What MercyFirst does

MercyFirst is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) social service agency, founded in 1894 by the Sisters of Mercy and currently operating as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. It is the product of a 2003 merger between Angel Guardian Home (Brooklyn, 1899) and St. Mary of the Angels Home (Syosset, 1894), re-branded as MercyFirst in 2004. Headquartered at 525 Convent Road in Syosset, New York, with a secondary administrative office in Brooklyn, MercyFirst runs 14+ service sites across New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island) and Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk counties) and reports an employee headcount in the 501-1,000 range. Its beneficiaries are at-risk children, foster youth, unaccompanied migrant minors, pregnant and parenting teens in care, and families in crisis; cumulatively the agency states it has touched 400,000+ lives since founding.

The organization's service portfolio is structured as a vertically integrated continuum of care spanning prevention, foster care, adoption, kinship guardianship, group residential care, juvenile justice programming, care management, and youth transition services. Core programs include Family Foster Care & Adoption; Group Care Programs (including Teen Parent & Child Residences and Community Residences); S.T.A.R.T. with Hope for unaccompanied migrant children; Bridges to the Future for foster youth transitioning to adulthood; Family Support/Prevention Services; Care Management Services; Clinical Support for NYC ACS; Post-Permanency Support; Safe Way Forward (domestic violence prevention); and Integrated Health. All programs are delivered through a Sanctuary-certified trauma-informed clinical framework (certified 2009, the largest such agency in the country), supplemented by evidence-based modalities — Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC), TF-CBT, SPARCS — and Creative Arts Therapy including the Project C.A.R.E. therapy dog program. Licensing and accreditation are held from NYS OCFS, NYS OMH, and the Council on Accreditation.

Commercially, MercyFirst operates under a nonprofit managed-services revenue model with no pricing to beneficiaries. Program services revenue is generated through contracts with NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS), NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), Nassau and Suffolk counties, federal HHS grants for unaccompanied children, and Medicaid-funded care management via The Collaborative for Children and Families Health Home. Philanthropic revenue comes from individual and corporate donations, planned giving, securities donations, foundation grants (TD Bank Foundation, GEICO Philanthropic Foundation, Wendy's Wonderful Kids, New Yorkers for Children), and signature fundraising events (Angel of Hope Gala, Fore the Kids Golf & Pickleball Tournament). Marketing channels span the agency website, monthly e-news, Instagram, community partnerships, and donor events; government referrals and the foster parent network function as the primary service distribution channels.

Name

MercyFirst

Legal name

MercyFirst

Website

https://mercyfirst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

MercyFirst is a 501(c)(3) child welfare agency, founded in 1894 and operated as a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, providing trauma-informed foster care, adoption, residential, prevention, and youth transition services to at-risk children and families across New York City and Long Island.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare and Family Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (624110), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid) (BPADADAH)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Child welfare programs
• Residential youth care
• Adoption services
• Family preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Syosset

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Grants: MercyFirst receives funding through contracts with government agencies including NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS), NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), Nassau County, and Suffolk County for foster care, residential services, and prevention programs.
2. Medicaid Funded Services: Care Management Services Program is Medicaid-funded through The Collaborative for Children and Families Health Home, providing care coordination services in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
3. Individual and Corporate Donations: Charitable contributions from individuals, corporate partners, and foundation grants support agency programs and services. Donations are processed through the website and third-party service providers.
4. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Legacy giving programs including gifts through estates, wills, living trusts, and beneficiary designations on life insurance policies or retirement accounts.
5. Securities Donations: Accepts donations of securities through their brokerage account at Cetera/Lampis Wealth Management, providing tax-advantaged giving options for donors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MercyFirst is a non-profit social services organization that delivers trauma-informed child welfare programs, including foster care, adoption, residential treatment, prevention, and care management services for children, adolescents, and families in crisis. It operates as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and primarily serves communities across Long Island and New York City.

