Oklahoma Family Network

What Oklahoma Family Network does

Oklahoma Family Network (OFN) is a private, statewide 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City that delivers peer-to-peer support, resource navigation, and family leadership training to Oklahoma families of children with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN) and disabilities. Founded in 1996 as the Neonatal Parents Network of Oklahoma by Dr. Edward Co, the organization expanded statewide in 1999 and assumed its current form in October 2002 following the merger of NPN with the Special Parents Access Network (SPAN). OFN operates a portfolio of condition-specific programs — including the NEST Program (perinatal and infant loss), Families Fighting Childhood Cancer, CHATS (hearing loss), Genetics support, Children's Behavioral Health Network, Child Loss and Bereavement, Sprout & Shine (prenatal-to-5 early development), Enhancing Parent Voice, and a Transition program — delivered through regional coordinators (Western, Eastern, Southeast, Northeast), specialized family support partners embedded in hospital systems (OU Children's, INTEGRIS Baptist), and culturally-specific coordinators (Latino, Native American).

The organization's core operating 'technology' is a human-mediated parent-to-parent mentorship model that matches referred families with trained veteran parent volunteers (Supporting Families) who have lived experience with similar diagnoses. Service delivery is augmented by digital content channels, including the 'We Saved You A Seat' podcast (Podbean, Spotify), a YouTube channel, a Facebook community page, and an email newsletter distributed via Vresp. OFN does not use any disclosed AI, machine learning, or automation tooling; its competitive moat is rooted in lived-experience credentials, regional/statewide presence, and federal designation rather than technology.

OFN's business model is that of a grant- and donation-funded non-profit rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Primary funding sources include HRSA's Family-to-Family Health Information Center grant (held since 2008), Oklahoma Human Services, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services, and the OU Center for Learning and Leadership. In 2022 OFN established an endowment with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, seeded through fundraising and a matching contribution from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. Services are provided free of charge to families; there is no fee-for-service or subscription pricing model. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors led by President Cristina O'Connor and managed by Executive Director Joni Bruce, who has held the role since December 1997.

Name

Oklahoma Family Network

Legal name

Oklahoma Family Network

Website

https://oklahomafamilynetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oklahoma Family Network is a statewide Oklahoma non-profit that provides free peer-to-peer support, resource navigation, and family leadership training to families of children with special healthcare needs and disabilities, funded primarily by government grants and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Support Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF), Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH), Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Parent-to-parent mentoring
• Special healthcare needs
• Family-to-family health information
• Disability support network

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Contracts: OFN is primarily funded through government grants and contracts. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Maternal Child Health Bureau began funding the Oklahoma Family Network as the Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) in 2008. Long-standing funding sources include Oklahoma Human Services Developmental Disabilities and Children with Special Health Care Needs Divisions, Oklahoma Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Oklahoma State Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Program, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and the OU Center for Learning and Leadership through competitive grants and contracts as early as 2004.
2. Individual and Community Donations: OFN raises funds through donations, special events, community grants, and revolving donations. In 2022, the organization set up an endowment with the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, with fundraising dollars and a match from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Oklahoma Family Network is a non-profit organization that delivers free, peer-led support services to Oklahoma families of children with special healthcare needs, disabilities, or critical medical conditions. Its core service is a parent-to-parent mentorship program that matches families with trained veteran Supporting Families who have lived experience with similar diagnoses, complemented by emotional support, resource navigation, support groups, training, advocacy, and digital content including the "We Saved You A Seat" podcast. Programs are organized around specific conditions and populations, including the NEST Program, Families Fighting Childhood Cancer, Children's Behavioral Health Network, Genetics, Child Loss and Bereavement, CHATS (hearing loss), Sprout & Shine, and Transition support, delivered statewide via regional coordinators and specialized family support partners.

Product overview

Oklahoma Family Network is a statewide nonprofit organization that operates as a platform of interconnected support programs designed to assist families of children with special healthcare needs and disabilities. The organization offers multiple distinct programs including the NEST Program (for families expecting or with children with special needs), Children's Behavioral Health Network, Families Fighting Childhood Cancer, Genetics support, Child Loss and Bereavement, and the CHATS hearing loss program. These programs are complemented by the Sprout & Shine initiative for early childhood development and the Transition program for families navigating life changes. Additionally, the organization provides a podcast called 'We Saved You A Seat' and offers resources through YouTube and various support groups. The programs connect families with trained peer support parents, resources, training, and community connections. OFN serves as Oklahoma's Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC), a program funded by HRSA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The NEST Program: Connects families who are expecting or have given birth to a child with a special healthcare need, disability, or other condition
• Families Fighting Childhood Cancer
• Child Loss and Bereavement
• Children's Behavioral Health Network
• Genetics
• Sprout & Shine
• The CHATS Program
• Enhancing Parent Voice
• Transition

