A Better Way

What A Better Way does

A Better Way, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization founded in 1996 and headquartered at 3200 Adeline Street, Berkeley, California. It delivers an integrated continuum of care to children, youth, and families involved with the child welfare system across the San Francisco Bay Area, with a workforce of 101–250 employees and offices in Berkeley, San Francisco, Hayward, Solano County, and Santa Cruz County. Core service lines include mental health therapy, parent advocacy (staffed by individuals with lived experience in the child welfare system), family strengthening (including the Another Road to Safety differential response program in partnership with Alameda County DCFS), foster care and adoption support, transitional housing for youth aging out of foster care (ages 18–21), and community education/training (Mental Health First Aid, Positive Parenting Program, Title IV-E training), delivering over 5,000 hours of no-cost training annually.

The organization's business model is government-contract-funded, not commercial. The majority of revenue flows from service contracts with Alameda, San Francisco, Solano, Contra Costa, and Santa Cruz county governments, supplemented by Medi-Cal billing through the CalAIM initiative, individual donations (online, stock via DonateStock, vehicle, employer matching, planned giving), and foundation grants. Services are provided at no cost to clients. The organization is Joint Commission accredited, holds a Charity Navigator 4-Star rating and Candid Gold Seal of Transparency, and operates with no disclosed proprietary technology platform beyond standard CMS, payroll, and donation-processing tools.

A Better Way differentiates through a lived-experience workforce model — including Parent Advocates, Parent Partners, and board representation from former foster youth — and through nearly 30 years of operating history in Bay Area child welfare. Recent strategic activity includes the 2022 expansion into Santa Cruz County, the 2026 launch of the Transitional Opportunities Project (TOP) and LEAF fellowship for transition-age youth, and active participation in statewide advocacy coalitions (CACFS, The Children's Movement). The organization faces a significant leadership transition with CEO David Channer's announced departure effective July 20, 2026.

Name

A Better Way

Legal name

A Better Way, Inc.

Website

https://abetterwayinc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

A Better Way is a Berkeley-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 that delivers mental health, parent advocacy, family strengthening, foster care, and transitional housing services to children and families in the San Francisco Bay Area child welfare system, funded primarily through county government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare & Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Behavioral health services
• Parent advocacy services
• Family strengthening programs
• Foster care services
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. County Government Service Contracts: A Better Way operates under contracts with Alameda County Social Services Agency, San Francisco, Solano County, and Contra Costa County to provide mental health services, child welfare programs, family strengthening, and transitional housing. Services are provided at no cost to clients, funded entirely through government contracts. The organization participates in CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) for Medi-Cal billing.
2. Individual Donations: The organization accepts online donations, stock donations (via DonateStock.com partnership), used car donations, employer matching gifts, and planned giving/bequests. Donors receive tax deductions as A Better Way is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with EIN 93-1190792.
3. Foundation Grants: A Better Way receives grant funding from foundations supporting child welfare, mental health, and family services. The organization participates in advocacy coalitions (e.g., California Alliance of Child & Family Services) that collectively lobby for sustained public funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

A Better Way is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services agency that delivers an integrated continuum of care for vulnerable children, youth, and families in the San Francisco Bay Area under contracts with county governments. Core offerings include Mental Health Services (individual and family therapy), Parent Advocacy Programs (matching child welfare-involved parents with staff who have personal lived experience), Family Strengthening Programs (including the Another Road to Safety differential response program with Alameda County DCFS), Foster Care and Adoption Services, Transitional Housing for young adults aged 18-21 exiting foster care, and Community Education and Training such as Mental Health First Aid and the Positive Parenting Program.

Product overview

A Better Way is a nonprofit social services agency providing a comprehensive continuum of care for children, youth, and families in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization operates as an integrated service delivery model offering Mental Health Services (individual and family therapy), Parent Advocacy Programs (staffed by those with lived experience), Family Strengthening Programs (including the Another Road to Safety differential response program), Foster Care and Adoption Services, Transitional Housing for youth aging out of care, and Community Education and Training (including Mental Health First Aid certification). Programs are operated in collaboration with Alameda, San Francisco, Solano, Contra Costa, and Santa Cruz counties, and the organization has pioneered lived-experience workforce development through programs like the Parent Partner Program and is developing new pathways for foster youth through initiatives like the Transitional Opportunities Project (TOP) and LEAF fellowship. The organization is accredited by The Joint Commission and holds a 4-Star Charity Navigator rating and Candid Gold Seal of Transparency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mental Health Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 children receive no-cost mental health services per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Santa Cruz County Family & Children's ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Better Way operates its Parent Partner Program in partnership with Santa Cruz County Family & Children's Services. The program provides child welfare-involved parents with time-limited education, peer mentorship, and support to successfully reunify with their children. Parent Partners are bilingual and bicultural, representing English and Spanish speakers.
• Alameda County Social Services AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Better Way operates multiple programs in partnership with Alameda County Social Services Agency, including the Another Road to Safety (ARS) Differential Response program, family strengthening programs, and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) contracts.
• California Alliance of Child & Family Services (CACFS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Better Way is a member of CACFS, a coalition of 165 member organizations that serves as the primary service delivery network for Medi-Cal-covered children and families in California. A Better Way participates in annual Advocacy Day in Sacramento and co-sponsors legislation through CACFS.
• California Youth Connection (CYC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYC is a group led by current and former foster youth. A Better Way's leadership supports CYC members in preparing to advocate with state legislators for bills affecting foster youth, including AB 1886 and AB 2764.
• The Children's MovementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Better Way joined more than 1,000 organizations as part of The Children's Movement to educate and advocate for preservation of the Family Urgent Response System (FURS) funding in the California state budget.
• Shiloh Church of OaklandminorOthersShiloh Church of Oakland provides generous food donations for A Better Way's annual food basket giveaway events, supporting families in Hayward.
• Fighting Back PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA partner organization providing supportive services including domestic violence education and case management for parents served by A Better Way's programs.
• Resource Connect SolanominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn organization that assists parents with financial support for housing case management, referenced in A Better Way's Parent Partner Program case studies.
• Resource Family CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA partner organization providing case management services and housing support to families in A Better Way's programs.
• Opportunity HouseminorOthersAn organization that assisted a parent with furnishing their home for reunification with their children, referenced in A Better Way's Parent Partner Program case studies.
• A Better Way Community Education CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaborative network providing training resources to service providers, including links to Seneca's Institute for Advanced Practice, Title IV-E Foster Care Service Provider Trainings, and other community education partners.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ABetterWayInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/abetterway1996

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 A Better Way