Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services

What Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services does

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS) is a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Columbus, Ohio (4300 E. Broad St Suite D), with two additional Columbus offices (McNaughten Rd and Sharon Woods Blvd). It operates as a local affiliate of Global Refuge (formerly Episcopal Migration Ministries) and serves immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals in Central Ohio through three programmatic pillars: Youth Programs (Out-of-School Time, Summer Youth Enrichment Camp, Reach Higher, Pathway to Success, Family School & Community Engagement); Community Health & Safety (Community Health & Wellness, Survivor Care Services, OhioKAN kinship/adoption navigator); and Economic Stability (Engagement Works employer partnerships, Education/Employment/Empowerment with ESOL and job training plus the RIDA matched-savings program, and a Resettlement program anchored by the Circle of Welcome community sponsorship initiative). ETSS operates 13 youth program sites and has served clients from more than 80 countries, with Survivor Care Services reaching survivors from over 30 countries.

ETSS's business model is charitable rather than commercial: all client services are delivered free of charge to eligible populations, and revenue is sourced from tax-deductible individual and corporate donations (processed via the Zeffy platform), an annual Evening of Promise cocktail fundraiser, branded merchandise sales, foundation grants, and government grants. Confirmed funding includes a $500,000 JPMorgan Chase investment (October 2023) to co-develop the BEGIN with Business CLAS program with Elevate Northland, and a $1.8 million Columbus City Council grant through the CAREER 500 program supporting job training for 500 underemployed residents. Additional institutional supporters include United Way of Central Ohio, PNC, AEP, Grange Insurance, The Ohio State University, AndHealth, AWS InCommunities, the Columbus Foundation, Homeport, Franklin County JFS, ADAMH, Franklin County Public Health, and the City of Columbus Recreation and Parks.

The technology stack is minimal and undifferentiated: ETSS uses a Squarespace-hosted website, the Zeffy donation platform, Bloomerang volunteer management, and email/newsletter distribution. There are no proprietary platforms, AI/ML systems, or disclosed data assets. Service delivery is fundamentally in-person and human-led, with go-to-market executed through community events (Youth Summit, World Refugee Day, Enkutatash), volunteer recruitment (Circle of Welcome), and partner referrals (Global Refuge network, OhioKAN, Franklin County Public Health, local employers). The organization employs 101–250 staff and is led by a small disclosed management team including a Director of Institutional Advancement (Kimerly Hinkelman), a Family Care Program Manager (Amy Harcar), and program-level contacts for Engagement Works (Mukti Dahal) and Community Health (Neybe, CHW).

Name

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services

Legal name

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services

Website

https://ethiotss.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ETSS is a Columbus, Ohio-based nonprofit founded in 2005 that delivers free resettlement, ESOL, job training, youth, survivor-care, and kinship-navigator services to immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals across Central Ohio, operating as a local affiliate of Global Refuge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigrant and Refugee Social Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Community Housing Services (62422), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Integrated Education & Training (IET) / Contextualized ABE (Workforce-Linked) (EDAAAAAK)

Keywords

• Refugee resettlement services
• Immigrant community support
• ESOL language education
• Youth enrichment programs
• Survivor advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: ETSS relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and fundraising events such as the annual Evening of Promise cocktail fundraiser. The organization also sells branded merchandise like t-shirts for fundraising purposes.
2. Government and Foundation Grants: ETSS receives funding through government grants and foundation support. Notable grants include Columbus City Council's CAREER 500 program ($1.8M) to help 500 residents access job training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides resettlement, integration, and social support services to immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals in central Ohio. The organization delivers youth development, community health and safety, and economic stability programs. As a local affiliate of Global Refuge (formerly Episcopal Migration Ministries), ETSS combines direct case management with community-based education, ESOL instruction, survivor advocacy, and workforce engagement.

