National CASA Association

What National CASA Association does

The National CASA/GAL Association for Children is a Seattle-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 by Judge David W. Soukup that supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth who have experienced abuse or neglect. The organization functions as a national standards-setting and capacity-building body for a federation of approximately 890 state and local CASA/GAL programs operating in 48-49 states and the District of Columbia, with satellite offices in Atlanta (2019) and Washington, D.C. (2015). In 2024 the network trained more than 24,000 new advocates and deployed over 79,000 volunteers, who collectively served roughly 214,000 children, bringing cumulative service to over 2 million since inception.

The organization's core products are non-commercial by design: the CASA/GAL volunteer advocacy model, a research-based training curriculum requiring 30+ hours of initial training and 12 hours of annual continuing education, e-learning modules (including an educational advocacy series), a national standards and quality-assurance framework with member-program assessments, and pass-through grant funding plus technical assistance to local programs. Technology assets are limited to the proprietary training content, e-learning infrastructure, and program-level operational tooling; the organization does not maintain a public API or commercial software product, and intellectual property consists primarily of the federally registered CASA trademarks and copyrighted curricula.

The revenue model is multi-stream philanthropic and governmental rather than transactional. Primary funding flows from a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), with the organization publicly advocating for the $12.5 million House-appropriated level for the CASA program. Secondary streams include Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) pass-through funds, private foundation and corporate philanthropy (Jewelers for Children is the largest private funder since 2000), and individual giving programs including the Advocates Circle leadership giving society, planned gifts, and workplace giving. Services to children and families are provided free of charge, and the organization holds Charity Navigator 4-star, GuideStar Gold, and Best in America seals.

Name

National CASA Association

Legal name

National CASA/GAL Association for Children

Website

https://nationalcasagal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National CASA/GAL Association for Children is a Seattle-based nonprofit that supports a nationwide federation of 890 state and local programs training 79,000+ volunteer advocates to represent abused and neglected children in court proceedings across 49 states and DC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Welfare Advocacy Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

Keywords

• Child welfare advocacy
• Foster care volunteers
• Court appointed advocates
• Nonprofit network programs
• Abuse and neglect advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Federal Government Grants: Primary funding comes through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The organization also advocates for full funding for the CASA program through the Department of Justice to the House-appropriated level of $12.5 million. Additional federal funding through VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) flows to programs at the state level.
2. Private Foundation and Corporate Philanthropy: Jewelers for Children is the largest private funder, having given millions since 2003. Akerman LLP provides both monetary support and pro bono services, including a scholarship for former foster youth. Kappa Alpha Theta partnership spanning over 30 years. Additional support from corporations through the 'Join the Movement' partnership program.
3. Individual Donations: Individual giving through online donations, the Advocates Circle leadership giving program, planned gifts, stock donations, workplace giving with employer matching, and beneficiary designations from donor-advised funds. EIN: 91-1255818.
4. Congressional Appropriations: Advocates for full federal appropriations for the CASA program through the Department of Justice, currently advocating for $12.5 million House-appropriated level. The organization also receives authorization through Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and is authorized in the Victims of Child Abuse Act.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The National CASA/GAL Association for Children supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy for children and youth who have experienced abuse or neglect. It operates a nationwide network of 890 state and local programs that recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers (CASA/GAL advocates) appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of children in foster care and dependency proceedings, with 79,000+ volunteers serving 214,000 children annually. The national body also provides research-based training curricula, national quality standards, technical assistance, and grant funding to the program network.