Product overview

MercyFirst is a not-for-profit social service agency offering a comprehensive, trauma-informed suite of programs and services for at-risk children, youth, and families. The organization operates as a multi-program platform providing: Family Foster Care & Adoption services (including kinship care and KinGAP); Group Care Programs including Teen Parent & Child residences and community residences; S.T.A.R.T. with Hope services for unaccompanied migrant children; Bridges to the Future youth development; campus-based residential programs at its Syosset location; Family Support/Prevention Services; Care Management; Clinical Support; and Integrated Health services. The portfolio spans community-based prevention, foster care, group homes, residential treatment, and youth development—organized around keeping families together and ensuring child safety, with all services guided by Sanctuary-certified trauma-informed care principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• START with Hope: Short-term shelter to unaccompanied refugee children (minors who arrive in the US without a parent or guardian, and who are fleeing areas of extreme poverty, violence, sexual exploitation, drug-related gang activity, and human trafficking) until they are reunified with a sponsor family.
• Bridges to the Future
• Project C.A.R.E.
• R.I.S.E. (Resilient Individuals Striving for Excellence)

Products and services

• Foster Care
• Adoption Services
• Residential Treatment Programs
• Prevention Services
• Care Management
• Mother-Baby Program
• Behavioral Health Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 860 at-risk children kept out of foster care and home safe with their families in the last year
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS)coreOthersGovernment agency partner providing clinical support through licensed clinicians in Queens field offices, supporting Child Protective Specialists across three locations.
• NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)coreOthersState agency licensing and funding residential programs and foster care services.
• NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH)coreOthersState agency licensing mental health-focused residential programs including Children & Youth Community Residence.
• Nassau CountycoreOthersCounty government partner supporting community-based services and prevention programs.
• Suffolk CountycoreOthersCounty government partner supporting residential and foster care programs.
• US Department of Health and Human ServicescoreOthersFederal partner supporting services for unaccompanied migrant children through grants and programs.
• Sisters of Mercy of the AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding religious organization; MercyFirst is a sponsored ministry. Provides mission alignment, values guidance, and foundational support since 1894.
• The Collaborative for Children and Families Health HomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth home organization providing Medicaid-funded care management and coordination services in Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island.
• New Yorkers for ChildrenstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting Post-Permanency Support Program for children exiting foster care to adoption or kinship guardianship.
• Wendy's Wonderful KidsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner supporting adoption services for foster youth.
• Shelter Rock ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer partner hosting weekly worship services with music for START with Hope youth.
• National Coalition of 100 Black Women, LI ChapterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteer partner hosting etiquette classes for young ladies in the program.
• The Sanctuary InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides trauma-informed Sanctuary Model certification and training to agency staff.
• ConserominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner, honoree at 2026 Angel of Hope Gala.
• WegmansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Angel of Hope Gala.
• Ridgewood BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Angel of Hope Gala.
• Luso American RidersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partner providing donations and volunteer support.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Boys Town: National nonprofit operating residential group homes, foster care, and family services for at-risk youth — broader geographic and scale footprint but overlapping service model with MercyFirst's residential programs.
• Catholic Charities USA: National umbrella network of Catholic social service agencies that includes several direct peers of MercyFirst; provides shared advocacy, scale, and best-practice dissemination comparable to MercyFirst's Sisters of Mercy affiliation.

Direct peers

• Good Shepherd Services: Brooklyn-headquartered nonprofit providing foster care, prevention, juvenile justice, and youth development services in NYC — directly competitive in MercyFirst's core NYC foster care and prevention market.
• SCO Family of Services: Long Island and NYC-based nonprofit serving children, families, and adults with foster care, adoption, residential, and family support programs — direct geographic and service overlap with MercyFirst on Long Island.
• Rising Ground (formerly Leake and Watts): NYC-based human services organization providing foster care, adoption, prevention, and juvenile justice services — directly overlapping with MercyFirst's child welfare service lines in NYC.
• Cardinal McCloskey Community Services: Bronx and NYC-based Catholic child welfare agency providing foster care, residential, and family services — competing with MercyFirst for the same NYC ACS and OCFS contract pool.
• The New York Foundling: One of New York's largest child welfare and family services nonprofits, providing foster care, adoption, juvenile justice, and family support across NYC — directly competing with MercyFirst for the same government contracts and donor base.
• Southwest Key Programs: National nonprofit operating shelters and post-release services for unaccompanied migrant children — direct peer to MercyFirst's S.T.A.R.T. with Hope program, competing for federal HHS/ORR contracts.
• Children's Aid: NYC-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, preventive services, youth development, and community schools — overlapping closely with MercyFirst's service portfolio in the same geography.
• Catholic Guardian Services: NYC and Long Island Catholic-affiliated child welfare agency offering foster care, residential, and family preservation services — directly comparable mission, geography, and funder mix to MercyFirst.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/mercyfirst
• Xx.com/Mercy_First

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 MercyFirst