The Birthday Party Project

What The Birthday Party Project does

The Birthday Party Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN #45-4239630) founded in 2012 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that delivers birthday celebrations to children experiencing homelessness across 20 U.S. cities. Its core service model is split between two programs: monthly in-person birthday parties hosted at 60+ partner-agency shelters (including Family Gateway, Ronald McDonald House Dallas, Covenant House, PATH, Star of Hope, and Genesis Women's Shelter), and the Birthday in a Bag program that ships complete celebration kits (decorations, games, activities, and gifts) to children in foster care or hard-to-reach locations. The organization serves an addressable population of approximately 2.5 million children living in U.S. shelters and has cumulatively celebrated 80,000+ children at 3,800+ parties since inception.

The Birthday Party Project does not operate any proprietary technology platform; its operations rely on third-party SaaS tools including VolunteerHub for volunteer sign-up and scheduling, Amazon Wish List for in-kind gift fulfillment, Double the Donation for employer-matching, and BidPal for event fundraising. The brand is supported by national media features (NBC TODAY Show, New York Times, People Magazine, Glamour, ABC's The Chew, Southwest Airlines Magazine, and Disney+'s The World According to Jeff Goldblum) and a tiered individual-giving structure ($35 gift, $50 Birthday in a Bag, $100 badges, $175 wrapping supplies, $200 cakes) supplemented by monthly recurring giving (JOY Squad), a peer-to-peer Share Your Birthday™ fundraising program, and a branded merchandise e-commerce store (JOYShop). Corporate partnerships with Southwest Airlines, Lay's, Bombas, Guggenheim Partners, Mattel, DreamWorks, and others provide both financial support and employee volunteer engagement.

Name

The Birthday Party Project

Legal name

The Birthday Party Project

Website

https://thebirthdaypartyproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Birthday Party Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2012 that delivers birthday celebrations to children experiencing homelessness through monthly in-person parties at 60+ partner agencies and Birthday in a Bag kits across 20 U.S. cities, funded by individual donations, corporate partnerships, and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Nonprofit Birthday Programs

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Birthday Party Services (HSACACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Party Favors, Gifts & Custom Merchandise (HSACACAM)

Keywords

• Nonprofit birthday programs
• Homeless children services
• Charitable giving programs
• Community volunteer events
• Corporate social responsibility

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

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. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals at various giving levels ($35-$200+) providing birthday gifts, Birthday in a Bag programs, decorations, wrapping supplies, and birthday cakes for children experiencing homelessness.
2. Monthly Giving (JOY Squad): Recurring monthly donations providing steady support for planning birthday celebrations throughout the year.
3. Share Your Birthday Fundraising: Individuals create fundraising campaigns asking friends and family to donate in lieu of birthday gifts, with EIN #45-4239630 for tax deductibility.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Companies sponsor monthly party themes, support agencies, participate in volunteer experiences, and engage in Share Your Birthday programs. Includes employee giving matching opportunities.
5. Merchandise Sales (JOYShop): Branded merchandise sales including Party Hat ($25), JOY Pop Socket ($12), Joy tank tops, Mission To Party T-Shirts, Party On apparel, and JOY Hoodies. Currently revamping shop for 10th birthday celebration.
6. In-Kind Donations: Accepts new, unwrapped toys, party supplies, and in-kind gifts through Amazon Wish List and direct delivery to Party HQ in Dallas, TX.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Birthday Party Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that organizes monthly birthday celebrations for children experiencing homelessness at partner shelter agencies across 20 U.S. cities, and distributes Birthday in a Bag celebration kits to children in foster care or hard-to-reach locations. The organization funds its mission through individual donations, monthly giving (JOY Squad), corporate partnerships, peer-to-peer Share Your Birthday fundraising, and branded merchandise sales through the JOYShop.

Product overview

The Birthday Party Project is a nonprofit organization offering two core programs: In-Person Parties (monthly birthday celebrations at partnered shelter agencies) and Birthday in a Bag (complete celebration kits sent to children in foster care or hard-to-reach locations). The organization also facilitates donations through specific giving tiers ($35 gift, $50 Birthday in a Bag, $100 badges, $175 wrapping supplies, $200 cakes), the Share Your Birthday™ fundraising program, and the JOY Squad monthly giving program. Additionally, they sell branded merchandise including Party Hats, Party On apparel, Mission To Party T-Shirts, JOY Pop Sockets, Joy Tank Tops, and JOY Hoodies through their JOY Shop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Share Your Birthday™: A program encouraging individuals to share their birthday celebrations with children experiencing homelessness by raising donations or collecting gifts.
• Birthday in a Bag
• JOYShop
• JOY Squad

Products and services

• In-Person Birthday Parties

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000+ children have attended birthday parties
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and general.

