Abraham House

What Abraham House does

Abraham House (legally Comfort House, Inc.) is a 501(c) nonprofit founded in 1998 in Utica, New York, that provides free, 24-hour residential end-of-life care to terminally ill guests (prognosis of three months or less) and their families, regardless of income or ability to pay. It operates two social-model hospice homes — the original 2-bed Abraham House Utica (1203 Kemble Street) and the 6-bed Abraham House Rome (417 N. Washington Street, opened September 2019) — together serving ~145 guests and families annually across Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer counties. All clinical care is co-delivered with a single medical partner, Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., while Abraham House supplies the residence, meals, surrogate caregiving at a 1:3 caregiver-to-guest ratio, family accommodations, and emotional/spiritual support. The organization has cumulatively served 1,169 guests and delivered 17,611 days of care over 27 years.

The operating model is community-funded, with no billing to guests, families, or insurance providers, and a $394 per-day per-guest program cost fully absorbed by the organization. Revenue is generated through individual and memorial donations, planned giving, workplace giving (United Way, NY State SEFA code 72-00202), AmazonSmile and Staples Rewards affiliates, fundraising events (Hummingbird Classic Golf Tournament, Utica Mayor's Benefit Gala, Fire & Ice Winter Festival, Elevated Friendraisers, Boilermaker Charity Bib), and government/community grants (a $47,000 CDBG award in 2024 from the City of Utica). The Bird's Nest Vintage Boutique (opened June 2017) is a volunteer-run thrift store at 102 Eagle Street, Utica, whose proceeds are directed entirely to the mission.

A donor-advised fund established in September 2025 through the Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties, anchored by an anonymous $1 million gift, funds the Vision 2035 plan to operate 10 homes within 10 years and serve 725 guests and families annually. The organization is governed by a volunteer board (chaired by Stephen Ventura) and led by CEO Gina Ciaccia, COO Kim Todd, and CDO Julian Testa (appointed January 2026). The technology stack is intentionally simple — a WordPress website, Bloomerang donation CRM, PayPal, and reCAPTCHA — and there is no API, no proprietary software, and no AI/ML capability; the value proposition rests entirely on donated real estate, a trained surrogate-caregiver workforce, and deep regional civic embedment.

Name

Abraham House

Legal name

Comfort House, Inc.

Website

https://theabrahamhouse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abraham House is a Utica, NY-based nonprofit (founded 1998) providing free 24-hour residential end-of-life hospice care to terminally ill guests and their families through two homes in Utica and Rome, NY, serving ~145 families annually across three counties regardless of income.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Utica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and memorial donations: Donations collected via online forms, printable donation forms mailed to 1203 Kemble St. Utica NY, phone credit-card gifts, donation envelopes, memorial gifts, "in honor of" gifts, and in-kind gifts. Tax-deductible receipts are issued and AmazonSmile (5% of proceeds) and Staples Rewards are additional donation channels.
2. Fundraising events: Annual fundraising events including the Hummingbird Classic Golf Tournament ($700 per foursome), Fire & Ice Winter Festival, Elevated Friendraisers ($50 Basic / $75 VIP tickets), Utica Mayor's Benefit Gala, Boilermaker Charity Bib partnership ($500+ per runner), and historical Utica Monopoly Game fundraiser.
3. Government and community grants: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding awarded through the City of Utica; Abraham House received $47,000 in CDBG funding in 2024, the largest allocation among 16 recipient nonprofits.
4. Donor-Advised Fund and major gifts: A donor-advised fund established through the Community Foundation in September 2025, anchored by an anonymous $1 million donation, produces annual interest disbursements supporting long-term sustainability and the goal of 10 homes by 2035.
5. Thrift-store revenue (The Bird's Nest): The Bird's Nest Vintage Boutique at 102 Eagle Street, Utica, sells donated gently-used goods Tuesday–Saturday. 100% of proceeds benefit Abraham House. Operations are entirely volunteer-run with all goods donated.
6. Workplace giving (United Way / SEFA) and planned giving: Designated giving through United Way and the New York State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA, code 72-00202 under legal name Comfort House, Inc.), plus planned giving vehicles such as bequests, charitable remainder trusts, retirement plan beneficiary designations, and life insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Abraham House provides free, 24-hour social-model residential hospice care to terminally ill guests (prognosis of 3 months or less) and their families through two physical homes in Utica and Rome, NY. Services include round-the-clock surrogate caregiving, meals, family accommodations, emotional and spiritual support, and bereavement services, integrated with medical hospice care delivered by a separate licensed hospice agency.

