, and full catering. Open to the public via walk-ins and OpenTable reservations; 40% of revenue is reinvested into Tiyya's mission.
• Family Services Program Direct service program designed to help refugee and immigrant families resettle and build community through housing support, diaper distribution, family activities, and a robust calendar of community events in Orange County and Los Angeles.
• Economic Advancement Program Workforce development program for refugees and immigrants, providing resume and cover letter support, professional networking, workshops, direct job referrals, English language practice (Coffee and Conversation), and employer matching.
• Community Cultural Exchange Program Community-based program hosting gatherings rooted in international cuisines and global music for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and immigrant communities, serving as a space for reimagining belonging after displacement.
• Tea & Tots Monthly community gathering program for new mothers, combining diaper distribution, kid-centric activities, meals, and financial literacy workshops for refugee and immigrant families.
• Coffee and Conversation English language fluency program within the Economic Advancement Program that pairs refugee and immigrant clients with conversation practice to build literacy and overcome employment barriers.
• Sounds from Afar Monthly immersive vinyl listening and music bar hosted at the Flavors from Afar location, celebrating global music traditions (Disco, House, Jazz, Soul) alongside cuisine while discussing refugee and immigrant experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66 job placements resulting in $1.63 million in combined annual wages (2023)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CIELOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer partner providing employment resources and job placement support for Tiyya participants.
• Goodwill Orange CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer partner supporting workforce development and employment navigation for refugee and immigrant participants.
• New Moon JobsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer partner providing job placement and employment resources for Tiyya participants.
• ShefminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareer partner supporting culinary and food service employment opportunities for refugee participants.
• Orange County Soccer ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of soccer games and partner for youth programming, hosting over 27 soccer clinics for refugee children.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): One of the largest global refugee resettlement and humanitarian organizations, delivering similar family services, employment navigation, and resettlement support across the U.S. — a broader-incumbent comparison to Tiyya's localized delivery model.
• Catholic Charities USA: Large faith-based social services network providing refugee resettlement, immigration legal aid, and family services across the U.S. A broad incumbent with overlapping services but operating across many program areas beyond refugee support.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS): Faith-based national agency providing refugee resettlement, foster care for unaccompanied minors, and immigration services. Comparable service portfolio to Tiyya with a much broader geographic and programmatic footprint.

Direct peers

• HIAS: Jewish-founded refugee resettlement agency providing case management, employment, and integration services to refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. — directly comparable mission and service mix to Tiyya's Family Services and Economic Advancement programs.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National nonprofit providing resettlement, employment, and integration services to refugees and immigrants. Directly comparable to Tiyya's resettlement and economic advancement focus, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• Upwardly Global: Nonprofit focused on workforce integration for immigrants and refugees, providing job placement, career coaching, and employer connections. Closely comparable to Tiyya's Economic Advancement Program and employer partnership model.

Emerging players

• Welcome.US: Nonprofit coalition coordinating private-sector support for refugee resettlement, including employer sponsorship and welcoming programs. Emerging player with thematic overlap to Tiyya's employer partnership and corporate engagement work.
• Refuge Coffee Company: Social enterprise coffee company employing and providing training to refugees, structurally analogous to Tiyya's Flavors from Afar culinary training model — a small-scale peer demonstrating the refugee-employment-via-F&B concept.
• Greyston Bakery: Social enterprise bakery with an 'Open Hiring' model that employs individuals facing barriers to employment, including refugees and formerly incarcerated people. Comparable as a self-funding workforce integration model adjacent to Tiyya's culinary and employment programs.

Others

• Eileen Fisher Renew: Mission-aligned social enterprise (take-back and resale program) attached to a larger brand. Useful as a comparable for how a mission-driven subsidiary can generate earned revenue to fund nonprofit programming, similar in concept to Flavors from Afar.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tiyya
• Facebookfacebook.com/tiyyafoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Tiyya Foundation