Advocates

What Advocates does

Advocates Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded around 1994–1995 by families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, headquartered at 300 South Manlius Street, Fayetteville, New York. It delivers person-centered, self-directed services — primarily 1:1 Mentor/Support Staff services, Self-Directed Community Habilitation, and Self-Directed Residential Supports with Backup Mentor coverage — to approximately 1,000–1,100 children and adults with disabilities across 30 counties in Central and New York State. The organization also provides wraparound Family Education, Support and Training (free community trainings on topics such as Educational Advocacy, Benefits/SSI, Guardianship, Trusts, and Transition Planning), a Family Reimbursement program (respite, adaptive equipment, home modifications, emergency services), Service Access navigation via a Family Liaison, Medical Advocacy, and approximately 4,000 hours of Family Recreation Events annually. In April 2026 it published a proposed Agency Supported Residential Service model targeted at aging caregivers.

The operational technology stack is modest and composed primarily of third-party SaaS: Relias for employee training and professional development (300+ courses, 40 paid PD hours annually), eVero for electronic service documentation, Microsoft Forms for anonymous compliance reporting, Paycom for applicant tracking, PayPal for online donations, Constant Contact for the monthly Inclusion Matters newsletter, and RunSignUp for event registration. Multilingual Language Access Assistance is offered in eight languages (Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Yiddish, Bengali, French, Polish). No proprietary platform, public API, or mobile app is offered. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors led by President Anne Lee; Amy Dugliss serves as Executive Director, with a CFO (Sally Stanley), Associate Executive Director (Beth Henderson), and named directors across Compliance/Quality, HR, Family Support Services, Self-Direction Intake, and Community Services.

Revenue mechanics are dominated by New York State OPWDD and Medicaid waiver reimbursement for person-directed services, supplemented by Family Support Services grants, individual donations and planned giving, and special-event fundraising (the 21st Annual Golf Tournament). In 2024, the organization provided over $1.7 million in financial assistance to individuals and families. Service pricing is not publicly disclosed and is gated by OPWDD eligibility rather than market pricing, making the New York State Medicaid/OPWDD framework the de facto single-payer concentration. Customer acquisition is community-led and family-network driven, with no external sales motion and no disclosed enterprise customers.

Name

Advocates

Legal name

Advocates Incorporated

Website

https://advocatesincorporated.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Advocates Incorporated is a New York State 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers person-centered, self-directed services — 1:1 Mentoring, Community Habilitation, and Residential Supports — to approximately 1,000–1,100 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 30 counties, primarily funded through OPWDD and Medicaid waivers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Developmental Disability Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family Advocacy, Parent Training & Support Services (EDAJAKAK), Autism 1:1 Paraprofessional / Aide Support Services (EDAKAKAD), Disability Rights & Accessibility Advocacy (BPAGAFAF)

Keywords

• Disability support services
• 1:1 mentoring services
• Self-directed habilitation
• Family support services
• Developmental disability care

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government/Medicaid Reimbursement for Services: Primary funding through New York State OPWDD (Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) and Medicaid waiver programs (e.g., Self-Directed Community Habilitation, Self-Directed Residential Supports, Agency Supported Residential Services). Funded per person served on an ongoing basis.
2. Family Support Services Grant: Grant-funded program that supports Family Reimbursement (respite, therapeutic recreation, adaptive lessons/classes, home modifications, adaptive equipment, emergency services) and free Family Training events for community families.
3. Donations (Individual Giving): Charitable donations accepted via check or online PayPal donation. Provided over $1.7 million in financial assistance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families last year.
4. Planned/Deferred Giving: Planned gift and deferred giving program coordinated through [email protected] to build long-term sustainability for the organization.
5. Special Event Fundraising: Annual Golf Tournament (21st year) with registration fees and corporate sponsorship opportunities to raise funds for the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Core offering

Advocates Inc. delivers person-centered support services to approximately 1,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 30 counties in New York State, including 1:1 Mentor/Support Staff services, Self-Directed Community Habilitation, Self-Directed Residential Supports with Backup Mentor coverage, and Medical Advocacy. The organization supplements direct services with Family Education and Training, a Family Reimbursement Program, Service Access navigation through OPWDD eligibility, and Family Recreation Events, employing a 1,300-person workforce as the largest 1:1 Mentoring employer in Central New York.

