Forge

What Forge does

Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in a historic home in Birmingham's Southside neighborhood. It provides free, comprehensive supportive services to breast cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors across Alabama and Mississippi, with a stated geographic reach from Gulf Shores, AL to Southaven, MS. Core services include peer matching with trained survivor volunteers, free mental health counseling, transportation assistance (Lyft concierge, Birmingham On Demand rides, gas cards), financial assistance for utilities, rent, and mortgage, nutrition counseling by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, support groups (including metastatic, young-onset, and Spanish-language cohorts), a wig library, and health and wellness classes in yoga, nutrition, meditation, and arts. All services are provided at no cost to clients, with revenue sourced entirely from charitable donations, grants, and community fundraising events.

The organization is not a technology company; its operational footprint centers on a physical gathering space, virtual programming delivered via YouTube ("Forge On Demand") and standard video platforms, and co-located support groups at partner health systems. Its founding emerged from a $287,000 grant from the Women's Breast Health Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, and it operates as a collaborative of four regional health systems (Brookwood Baptist, UAB Medicine, Grandview, St. Vincent's). Administrative and go-to-market activity is community-led, driven by volunteer ambassadors, healthcare provider referrals, events, and earned regional media coverage. The customer base is mission-defined and non-paying, with service delivery supported by a paid staff of approximately 8 named roles plus coordinators, governed by a Board of Directors that was expanded in February 2022.

Name

Forge

Legal name

Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center

Website

https://forgeon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, comprehensive supportive services — peer matching, counseling, transportation, financial assistance, wellness classes, and support groups — to breast cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors across Alabama and Mississippi.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

Keywords

• Breast cancer support
• Survivorship services
• Nonprofit health support
• Cancer peer mentoring
• Free counseling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund its operations and free services. Major donor support includes contributions from Wind Creek Hospitality ($25,000), the Women's Breast Health Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, and various community partners.
2. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding from healthcare foundations and community foundations. Initial establishment was supported by a $287,000 grant from the Women's Breast Health Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham in 2014 for the Breast Cancer Survivorship Rehabilitation Initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, individualized supportive services to breast cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors in Alabama and Mississippi. Core offerings include peer matching with trained survivor volunteers, free professional mental health counseling, transportation assistance, financial resources for essential bills, nutrition counseling, wellness classes, support groups for specialized populations, a wig library, and survivorship planning. All services are delivered at no cost to clients and funded by charitable donations, grants, and community partnerships.

Product overview

Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center is a nonprofit support organization (not a technology product company) that offers a comprehensive suite of supportive services for breast cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors in Alabama and Mississippi. The organization provides its services through physical gathering spaces, virtual programming, and partnerships. Core services include peer matching with trained volunteer mentors, health and wellness classes (yoga, nutrition, meditation, arts), free mental health counseling, transportation assistance to medical appointments, financial resources for essential bills, support groups for various populations (including metastatic, young onset, and Spanish-speaking), a wig library, nutrition counseling, and educational programming through Coffee Conversations and Forge On Demand video content. The organization operates from a historic home in Birmingham's Southside and hosts events including the annual Haute Pink fashion show fundraiser.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Home Away from Home

Quantifiable outcome

• Bridging healthcare access gaps in rural Alabama and Mississippi where patients travel average 110 miles one-way for treatment