Product overview

Abraham House is a single-mission nonprofit organization offering a unified service portfolio of free, 24-hour social-model hospice care for terminally ill individuals, anchored by two physical care homes: the original Abraham House Utica (2-bed) and Abraham House Rome (6-bed, opened 2019). These two care homes constitute the core operating "products" of the organization and are supplemented by The Bird's Nest Vintage Boutique, a volunteer-run thrift store that generates fundraising revenue. Surrounding these core assets, Abraham House layers a set of donor engagement and fundraising programs (secure online donations, memorial gifts, planned giving, AmazonSmile, United Way, SEFA, and a donor-advised fund established in 2025 with a $1M gift) and annual fundraising events (the Hummingbird Classic Golf Tournament Utica, the Utica Mayor's Benefit Gala "Light The Way" 2026, and the Fire & Ice Winter Festival). All services are provided free of charge regardless of income, with admissions prioritized by level of need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Bird's Nest Vintage Boutique: Fundraising thrift store / vintage boutique located at 102 Eagle Street in an annexed building; run entirely by volunteers with 100% of proceeds benefiting Abraham House's mission. Officially opened June 21, 2017.

Products and services

• Abraham House Utica (Residential Hospice Home)
• Abraham House Rome (Residential Hospice Home)
• End-of-Life Care Program (24-Hour Surrogate Caregiving)
• The Bird's Nest Vintage Boutique
• Donor Engagement and Planned Giving Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,169 guests and families served cumulatively
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-management partnership in which Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. provides the medical care plan, case management, medication oversight, guest assessments, and 24-hour on-call clinical support, while Abraham House provides the residence, surrogate caregiving, meals, and emotional/social support. All Abraham House guests must be patients of this hospice provider, and the organizations coordinate via phone (315) 735-6484.
• City of Utica Mayor's Office (Mayor Michael Galime and Jody Galime)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAbraham House selected as the recipient of the 2026 Utica Mayor's Benefit Gala ("Light The Way"), to be held Saturday, May 30, 2026 at Delta Hotels by Marriott Utica, supporting the Vision 2035 plan to operate 10 homes within 10 years.
• Boilermaker Road RacecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity Bib Partner for the 2024 Boilermaker Road Race; each participating runner committed to raise $500 or more for Abraham House, providing both fundraising revenue and community visibility.
• United WayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAbraham House receives designated donations through United Way workplace giving campaigns; donors write Abraham House on their pledge form to direct contributions.
• New York State Employees Federated Appeal (SEFA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed under legal name Comfort House, Inc. with SEFA code 72-00202, enabling New York State employees to direct workplace giving contributions to Abraham House.
• AmazonSmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate giving partnership in which 5% of eligible AmazonSmile purchases are directed to Abraham House when shoppers designate it as their charity.
• Staples RewardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDonors can apply Staples Rewards points to support Abraham House's purchase of office supplies.
• WKTV News Channel 2minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal media partner that has covered the Hummingbird Classic Golf Tournament, Fire & Ice Winter Festival, 25-year anniversary, and other events, providing on-air interviews with CEO Gina Ciaccia.
• Utica Observer-DispatchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal newspaper that has covered Abraham House events and milestones, including the Utica Monopoly Game fundraiser.
• WFXV / WPNY / WUTR (Stephen Ventura)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard leadership partnership; Stephen Ventura, Former Vice President and General Manager of WFXV/WPNY/WUTR, serves as Board President and chairs the Executive, Audit/Finance, and Governance Committees while co-chairing the Hummingbird Classic.
• CONMED Corporation (Erica Flynn)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsorship relationship; Erica Flynn, Senior Recruiter at CONMED Corporation, serves on the Board of Directors.
• House of Good Shepherd (Brian McKee)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-organizational nonprofit partnership; Brian McKee, President and CEO of House of Good Shepherd, serves on the Board of Directors.
• Calogero & Associates, LLC (Jennifer Kerr, MBA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional services partnership; Jennifer Kerr, MBA, Senior Tax Manager at Calogero & Associates, serves as Board Treasurer/Secretary.
• Saunders Kahler, L.L.P. (William Wallace)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal services partnership; William Wallace, Attorney at Saunders Kahler, L.L.P., serves on the Board of Directors and on the Governance Committee.
• King Rehabilitation Associates, Inc. (Patty King)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsorship and board partnership; Patty King, Owner of King Rehabilitation Associates, serves as Assistant Treasurer/Secretary and is a Hummingbird Classic Committee Member.
• Rome Hospital Foundation (Gretchen Sprock)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare-affiliated board partnership; Gretchen Sprock, Rome Hospital Foundation Board Member, serves on the Abraham House Board of Directors.
• Pine Hills Golf CourseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership hosting the annual Hummingbird Classic Golf Tournament; the 2025 edition was held Monday, July 28, 2025 with $700 per foursome entry.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bristol Hospice: National multi-state hospice provider operating hospice services including residential hospice care across numerous locations. A broader incumbent in the hospice space, less specialized than Abraham House in the standalone social-model residential hospice home niche.

