Families First
Families First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1890 in Atlanta, Georgia that delivers behavioral health, case management, parenting education, and supportive housing programs to families with complex challenges across Metro Atlanta and statewide Georgia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1890
- HeadquartersAtlanta, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Families First does
Families First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization founded in 1890 in Atlanta, Georgia, that strengthens family resiliency through an integrated portfolio of behavioral health, case management, parenting, and housing programs. The organization operates through three core impact areas: the Lucy C. Vance Center for Behavioral Health (individual, family, couples, and group therapy; psychiatric services including a child/adolescent psychiatry clinic operated in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine since January 2024); Navigator Services (intensive case management connecting families to housing, healthcare, employment, education, and other resources); and Parenting & Adoption Support Services / PASS (parenting classes, co-parenting education, visitation support, foster/adoption training). Specialized programs include the Teenage Pregnant and Parenting Program (TAPP) in four counties, the Chispa early-childhood program for Latino families in Gwinnett County, the Partners in Parenting co-parenting curriculum available online nationwide, and supportive housing operations including Weaver Gardens (the nation's first transitional housing for homeless young mothers with infants), Delowe Village, and Shelter-A-Family (HUD-funded permanent supportive housing).
The underlying technology layer is intentionally lightweight: virtual clinical services and online course delivery platforms enable remote counseling and 24/7 access to the Partners in Parenting curriculum, but no proprietary AI, machine learning, or data platform is disclosed. Service delivery runs through two physical sites (the renovated E.R. Carter School headquarters on Atlanta's Westside and a Decatur office), community-based outreach across 13 Metro Atlanta counties, and statewide programs covering 26 Georgia counties. The Navigator Care Model functions as the operational backbone, integrating referrals across program lines.
Families First's revenue model is diversified across individual donations (one-time and recurring, with suggested gift tiers from $200 to $2,500), corporate sponsorships and foundation grants (e.g., Amerihealth), planned-giving vehicles (bequests, charitable remainder trusts, gift annuities, donor-advised funds), and fee-for-service revenue from parenting-time and co-parenting education programs. Capital campaigns have historically been significant: the 2014-2016 Family Matters Capital Campaign raised $13.3 million to purchase and renovate the E.R. Carter School headquarters, and the 2024 Navigating the Future Campaign targets $3 million over three years to expand behavioral-health training. Annual fundraising events include the Loving the Legacy gala ($328,940 raised in 2026), the Back-to-School Bash, the Jean Childs Young Forum, and the Gift-a-Family holiday drive. The customer base comprises individual and family program participants (across segments including complex-challenge families, single/young mothers ages 14-26, foster and adoptive families, and parents in transition) rather than enterprise buyers, with no individual donor or contract disclosed as dominant.
Families First firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Families First
- Legal name
- Families First, Inc.
- Website
- https://familiesfirst.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1890
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Families First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1890 in Atlanta, Georgia that delivers behavioral health, case management, parenting education, and supportive housing programs to families with complex challenges across Metro Atlanta and statewide Georgia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Families First industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Family and Community Social Services
- NAICS
- Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs (EDACALAC), Co-Parenting, Father Engagement & Caregiver Inclusion Programs (EDACALAI), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Parent Support Groups & Peer Networks (EDACALAG)
Keywords
Where Families First is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Atlanta
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Families First business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting family resiliency programs. One-time and monthly recurring gift options available.
- Corporate Sponsorships & Grants: Corporate partnerships, sponsorships for events, and foundation grants supporting specific programs and initiatives.
- Fee-for-Service Programs: Revenue from fee-for-service programs including co-parenting education classes and parenting time services, with scaling initiatives for sustainable fee structures.
- Planned Giving & Estate Donations: Bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, and life insurance donations from planned giving programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Donation/ grant-funded | One-time or Monthly | $200 provides a trauma-informed counseling session for a woman or caregiver |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Donor-Advised Fund and planned giving options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Families First product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Families First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization that strengthens family resiliency through behavioral health counseling, intensive case management (Navigator Services), and parenting and adoption support. The organization operates three core impact areas — the Vance Center for Behavioral Health, Navigator Services, and Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS) — supplemented by supportive housing programs, teen parenting programs, and the evidence-based Partners in Parenting co-parenting curriculum used nationwide.
Product overview
Families First is a nonprofit social services organization founded in 1890 that offers a holistic, comprehensive suite of programs designed to strengthen family resiliency across Georgia. The organization operates through three primary impact areas: the Vance Center for Behavioral Health (offering counseling, therapy, and psychiatric services); Navigator Services (providing intensive case management and resource connections); and Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS, including parenting classes, adoption support, and foster care training). Additional programs include the Teenage Pregnant and Parenting Program (TAPP), Chispa early childhood development, Partners in Parenting co-parenting curriculum, Access and Visitation services, NTDC Hub training, and supportive housing programs including Weaver Gardens, Delowe Village, and Shelter-A-Family. The organization serves families throughout metro Atlanta and statewide through various county-specific programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lucy C. Vance Center for Behavioral Health: Behavioral health services including counseling, therapy, peer support, and psychiatric services for children and families.
