What Amara does

Amara is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit child welfare organization founded in 1921 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with a second office in Tacoma. It serves children, adults, and families across the Puget Sound region — specifically King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties — who are involved in or at risk of becoming involved in the foster care system. Its mission emphasizes keeping families connected, reducing trauma in foster care, and promoting racial and LGBTQIA+ equity within the child welfare system. The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its service delivery relies on in-person case management, group programming, and standard nonprofit digital infrastructure including a Family Portal and a SharePoint board portal.

Amara's core programs include Foster Care Services (recruitment, licensing, training, and ongoing caregiver support), Kinship Services (support for relatives caring for children), the STAR Youth Development Program (a free teen drop-in center for youth ages 11–18 in care), the Family Resource Center (food, diapers, child care, and housing resources), Adoption Resources, the Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program (in partnership with Pierce County Juvenile Court), and free Support Groups for caregivers and parents. All services are delivered free of charge to participants. Strategic partners include the Ballmer Group as a major philanthropic supporter, Pierce County Juvenile Court, UW School of Social Work's Alliance CaRES Program, UW Medicine and Seattle Children's Center for Adoption Medicine, DCYF, and the American Leadership Forum of Tacoma-Pierce County.

Amara's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. Funding sources include individual donations, the Amara Allies monthly giving program, foundation grants (notably the Ballmer Group), and the annual Together We Thrive fundraising event, which raised over $420K in 2024 and over $300K in 2026. The organization has 101–250 employees, is led by CEO Fahren Johnson (appointed August 2024), and is currently executing a transformational remodel of its Tacoma facility following an August 2026 groundbreaking.

Name

Amara

Legal name

Amara

Website

https://amarafamily.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Amara is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit child welfare organization in Washington State that provides free foster care, kinship, youth development, and family support services to children and families across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Foster care services
• Child welfare support
• Kinship care programs
• Youth development services
• Family resource center

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, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: Amara is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and community supporters. The organization has an 'Amara Allies' monthly giving program and accepts various forms of charitable contributions including one-time and recurring gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Amara is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free foster care services, kinship care support, youth development programming, family resource assistance, and adoption resources to children, adults, and families involved in or at risk of entering the foster care system. Programs include caregiver licensing, training and ongoing support, a Family Resource Center providing food and essentials, the STAR Youth Program for teens ages 11-18, the Pierce County Early Childhood Court partnership, and family support/peer navigation services. All programs operate across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state and are offered at no cost to participants.