Product overview

The National CASA/GAL Association operates a nationwide network of volunteer advocacy programs rather than a traditional software product. The core offering is the CASA/GAL Volunteer Advocacy Program, which connects trained court-appointed volunteers with children who have experienced abuse or neglect. Supporting this core service are volunteer training curriculum (30+ hours initial plus 12 hours annual), technical assistance and quality assurance for 890 state and local programs, national volunteer recruitment campaigns, resources for judicial partners, research documenting program effectiveness, and grant funding distribution. The organization functions as a standards-setting and support body for the national network of local advocacy programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CASA/GAL Volunteer Advocacy Program Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and guardian ad litem (GAL) advocacy service in which trained community volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for the best interests of children in abuse or neglect cases. Volunteers stay with each case from appointment through closure and are assigned to only one or two children or sibling groups at a time. The program is offered through a nationwide network of 890 state and local programs serving 214,000 children annually with 79,000+ volunteers.
• Volunteer Training Curriculum Comprehensive research-based training program preparing community volunteers to serve as CASA/GAL advocates, delivered through local programs with 30+ hours of initial preservice training plus 12 hours of continuing education annually per volunteer.
• Technical Assistance and Quality Assurance National standards-setting, technical assistance, membership criteria, and structured quality assessment services provided to 890 state and local CASA/GAL programs to ensure fidelity to the model.
• National Volunteer Recruitment Campaigns Nationally coordinated volunteer recruitment and public awareness campaigns supporting local CASA/GAL programs in identifying and onboarding new community advocates, including support under OJJDP cooperative agreement #15PJDP-21-GK-02762-CASA.
• Resources for Judges Educational materials, surveys, and partnership resources for judicial professionals, including NCJFCJ resolution support and best practices documentation for court-CASA/GAL program relationships.
• Grant Funding and Resource Development Pass-through funding and competitive grants administration for state and local CASA/GAL programs, sourced primarily from the U.S. Department of Justice (OJJDP) cooperative agreement and supplemented by private foundations and corporate partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children with a CASA/GAL volunteer are half as likely to re-enter the foster care system
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with NCJFCJ, supported by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators. The CASA/GAL model was founded by a judge and endorsed from the start. NCJFCJ has passed resolutions in support of the creation and expansion of CASA/GAL programs and in support of recruiting CASA volunteers of color. 15 past presidents of NCJFCJ issued a joint statement supporting the program.
• Chapin Hall at the University of ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted the major 'Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program: Judicial Perspectives Survey' study in 2020 exploring and defining CASA/GAL intervention in local courts and communities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Prevent Child Abuse America: National nonprofit focused on preventing child abuse and neglect through awareness, advocacy, and a network of state chapters. Comparable mission (abused and neglected children), federated network model, federal and private funding mix, and emphasis on research-based prevention and advocacy.
• National Children's Alliance: National accrediting body for Children's Advocacy Centers that coordinate multidisciplinary responses to child abuse. Directly comparable as a child-welfare-focused national nonprofit supporting a network of state and local member programs, with similar federal funding ties and standards-setting role.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates of Los Angeles (CASA-LA): One of the largest local CASA/GAL member programs in National CASA's 890-program network, with a board structure and volunteer recruitment model that mirrors the national organization. A CASA-LA board member also serves on the National CASA/GAL board, illustrating the deep local-national integration.

Emerging players

• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption: National nonprofit focused on finding permanent adoptive homes for children in foster care, with a network of Wendy's Wonderful Kids adoption recruiters. Directly comparable in its foster care permanence mission; a National CASA/GAL board advisor serves as its President & CEO, evidencing close ecosystem alignment.
• Childhelp: National nonprofit addressing child abuse through prevention, treatment, and a national child abuse hotline. Comparable in child abuse mission, national network model, hotline/advocacy services, and federal and private funding mix.
• Kids In Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit that recruits and trains pro bono attorneys to represent unaccompanied immigrant children in court. Comparable in its pro-bono volunteer model for court advocacy on behalf of vulnerable children, with similar federal funding ties and network of trained advocates.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Federated national nonprofit operating youth development programs through a network of local clubs. Comparable to CASA/GAL in its scale (thousands of local affiliates), nonprofit structure, government and private funding mix, and mission to improve outcomes for at-risk children and youth.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National nonprofit that recruits, screens, and matches community volunteers with at-risk youth. Highly comparable to CASA/GAL in its volunteer-driven child and youth mission, federated network of local affiliates, and reliance on outcome evidence, though its focus is mentoring rather than court-appointed best-interest advocacy.
• Children's Defense Fund: National child advocacy organization that lobbies and educates on behalf of children, particularly those in poverty and the foster care system. Comparable in child welfare policy focus, national advocacy footprint, and explicit endorsement of the CASA/GAL model, though it is not volunteer-driven in the same way.

Others

• National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: Judicial membership organization that sets standards for juvenile and family courts and is CASA/GAL's longest-standing strategic partner. Comparable in its child welfare court system remit, federal recognition, and its CEO sits on National CASA/GAL's National Council of Advisors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nationalcasa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/NationalCASAGALAssociationforChildren
• Facebookfacebook.com/casaforchildren
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-casa-gal-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalcasagal

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National CASA Association