Mercy Home for Boys & Girls

What Mercy Home for Boys & Girls does

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a 501(c)(3) Catholic nonprofit child welfare agency founded in 1887 in Chicago and operated under the legal entity The Mission of Our Lady of Mercy, Inc. (EIN 36-2171726). It provides residential therapeutic care, clinical therapy, educational support, and career-readiness programming for children and young adults ages 11-21 who have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence, as well as post-residential AfterCare and Community Care services for biological families and former residents. Service delivery is anchored on two campuses — a West Loop Campus (boys and young men, headquartered at 1140 W. Jackson Blvd. since 1889) and the Walsh Girls Campus (girls, acquired in 1987 on South Longwood Drive) — comprising 14 residential therapeutic homes that provide 24-hour care, with youth placed across 50+ partner elementary, high, and post-secondary schools throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

The organization's core operating model is a trauma-responsive continuum of care that integrates residential placement, individual and family therapy (3,816 sessions delivered in 2024), school placement and tutoring, career skills training through an annual Job Skills Workshop, and long-term AfterCare mentoring via the Friends First volunteer program. Mercy Home is privately funded — nearly 100% of operating resources are raised from individual, corporate, and foundation donors — and serves families on a sliding-fee scale without billing Medicaid or private insurance. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via DCFS referrals, school partnerships, community agency referrals, and family self-contact, with admissions routed through a structured intake process and an admissions director. The donor and partnership ecosystem includes recurring family foundations (Stack, Speh, Pulte), corporate partners (Harris Associates, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Google, Dress for Success Chicago, Aarete, Swoon Staffing, Billy Goat Tavern), and the Leader Council and Associate Board auxiliary networks, all anchored by top-employer recognition (14 consecutive years of Chicago Tribune Top Workplaces and a USA Today national Top Workplaces honor in 2025).

Name

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls

Legal name

The Mission of Our Lady of Mercy, Inc.

Website

https://mercyhome.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) Catholic nonprofit, founded in 1887, that provides residential therapeutic care, therapy, education, and career-readiness services to youth ages 11-21 experiencing abuse or neglect, funded almost entirely through private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Residential and Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM)

Keywords

• Residential youth care
• Child welfare services
• Mentoring programs
• Education and career resources
• Foster care support

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: Nearly 100% of life-saving resources are raised from donors including individuals, corporations, and foundations. The organization relies heavily on charitable contributions to fund operations.
2. Sliding Fee Scale: Uses a sliding-fee scale for families. Does not bill Medicaid or private insurance. Payment charts exist for youth and family payment arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a 501(c)(3) Catholic children's charity providing full-time residential therapeutic care, community care, mentoring, education, and career development services to youth ages 11-21 who have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence. Services are delivered across 14 residential homes on two Chicago campuses, with continued support through AfterCare, Friends First Mentoring, scholarships, and therapy for youth and families.

Product overview

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls operates as a residential child welfare agency offering a portfolio of interconnected programs. The core offering is the Youth Residential Program, which provides full-time therapeutic housing across 14 residential homes on two campuses. This is supplemented by the Community Care Program for continued family support and the AfterCare Program for post-residential success. The Friends First Mentoring Program provides volunteer mentors both in-home and in workplace settings. Education and Career Resources, including the Scholar Program, delivers academic support, scholarships, and career development services. The Job Skills Workshop provides annual job readiness training. All programs work together to provide a continuum of care from crisis intervention through educational completion and career entry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friends First Mentoring: A volunteer mentor program that connects children with caring adult mentors to help them make trusted friends, explore their communities, and create better futures.
• Community Care
• Youth Residential Program

Products and services

• Youth Residential Program Full-time residential care program providing a safe, structured, and supportive home environment for young people ages 11-21 who have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence. Youth live in one of 14 residential therapeutic homes with 24-hour care, therapy, educational support, and career guidance.
• Community Care Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% high school seniors graduated
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Harris AssociatescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 March 2022Chicago-based investment services firm represented on Mercy Home's Board of Regents by Rana Wright and Danny Nicholas. Made generous donation to cover costs of Job Skills Workshop and support career development programming. Led the return of the Job Skills Workshop after pandemic.
• AareteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConsulting firm where Board of Regents member Skip Behm serves as CFO, COO & Managing Director. Employees volunteered at Job Skills Workshop.
• Swoon StaffingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStaffing firm whose employees volunteered at the Job Skills Workshop.
• Billy Goat TavernminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonated delicious meal for Job Skills Workshop event participants.
• Leader CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard of accomplished professional women who advocate for Mercy Home's boys and girls to unlock academic potential and break the cycle of abuse, neglect, and poverty. Sponsor the annual Job Skills Workshop.
• Dress for Success ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides professional clothing and career preparation services for Mercy Home youth.
• GoogleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLinked with Mercy Home's March for Kids event. Mercy Home alum and volunteers have discovered career paths at Google.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Childhelp: National nonprofit focused on prevention and treatment of child abuse, operating residential group homes and advocacy programs. Comparable mission focus on abuse and neglect recovery.
• Children's Home & Aid: Illinois-headquartered child welfare nonprofit offering residential, foster care, adoption, and family support services. Comparable in mission scope and Midwestern donor geography.
• National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP): National nonprofit offering community-based services, residential treatment, and mentoring for at-risk youth and families. Comparable service mix spanning residential, mentoring, and aftercare.
• Boys Town: National nonprofit providing residential care, education, and family-support services for at-risk youth, operating its own campuses of therapeutic homes. Most directly comparable U.S. peer given integrated residential-plus-aftercare model.
• Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services: Faith-affiliated nonprofit operating residential cottages, family services, and community programs for children and youth in crisis. Comparable faith-based residential model and therapeutic home structure.
• Boys & Girls Aid: Oregon-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and youth residential services with mentoring and post-placement support. Comparable mission and aftercare continuum.
• Lawrence Hall: Chicago-based nonprofit providing residential treatment, therapeutic day school, and community-based services for youth in foster care and at-risk populations. Operates in the same Illinois catchment with a similar therapeutic residential model.
• Maryville Academy: Chicago-area Catholic nonprofit offering residential, foster care, and community-based programs for abused, neglected, and at-risk youth. Closest geographic and faith-based peer to Mercy Home.

Emerging players

• Youth Villages: National nonprofit providing residential and community-based intervention for at-risk youth using an evidence-based treatment model. Comparable continuum-of-care approach with outcome-driven positioning.

Others

• Dress for Success Chicago: Workforce-readiness nonprofit partner that supports Mercy Home youth through professional clothing and career preparation. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but directly comparable in target population outcome.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mercyhome
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MercyHome
• Facebookfacebook.com/mercyhome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mercy-home-for-boys-girls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Mercy Home for Boys & Girls