Product overview

Amara offers a unified suite of social service programs supporting children, families, and youth involved in or at risk of entering the foster care system. The core programs include Foster Care Services (recruitment, training, licensing of caregivers), Kinship Services (support for extended family caregivers), the STAR Youth Program (youth development for teens), Family Resource Center (direct resource provision), and Adoption Resources (post-adoption support and search services). These programs are complemented by辅助 services including Support Groups, Family Support Services, the Families Building Community Program, and Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program. All programs are offered free of charge and operate across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state, with the Family Resource Center located in Tacoma and administrative offices in Seattle and Tacoma.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Care Services Comprehensive foster care program that recruits, trains, licenses, and supports foster caregivers for children in the child welfare system across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state.
• Kinship Services Support program for kinship caregivers (typically grandparents or relatives) providing care for children in their extended family, including licensing support, resource navigation, support groups, and retention services.
• STAR Youth Development Program Youth development program for teens ages 11-18 in foster or kinship care, offering a free drop-in center in Tacoma with games, wifi, arts and crafts, mentorship, enrichment activities, and community building on Wednesdays after school.
• Family Resource Center Resource center located at Amara's Tacoma office that provides food, baby essentials, child care assistance, housing resources, and individual support to families involved in or at risk of entering the foster care system.
• Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program Program operated in partnership with Pierce County Juvenile Court that supports young children ages 0-5 in foster care through regular community team meetings and frequent court hearings to keep children healthy and connected to parents.
• Amara Support Groups Free support groups providing safe, welcoming spaces for foster and kinship caregivers to connect, learn, and build community.
• Family Support Services Free peer support and resource navigation services for families in Pierce County involved in the child welfare system, offering personalized support and connections to community resources.
• Families Building Community Program Program that connects parents, caregivers, and extended family members to build supportive relationships of mutual respect and reduce stress in the foster care system.
• Adoption Resources Comprehensive adoption support program including post-adoption services, openness assessments, reunion search assistance, and adoption file access.
• Caregiver Support Services Ongoing services for foster and kinship caregivers including support groups, training, licensing assistance, and peer mentorship.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American Leadership Forum of Tacoma-Pierce CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Amara announced a new partnership with the American Leadership Forum of Tacoma-Pierce County for community development initiatives in Pierce County.
• Somali Community Cultural Innovation HubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Amara announced the sale of a portion of its MLK property to the Somali Community Cultural Innovation Hub, supporting community development and cultural services.
• Pierce County Juvenile CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmara partners with Pierce County Juvenile Court to operate the Pierce County Early Childhood Court Program for children ages 0-5, ensuring young children remain healthy and connected to parents during foster care proceedings.
• The Alliance CaRES Program (University of Washington School of Social Work)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with UW School of Social Work's Alliance CaRES Program offering statewide support to caregivers through mentors, support groups, and training opportunities.
• Center for Adoption Medicine (UW Medicine and Seattle Children's)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing pre-adoption consultations, on-call travel support, and pediatric care for fostered and adopted children through a collaboration with UW Medicine and Seattle Children's Hospital.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Catholic Community Services of Western Washington: Western Washington-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, kinship, and refugee services across the same Puget Sound region. Directly comparable in service mix, geography, and reliance on faith-based community funding, and competes for the same pool of foster caregivers and donor dollars.
• Treehouse: Seattle-based nonprofit focused exclusively on improving educational outcomes for youth in foster care. Directly comparable to Amara's STAR Youth Program and foster-caregiver support mission in the same Puget Sound market, with overlapping donor and government funding sources.
• Lutheran Community Services Northwest: Multi-state social services nonprofit providing foster care licensing, kinship support, refugee resettlement, and behavioral health across the Pacific Northwest. Comparable service portfolio and regional scope, serving as a direct competitor for caregiver recruitment and state contracts.
• Children's Home Society of Washington: Washington statewide nonprofit offering adoption, foster care, and family support services since 1906. Closely comparable to Amara's adoption resources, foster placement, and century-plus operating history, competing for state contracts in the same geography.
• YouthCare: Seattle-based nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness and those involved in the child welfare system, including LGBTQ+ youth. Comparable to Amara's STAR Youth Program and inclusive youth-development mission in the same regional market.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound: Tacoma-based youth development nonprofit offering after-school programs, teen services, and mentorship in Pierce County. Comparable to Amara's STAR Youth drop-in center and youth-development programming in the same geography and overlapping donor base.
• Friends of Children: Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit providing one-on-one mentoring and family support for children in foster care. Comparable wraparound, mentoring-driven model serving a similar Pacific Northwest foster youth population with a similar donor-funded nonprofit structure.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: Nationally focused philanthropic child welfare organization working on long-term foster care and family well-being system reform, headquartered in Seattle. Operates in a broader policy and direct-service role than Amara but shares the same mission and influences the same Washington state funding environment.
• Olive Crest: Multi-state nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and in-home family preservation services across the Western U.S. Comparable foster-caregiver licensing and wraparound model, but operates at much larger geographic and budget scale than Amara.

Others

• Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF): State government agency that administers foster care licensing, placement, and child welfare contracting in Washington. Amara is a contracted community partner of DCYF rather than a competitor, but DCYF sets policy, licensing standards, and reimbursement rates that directly shape Amara's operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/theamarafamily
• YouTubeyoutube.com/AmaraFamily
• Facebookfacebook.com/theamarafamily
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amara
• Instagraminstagram.com/theamarafamily

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Amara