Direct peers

• Tidewell Hospice: Florida-based nonprofit hospice operating multiple hospice houses with residential end-of-life care, including community fundraising and donated-supply support structures. Comparable multi-site nonprofit social-model hospice home operator.
• Nathan Adelson Hospice: Las Vegas-based nonprofit hospice operating a hospice home with 24-hour residential care for terminally ill patients. Closely comparable in operating a social-model residential hospice home with a community-funded, free-of-charge care model.
• Hosparus Health: Kentucky/Indiana-based nonprofit hospice organization that operates residential hospice houses providing 24-hour end-of-life care. Highly comparable as a community-supported, multi-site social-model hospice home operator serving patients regardless of ability to pay.
• Levine & Dickson Hospice House: North Carolina-based nonprofit operating a standalone social-model hospice house providing 24-hour residential end-of-life care. Closely comparable as a dedicated social-model hospice home unaffiliated with a hospital system.
• The Denver Hospice: Colorado-based nonprofit hospice operating an inpatient hospice unit and residential hospice care. Comparable in providing 24-hour residential hospice services with a community-supported nonprofit funding model.
• Community Hospice & Palliative Care (Northeast Florida): Jacksonville, FL-based nonprofit operating multiple hospice centers including the George and Margaret Morris Center, providing 24-hour residential hospice care. Comparable multi-location residential hospice model with a community fundraising engine.
• Hospice of the Valley (Phoenix): Arizona-based nonprofit hospice that operates multiple hospice homes (e.g., Gardner House, Eckstein Center) providing 24-hour residential end-of-life care. Directly comparable as a nonprofit operating multiple residential hospice homes on a community-supported model.
• Halcyon Hospice: Nonprofit hospice organization that operates Halcyon House, a social-model residential hospice home providing 24-hour end-of-life care. Similar standalone residential hospice home model to Abraham House.

Others

• Omega Home Network: National membership organization of social-model hospice homes of which Abraham House is a member. An industry/ecosystem peer that supports and connects similar social-model hospice homes, providing best-practice resources and national advocacy rather than direct care.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theabrahamhouse
• Xx.com/Abraham__House

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Abraham House