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Paul Mitchell The School BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2023Forge partnered with Paul Mitchell The School Birmingham to provide fresh, clean, and styled wigs for Alabama breast cancer patients experiencing chemotherapy-related hair loss. Wigs can be expensive and are often not covered by insurance.
• UAB Arts in Medicine ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 January 2020Forge partnered with UAB and the Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater for 'Raising Our Voices,' a dance/theater project featuring stories from Alabamians impacted by cancer, performed at UAB.
• UAB Integrative Medicine Clinic at the Kirklin CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2019Forge partnered with UAB Integrative Medicine Clinic for a $50,000 grant project supporting workshops for cancer survivors that celebrate survivors' stories through art and movement. Also partnered for self-care Lunch & Learn series.
• Junior League of BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2019Forge partners with the Junior League of Birmingham to offer fun and educational classes on flower arranging, wreath making, and other craft activities. Classes are led by Junior League members at the Forge house or Junior League location.
• Camp BluebirdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2018Forge partners with Camp Bluebird, which offers respite, camaraderie, and fun to cancer survivors from all health systems. Forge provides unique, educational, and fun programming during this biannual adult camp focused on nutrition and survivorship.
• Deep South Cancer FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2018Forge and Deep South Cancer Foundation co-hosted the first retreat for metastatic breast cancer survivors and co-survivors in the region—a journey of courage and hope addressing an unmet need.
• Regional Health Systems Partnership (Brookwood Baptist, UAB Medicine, UAB School of Nursing, Grandview, St. Vincent's Health System)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2016Four major regional health systems—Brookwood Baptist, UAB Medicine, UAB School of Nursing, Grandview, and St. Vincent's Health System—partnered through the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham's Women's Breast Health Fund to create an unprecedented community collaboration for breast cancer survivorship support.
• Birmingham Tree HouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirmingham Tree House, owned by Renny Ratliff, provides regular meditation practices for Forge clients, available on the Practicing Mindfulness playlist on YouTube. Meditation is believed to calm the mind, increase alertness, and bring physical and psychological balance.
• Team W.H.I.P.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam W.H.I.P. (Women's Health Initiative Program) facilitates bimonthly East Alabama Support Group Walks for breast cancer patients, survivors, and co-survivors in East Alabama. Meets at West Point Downtown Park (GA) and Downtown Lannett Fountain (AL).
• Birmingham On Demand (powered by Via)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirmingham On Demand is a rideshare partnership that provides Forge clients with $1.50 flat rate rides to medical appointments within Birmingham city limits. Program operates Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with accessible vehicles available.
• St. Vincent's Health SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare partner hosting multiple support groups at St. Vincent's locations including the Bruno Cancer Center and Bruno Conference Center. Forge participates in National Cancer Survivors Day events and ongoing collaborative programming.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Sharsheret: National nonprofit supporting Jewish women and families facing breast cancer. Comparable as a culturally-tailored, peer-support breast cancer organization, though with a narrower population focus than Forge.

Direct peers

• Cancer Support Community: Provides free support groups, counseling, education, and wellness programs to anyone affected by cancer — a near-direct comparable to Forge's integrated service model, including the community-anchored wellness programming Forge emphasizes.
• METAvivor: Dedicated exclusively to metastatic (Stage 4) breast cancer — a specialized segment Forge serves via dedicated support groups. Comparable as a mission-specific breast cancer nonprofit with focused peer support and advocacy.
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer: National nonprofit providing trusted information, support, and community to people impacted by breast cancer — including peer connection, counseling, and education. Closely mirrors Forge's model of personalized survivor support across the treatment and survivorship journey.
• National Breast Cancer Foundation: Provides free mammograms, education, and patient navigation services, with a national footprint. Closely comparable as a free, donor-funded breast cancer support provider, though NBCF operates at larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD): Provides free, personalized one-to-one mentoring by trained breast cancer survivors to anyone affected — a peer mentoring model nearly identical to Forge's Peer Matching program. One of the closest direct comparables in service design.
• Young Survival Coalition: Focused specifically on young adults (under 45) diagnosed with breast cancer — a segment Forge explicitly serves through dedicated programming. Comparable mission around peer connection and survivorship resources for an underserved demographic.

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest U.S. cancer nonprofit, providing information, support services, transportation assistance (Road to Recovery), and lodging — many of which overlap with Forge's service menu. Comparable as a free donor-funded cancer support provider but operating at national scale across all cancer types.
• Susan G. Komen: The largest U.S. breast cancer nonprofit, funding research and providing direct support services through local affiliates. Most directly comparable as a breast cancer-focused organization, but operates nationally at vastly greater scale and focuses more on research grants than grassroots peer support.

Regional players

• Susan G. Komen — North Central Alabama Affiliate / Community Health Charities of Alabama: Local Komen affiliate presence serving the same Alabama/Mississippi donor base as Forge. Comparable as a regional breast cancer fundraising and grantmaking entity competing for the same local philanthropic dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forge_bcsc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHUNseEy7gi3uv5Pv_HpUJg
• Facebookfacebook.com/forgebcsc
• Instagraminstagram.com/forge_bcsc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forge-breast-cancer-survivor-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Forge