Product overview

Advocates Inc. operates a unified person-centered service portfolio rather than a discrete software product; its core offering is a self-directed services platform anchored by 1:1 Mentor/Support Staff Services, Self-Directed Community Habilitation, and Self-Directed Residential Supports with Backup Mentor coverage, supplemented by wraparound Family Education, Support, and Training, the Family Reimbursement Program, Service Access navigation, Medical Advocacy, and Family Recreation Events. The proposed Agency Supported Residential Service is positioned as a new residential module extending the self-directed model. Internal support programs (Self-Advocacy and Board Leadership Support, Employee Benefits and Professional Development, and multilingual Language Access Assistance) round out the suite delivered to approximately 1,100 children and adults with disabilities across 30 New York State counties by 1,300 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1:1 Mentor / Support Staff Services Direct 1:1 mentoring and support staff services delivered to approximately 1,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across 30 counties in New York State. The largest 1:1 Mentoring employer in Central New York with 1,300 employees delivering person-centered support.
• Self-Directed Community Habilitation Self-directed community habilitation program that helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities increase independence, health, and skills through daily living activities, community participation, and social connection, funded through New York State OPWDD and Medicaid waiver programs.
• Self-Directed Residential Supports with Backup Mentor Self-directed residential support option with a Backup Mentor service that enables individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to remain in their own homes with overnight and emergency staffing coverage.
• Family Education, Support, and Training Free training program funded by the Family Support Services grant covering topics such as Navigating the Service System, Educational Advocacy, Supported Communication, Sensory Strategies, Benefits and SSI, Guardianship, Trusts, Transition Planning, Sexuality, Communication Skills, Nutrition and Wellness, and Behavioral Supports, delivered to families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Family Reimbursement Program Financial assistance program providing respite reimbursement and funding for therapeutic recreational activities, adaptive lessons and classes, home modifications, specialized adaptive equipment, and emergency services for families caring for a child with an intellectual or developmental disability.
• Service Access Support Navigation assistance helping families traverse New York State OPWDD (Office for People with Developmental Disabilities) eligibility and connect with the right supports and services, starting from the first phone call with the Family Liaison.
• Medical Advocacy Medical advocacy support for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, provided as part of the integrated person-centered service portfolio.
• Family Recreation Events Approximately 4,000 hours of inclusive recreational activities provided annually for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families, promoted via the Recreation Events page and social channels.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Springbrook: Central New York nonprofit (formerly Arc of Oneida-Lewis) offering residential, day, clinical, and self-directed services for children and adults with I/DD. Direct geographic and service-model overlap with Advocates across the CNY region.
• Birch Family Services: NYC-based nonprofit providing residential, educational, day habilitation, and self-directed services to people with I/DD under OPWDD. Comparable service mix and person-centered planning orientation.
• Lifespire: New York City nonprofit supporting individuals with I/DD through residential, day, vocational, and self-directed services funded via OPWDD. Comparable mission, funding model, and self-direction specialization.
• Heritage Christian Services: Rochester, NY-based nonprofit providing person-centered residential, day, and self-directed supports to people with I/DD. Comparable in mission, Medicaid-funded service mix, and upstate New York footprint to Advocates.
• AHRC New York City: Large NYC-based nonprofit serving children and adults with I/DD through OPWDD-funded residential, day, employment, and self-directed programs. Comparable service portfolio and Medicaid reimbursement model.
• Liberty ARC: Formerly Schenectady ARC; provides OPWDD-funded residential, day habilitation, family support, and self-directed services across the Capital Region. Comparable in scale, funding mix, and person-centered delivery model.
• The Arc of Onondaga: Syracuse/CNY chapter of The Arc providing residential, day, clinical, and family support services under OPWDD. Direct local competitor in the same Central New York catchment as Advocates.

Broad incumbents

• Sevita Health (formerly The MENTOR Network): Nationally scaled provider of home- and community-based services for people with I/DD and behavioral health needs, including the Mentor-supported living model that overlaps directly with Advocates' 1:1 Mentor service. Operates in New York and many other states.
• Easterseals: National nonprofit federation providing disability services including I/DD supports, autism services, residential, and family support. Comparable in mission and service breadth but operates at national rather than regional scale.

Emerging players

• Person Centered Care Services: NYC-based nonprofit specializing in self-directed services, community habilitation, and family reimbursement under OPWDD. Comparable self-direction focus and funding model though smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AdvocatesCNY
• Facebookfacebook.com/advocatesincorporated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advocatesincorporated
• Instagraminstagram.com/advocatesincorporated

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Advocates