Products and services

• The NEST Program Connects Oklahoma families who are expecting or have given birth to a child with a special healthcare need, disability, or other condition, and connects families who have experienced infant loss with other families with similar experiences.
• Families Fighting Childhood Cancer A support group for children diagnosed with a cancer or blood disorder and their families in Oklahoma.
• Children's Behavioral Health Network A support network providing resources and emotional support for Oklahoma families who have a child struggling with behavioral and mental health, and/or substance abuse concerns.
• Genetics Support Network A support network providing resources and emotional support for Oklahoma families who have a child with a genetic disorder.
• Child Loss and Bereavement Support A support network providing resources and emotional support for Oklahoma families who have lost a child.
• The CHATS Program (Community for Hearing Loss Awareness Training and Supports) A program that provides families, caregivers, and children who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or have Hearing Loss with resources, trainings, and support.
• Sprout & Shine An initiative for parents of children prenatal to 5 that promotes early development, health, and overall family well-being through resources, workshops, and events.
• Enhancing Parent Voice An initiative that helps parents of children 0-5 years old from underserved communities feel empowered by providing information, resources, and opportunities to advocate and share their lived experiences.
• Transition Support Network A support network offering resources and emotional support for Oklahoma families navigating life during various transition periods such as early childhood, foster care, adulthood, or healthcare.
• We Saved You A Seat Podcast A podcast by Oklahoma Family Network that explores helpful topics and interviews related to families of children with special healthcare needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 2,000 children enter NICUs in Oklahoma each year, approximately 2,000 more visit surgical/medical/Pediatric ICUs, and thousands more receive diagnoses of special healthcare needs. OFN is the only agency offering family-perspective support and resource coordination in Oklahoma.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)coreOthersOFN is the designated Family-to-Family Health Information Center (F2F HIC) in Oklahoma, a program funded by HRSA's Maternal Child Health Bureau since 2008. The F2F program connects families of children with special health care needs to resources and provides healthcare information and education.
• Oklahoma Human ServicescoreOthersOklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) is a long-standing funding source through competitive grants and contracts (since as early as 2004). OKDHS Developmental Disabilities and Children with Special Health Care Needs Divisions provide ongoing support.
• Oklahoma State Department of HealthcoreOthersOklahoma State Department of Health, specifically the Maternal and Child Health Program and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, has been a long-standing funding source through grants and contracts since 2004.
• Oklahoma Mental Health & Substance Abuse ServicescoreOthersA long-standing funding source through competitive grants and contracts since as early as 2004, supporting OFN's behavioral health programs.
• Center for Learning and Leadership (OU)coreOthersA long-standing partner and funding source through grants and contracts since 2004. The Center for Learning and Leadership is based at OU Health Sciences Center and supports family leadership and learning initiatives. OFN partners with the Center's Family Leadership Council.
• Parent to Parent USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFN is an Alliance Member of Parent to Parent USA, a national network of parent-to-parent programs that ensures access to quality emotional support for families of individuals with disabilities and/or special health care needs.
• National Federation of FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFN is the State Chapter of the National Federation of Families, a national family-run organization linking more than 120 state and local affiliates focused on children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and their families.
• Family VoicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOFN is the State Affiliate Organization for Family Voices, a national family-led organization of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and disabilities. OFN goals include developing family leaders, advocating for children with SHCN, and supporting national policy positions.
• Evolution FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Evolution Foundation is a nonprofit specializing in advocacy for children, youth, and families with complex needs, providing resources, support, and technical assistance to families, community coalitions, and state child-serving agencies.
• Pervasive Parenting CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA not-for-profit organization in eastern Oklahoma made up of families, local educators, community leaders, and healthcare professionals striving to provide a better life for families coping with disabilities.
• Kids Joining EternityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA nonprofit that helps parents, siblings, family members, friends, and caregivers come to terms with the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, sudden infant death, and/or chronic childhood illness.
• Preparing for a Lifetime (Oklahoma State Department of Health)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn Oklahoma State Department of Health program that helps improve outcomes for infants through resources, education, and services.
• Oklahoma System of CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides a team to develop individualized plans of care using strength-based approaches that allow family members to be heard and address their own needs using resources in their local community.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Easterseals: Large national nonprofit providing disability and special-needs services across medical, behavioral, and community programs; broader incumbent that overlaps with OFN's family-support mission but is not peer-led.
• March of Dimes: National nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health, including NICU support; overlaps with OFN's NICU and maternal-child programs but at much larger national scale.
• National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): National rare-disease advocacy and patient-support organization; comparable to OFN's genetics and rare-condition family-support work but at a national scale.

Direct peers

• National Federation of Families: National family-run organization with 120+ state/local affiliates serving children and youth with emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs; OFN is its Oklahoma State Chapter and shares a family-leadership mission.
• Kids Joining Eternity: Oklahoma nonprofit that helps parents and families cope with child loss (miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, chronic childhood illness); listed as an OFN strategic partner and closely aligned with OFN's Child Loss and Bereavement program.
• Parent to Parent USA: National alliance of parent-to-parent support programs for families of individuals with disabilities/SHCN; OFN is an Alliance Member and operates the same core parent-mentorship model.
• Family Voices: National family-led organization for children and youth with special healthcare needs (CYSHCN); OFN is its Oklahoma State Affiliate Organization, making Family Voices the most direct structural peer.
• Pervasive Parenting Center: Eastern Oklahoma not-for-profit of families, educators, and healthcare professionals serving families coping with disabilities; explicitly listed as an OFN strategic partner and operates a near-identical family-support model.
• Family-to-Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs): HRSA-funded F2F HICs in other states share OFN's exact mandate of providing family-to-family health information, training, and resources to families of CYSHCN; direct functional peers.

Emerging players

• Evolution Foundation: Nonprofit specializing in advocacy for children, youth, and families with complex needs; provides technical assistance to state child-serving agencies, partially overlapping with OFN's family-leadership and advocacy role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5KMi7XSNF65Kof2QRu-juQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/oklahomafamilynetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oklahoma-family-network-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Oklahoma Family Network