• Disney+ / The World According to Jeff GoldblumcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 July 2025Featured in Disney+ series episode where Jeff Goldblum worked with The Birthday Party Project to celebrate children whose families have fallen on hard times. High-profile media partnership providing significant visibility.
• Southwest AirlinesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2021Named official community partner in celebration of Southwest Airlines' 50th anniversary year. Southwest donated to the nonprofit and encouraged employees, customers, and partners to spread birthday cheer through volunteering and donations. This represents a major corporate partnership providing both financial support and volunteer engagement.
• Lay's (Frito-Lay)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 July 2019Founder Paige Chenault teamed up with Lay's as part of the #SmileWithLays campaign, bringing visibility and birthday joy to children experiencing homelessness through brand partnership.
• BombascoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing employee volunteer engagement at birthday parties. Bombas employees participate in special happy moments, with TBPP making involvement and programming seamless and meaningful.
• Guggenheim PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Social Responsibility team actively participates in birthday celebrations, both in-person at monthly parties and through sending gifts with video wishes. Staff passion for the mission is cited as a driving factor.
• OTC (OmniTrax)generalGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner listed on partner page, supporting birthday celebrations for children experiencing homelessness.
• Care BearsgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing brand collaboration and support for birthday celebrations.
• Milk (Milk Bar / Milk Business)generalGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the birthday celebration mission.
• MeltgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting birthday celebrations.
• ADTgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner contributing to birthday celebration programs.
• CiCi's PizzageneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing pizza for birthday celebrations at partner agencies.
• DreamWorks AnimationgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting birthday celebrations with entertainment content and engagement.
• Enterprise Rent-A-CargeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing transportation support for birthday celebrations and events.
• Mateo & CogeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the mission.
• MattelgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing toys and gifts for birthday celebrations through brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, and other Mattel products.
• MiltonsgeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting birthday celebrations.
• WhataburgergeneralGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing food donations for birthday celebrations.
• Family GatewaycoreOthersPrimary agency partner in Dallas, TX hosting monthly birthday parties for children experiencing homelessness. One of many shelter and social service organizations across 20 cities providing the foundation for birthday celebration delivery.
• Ronald McDonald House of DallascoreOthersAgency partner in Dallas providing birthday celebrations for families in crisis housing situations.
• Covenant House CaliforniacoreOthersAgency partner with locations in Los Angeles and Santa Clara, CA providing services to homeless youth who receive birthday celebrations.
• PATH (People Assisting The Homeless)coreOthersAgency partner with locations in San Diego and Los Angeles, CA serving as host locations for monthly birthday parties.
• Star of HopecoreOthersHouston-based shelter partner providing birthday celebrations for families experiencing homelessness.
• Genesis Women's SheltercoreOthersDallas-based shelter partner providing birthday celebrations for women and children escaping domestic violence.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• No Kid Hungry (Share Our Strength): No Kid Hungry is a national campaign addressing childhood hunger, including food insecurity among children in shelters. Overlapping beneficiary population, comparable reliance on corporate partnerships and individual giving, and similar CSR positioning.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: Make-A-Wish is a national nonprofit granting wishes to critically ill children. While the beneficiary is different (ill vs. homeless), it shares the emotional storytelling approach, large corporate partnership base, and high brand recognition among child-focused charities competing for the same donor dollars.
• Baby2Baby: Baby2Baby is a much larger nonprofit providing essential goods to children in poverty, including those in shelters. Similar mission (children experiencing homelessness), corporate partnership model, and celebrity/media-driven brand — operates at significantly larger scale.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Ronald McDonald House operates shelter/housing for families with sick children; TBPP lists Ronald McDonald House of Dallas as an agency partner. Overlapping mission (supporting families during crisis), corporate sponsorship model, and donor base.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: Starlight delivers entertainment and joy to seriously ill children, including those in shelters and hospitals. Comparable in emotional mission (bringing joy to vulnerable children), corporate partner base, and donor-supported funding model — though focused on medical rather than housing hardship.

Direct peers

• Covenant House: Covenant House is both a TBPP agency partner and an independent national nonprofit serving homeless youth. Operates shelters in many of the same cities (NYC, LA, Atlanta) where TBPP hosts parties, with overlapping beneficiary base and CSR audience.
• Birthday Wishes: Birthday Wishes is the closest direct peer — it organizes birthday parties for children experiencing homelessness and foster care across multiple U.S. states. Same target beneficiary (homeless/foster children), same service (birthday celebrations), same nonprofit funding model.

Emerging players

• Birthday Blessings: Birthday Blessings is a smaller nonprofit providing birthday gifts and party supplies to children in homeless and domestic violence shelters. Closely aligned mission and beneficiary base, though with significantly smaller geographic footprint and brand reach.
• My Stuff Bags: My Stuff Bags provides duffel bags of comfort items to children entering foster care. Similar 'gift kit' delivery model (analogous to Birthday in a Bag), child welfare beneficiary focus, and reliance on individual donations and in-kind goods.
• Together We Rise: Together We Rise serves foster youth through donations and programs, with overlapping donor demographics (corporate CSR, individual giving) and adjacent beneficiary base (children in care systems). Comparable fundraising mechanics and volunteer model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thebirthdaypartyproject/?ref=hl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-birthday-party-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebirthdaypartyproject
• Xx.com/bdayenthusiast

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

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 The Birthday Party Project