Product overview

Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS) is a nonprofit social services organization serving immigrants, refugees, and low-income individuals in Columbus and Central Ohio. The organization operates a multi-service portfolio organized into three main pillars: Youth Programs (including OST, Summer Youth Enrichment, Reach Higher, Pathway to Success, and Family Engagement), Community Health & Safety (Community Health & Wellness, Survivor Care Services, and OhioKAN kinship support), and Economic Stability (Engagement Works, Education Employment Empowerment with ESOL and job training, and Resettlement services including the Circle of Welcome community sponsorship program). These programs work together to help new arrivals achieve self-sufficiency through education, employment, and social support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refugee Resettlement Program
• Youth Development Programs
• Community Health & Safety Programs
• Economic Stability Services
• ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Classes
• Survivor Advocacy Services
• Engagement Works Workforce Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Served clients from more than 80 countries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Global RefugecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETSS is a local affiliate of Global Refuge (formerly Episcopal Migration Ministries). Global Refuge is a refugee resettlement agency that helps refugees find safety and new beginnings in the United States.
• Elevate NorthlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETSS partnered with Elevate Northland to launch BEGIN with Business CLAS program providing small business training and access to capital for New Americans.
• Franklin County Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCPH contracted with ETSS to hire a Community Health Worker as part of CCR 2109 grant addressing health disparities and COVID-19 response in Franklin County.
• OhioKANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETSS partners with OhioKAN, a flexible kinship and adoption navigator program serving children, youth, and families in Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, and Pickaway counties.
• UN Refugee AgencycoreOthersETSS links to UNHCR resources for refugees as part of resettlement support services.
• Refugee Welcome CollectivemajorOthersPartner organization supporting Circle of Welcome refugee resettlement program.
• Columbus Museum of ArtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative art exhibition 'Shaping Stories: Art, Identity, and Home' honoring immigrant community creativity and cultural contributions.
• North YMCAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of 3rd Annual World Refugee Day Celebration 2025.
• Tasnim's CuisineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-sponsor of 3rd Annual World Refugee Day Celebration 2025.
• GuidestarminorOthersETSS maintains GuideStar Transparency Seal demonstrating commitment to nonprofit accountability and transparency.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago: Ethiopian diaspora-focused social services nonprofit serving immigrants and refugees in Chicago. Closely comparable culturally-specific immigrant service model to ETSS's Ethiopian Tewahedo roots.
• Refugee Services of Texas: Mid-sized regional refugee resettlement and social services nonprofit serving Texas, comparable in scale and service mix (resettlement, ESOL, youth, case management) to ETSS in Central Ohio.
• Catholic Social Services: Faith-based immigrant and refugee services organization operating across multiple U.S. cities with resettlement, ESOL, and family services comparable to ETSS's integrated model.
• Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS): Ohio-based refugee resettlement agency headquartered in Columbus providing resettlement, employment, and youth services. Most direct geographic peer to ETSS, operating in the same Columbus market.

Broad incumbents

• World Relief: Christian nonprofit operating refugee resettlement, employment, and integration programs across 20+ U.S. cities. Closely comparable service portfolio to ETSS including ESOL, job readiness, and youth programming.
• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society): Jewish-founded refugee resettlement agency serving refugees and asylum seekers across the U.S. Directly comparable resettlement, legal services, and integration mission to ETSS.
• International Rescue Committee: One of the largest U.S. refugee resettlement agencies operating resettlement, employment, and youth programs across 29 U.S. cities. Directly comparable to ETSS's resettlement, ESOL, and youth services at much larger scale.
• US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National nonprofit providing resettlement, case management, and integration services across multiple U.S. sites. Comparable to ETSS as a refugee-serving affiliate network with similar service model.

Emerging players

• Building Skills Partnership: Workforce development nonprofit providing ESOL and job skills training for immigrant workers, partially overlapping with ETSS's Engagement Works employer-training program.
• Welcome.US: Tech-enabled nonprofit coordinating private sponsorship and corporate engagement for refugee resettlement. Represents an emerging digital-first model that competes for the same corporate partner dollars as ETSS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethiotss

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services