- Navigator Services
- Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS)
Products and services
- Vance Center for Behavioral Health
- Navigator Services
- Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS)
- Teenage Pregnant and Parenting Program (TAPP)
- Chispa Program
- Partners in Parenting (PIP)
- Parenting Time (Access and Visitation)
- NTDC Hub (formerly IMPACT)
- Weaver Gardens
- Delowe Village
- Shelter-A-Family
- Second Chance Home
- S. Fulton Cooperative
Quantifiable outcome
- 200+ U.S. communities use Families First's Partners in Parenting curriculum
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Families First
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Families First technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Families First partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Morehouse School of MedicinecorePartnership to operate a weekly child and adolescent psychiatry clinic at Families First's Atlanta headquarters. MSM behavioral health clinicians provide psychiatric services to youth up to age 21 on Tuesdays. The collaboration enables cross-referrals between organizations for comprehensive care including primary care, specialty care, and mental health services. A key component of the Navigating the Future Campaign to expand behavioral health professional training.
- Georgia State UniversitycoreUniversity partnership for behavioral health professional pipeline as part of the Navigating the Future Campaign. Training next generation of behavioral health professionals through Families First's established university internship program.
- University of Georgia (UGA)coreUniversity partnership for behavioral health professional pipeline as part of the Navigating the Future Campaign.
- Clark Atlanta UniversitycoreUniversity partnership for behavioral health professional pipeline as part of the Navigating the Future Campaign.
- Community Foundation for Greater AtlantaminorRecommended resource for donors interested in trusts, annuities, and retirement accounts for planned giving. Families First refers donors to CFGA for more information about planned giving vehicles.
- Georgia Center for Resources & SupportminorStatewide resource collaboration serving the entire state of Georgia for family support services.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Families First competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Children's Home Society of California: California-based nonprofit operating adoption, foster care, mental health, and family support programs. Strong parallel to Families First's PASS and behavioral health services, but serves the West Coast market.
- Mary Hall Freedom House: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing housing, recovery, and family support services for women and children affected by addiction and homelessness. Direct overlap with Families First's Delowe Village supportive housing and substance-abuse recovery programming.
- United Way of Greater Atlanta: Atlanta-area umbrella fundraising and grant-making organization. Historically connected to Families First (one of its predecessor agencies founded Atlanta's centralized fundraising). Functions as both a donor pipeline and a peer funder for the same family-resiliency space.
Direct peers
- Healthy Families America: Evidence-based home visiting program operated under Prevent Child Abuse America. Comparable to Families First's TAPP and Chispa home-visitation models serving pregnant and parenting teens, low-income families, and high-risk populations.
- Bethany Christian Services: National nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, family preservation, and refugee services. Directly comparable to Families First's Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS), Navigator case management, and foster/adoptive parent training (NTDC Hub).
- Parents as Teachers: National home-visiting parent education organization whose evidence-based curriculum Families First's Chispa program directly adopts. Direct content and methodology overlap on early childhood home-visiting services for families with children 0–5.
- Youth Villages: Large nonprofit delivering intensive in-home family services, behavioral health, and residential programs for at-risk youth. Operates a similar wraparound service model to Families First's Navigator Care Model and serves comparable populations (foster, at-risk children, families in crisis).
Broad incumbents
- Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health: One of the largest U.S. nonprofits operating behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and child welfare programs. Comparable to Families First's behavioral health and foster/adoption portfolio, but operates nationally and at significantly greater scale.
- KVC Health Systems: National nonprofit providing child welfare, behavioral health, and family services. Closely comparable to Families First's mix of foster/adoption, behavioral health, and family preservation programming, though at a larger multi-state scale.
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta: Major Atlanta pediatric health system with extensive behavioral health and community programs. Comparable referral and partnership footprint, and the dominant regional counterpart for child and adolescent mental health services that Families First's Vance Center complements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Families First social profiles
Digital presenceFamilies First compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Families First financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Families First leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles16 records
Families First funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Families First M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Families First
What does Families First do?
Families First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization that strengthens family resiliency through behavioral health counseling, intensive case management (Navigator Services), and parenting and adoption support. The organization operates three core impact areas — the Vance Center for Behavioral Health, Navigator Services, and Parenting & Adoption Support Services (PASS) — supplemented by supportive housing programs, teen parenting programs, and the evidence-based Partners in Parenting co-parenting curriculum used nationwide.
Is Families First a public or private company?
Families First is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Families First founded?
Families First was founded in 1890. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Families First based?
Families First is headquartered in Atlanta, United States, in the North America region.
How does Families First make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate Sponsorships & Grants, fee-for-Service Programs and planned Giving & Estate Donations.
Who are Families First's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Children's Home Society of California, Mary Hall Freedom House and United Way of Greater Atlanta. Direct peers are Healthy Families America, Bethany Christian Services, Parents as Teachers and Youth Villages. Broad incumbents are Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, KVC Health Systems and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Does Families First have an API?
No public API is recorded for Families First.
What industry is Families First in?
Families First's product category is Family and Community Social Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services, with a secondary code of EDACALAC, Home Visiting & Parent Coaching Programs. Its NAICS code is 6241 and its SIC code is 8300.