Family Reconciliation Center

What Family Reconciliation Center does

Family Reconciliation Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hospitality house operating a single five-bedroom property at 4908 Kentucky Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1984 and celebrating 40 years of continuous operation, the organization provides free overnight lodging, a community pantry, toiletries, coffee and tea service, and travel necessities to families and friends visiting loved one incarcerated at Nashville-area prisons and jails. Additional services include disability-accessible rooms, home-cooked Saturday dinners, and a published Prison Visitation Resource Guide. The organization claims to be the only hospitality house of its kind in Tennessee serving families of the incarcerated, with guests forming a community that returns repeatedly and forms long-term friendships.

The business model is donation-funded and entirely free to guests. Revenue is derived from individual contributions, foundation grants, community fundraising events (including The Big Payback hosted by The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee), PayPal online donations, and an Amazon wish list for in-kind supplies. Voluntary suggested donations of $10/day per household are accepted but never required. Operations are run entirely by volunteers — house managers serve as live-in unpaid staff, a board of directors (chaired by Sheri Sellmeyer) governs the mission, and congregational and community groups supply volunteer labor. The organization has no paid employees, no proprietary technology beyond a Wix website and standard social media presence, and no technology hiring signals.

In 2019 the organization purchased its own property (previously rented from St. Luke's Community House) through a capital campaign targeting $80,000, with $35,000 in pledges by late 2019 and a grant from Christ Church Cathedral funding deck replacement and a handicap-accessible entrance ramp. Output is capacity-constrained by the five-bedroom footprint: the organization booked 2,459 room nights from 2015 to 2021, saving guests an estimated $491,800 in hotel costs at $200/night. Operations are geographically limited to Nashville and surrounding Tennessee, serving visitors to local correctional facilities.

Name

Family Reconciliation Center

Legal name

Family Reconciliation Center

Website

https://familyreconciliationcenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Reconciliation Center is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a five-bedroom guest house that provides free lodging and amenities to families visiting incarcerated loved ones in Tennessee prisons and jails, funded entirely by donations and run by volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Prison Visitation Lodging

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACALAH

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services

Education/Early Childhood Education/Parent Education & Family Engagement Programs

Keywords

• Nonprofit hospitality services
• Free guest lodging
• Prison visitation support
• Criminal justice family services
• Community-based lodging

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

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. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization is funded entirely through donations from individuals, foundations, and community organizations. No payment is required from guests, though voluntary suggested donations of $10/day per household are accepted. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making all donations tax-deductible.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Family Reconciliation Center is a nonprofit hospitality house that provides free overnight lodging in a five-bedroom guest home in Nashville, Tennessee, to families and friends visiting loved ones incarcerated at Nashville-area prisons and jails. The offering is bundled with free amenities — a community pantry, toiletries, coffee/tea, travel necessities, free WiFi, a meditation garden, disability-accessible rooms, and occasional Saturday community dinners — plus a free PDF Prison Visitation Resource Guide. All services are provided at no cost to guests; voluntary suggested donations of $10/day per household are accepted.

Product overview

Family Reconciliation Center operates as a nonprofit hospitality organization offering a single, integrated service model centered on its five-bedroom guest house in Nashville, TN. The core offering combines free overnight lodging with complementary services including a community pantry, travel amenities, and occasional community dinners. The organization also provides a Prison Visitation Resource Guide as an informational resource for visitors. All services are provided free of charge to families visiting loved ones in prison or jail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Guest House Lodging Free overnight accommodations in a five-bedroom nonprofit guest house for families visiting loved ones in prison or jail, including rooms with multiple beds so families can stay together and disability-accessible rooms.
• Community Pantry Free community pantry and refrigerator stocked for guests to eliminate food costs during travel for prison visitation.
• Travel Amenities Complimentary toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap), linens, towels, coffee/tea service, and travel necessities provided free of charge to all guests.
• Saturday Night Community Dinner Home-cooked Saturday evening meals prepared by volunteers for guests, designed to build community among families visiting incarcerated loved ones.
• Prison Visitation Resource Guide Free downloadable PDF guide providing visitation information, links to resources, and advice from families and friends of the incarcerated for those visiting Nashville prisons.

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Congregation MicahminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Volunteers from Congregation Micah performed spring planting, weeding, mulching, and yard maintenance at FRC. Members considered this work a 'mitzvah' (sacred connection and good deed in Jewish tradition).
• Christ Church CathedralcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2022Provided a generous grant for construction of a handicap-accessible entrance ramp and deck improvements at the guest house. The church has been a longtime supporter of FRC's mission.
• St. Luke's Community HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRC previously rented their property from St. Luke's Community House. FRC has since purchased their own property at 4908 Kentucky Avenue.
• United Methodist CommunicationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReported on FRC's story of hope and community, helping spread awareness to thousands of people through their news coverage.
• The Community Foundation of Middle TennesseeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosts The Big Payback, a 24-hour online giving blitz that FRC participates in annually to raise funds and awareness.
• Open TableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKelly, FRC's house manager, also works as in-kind donation & winter canvassing coordinator for Open Table.
• Dozen BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKelly, FRC's house manager, also works at Dozen Bakery in addition to managing FRC's guest house.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses: Industry association supporting nonprofit hospitality houses serving patients and families. Provides a network/peer reference set for organizations operating under the same hospitality-house model as FRC.

Broad incumbents

• The Fortune Society: New York-based nonprofit supporting reentry and serving people with criminal justice involvement and their families. Operates residential and family-support programs that intersect with FRC's family-of-incarcerated mission.
• Kairos Prison Ministry: Faith-based volunteer organization running programs inside prisons, with Kairos Outside serving families of the incarcerated. Shares FRC's faith-anchored, volunteer-driven model and beneficiary population.
• Prison Fellowship: Largest U.S. faith-based nonprofit serving prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families through programs such as Angel Tree. Directly addresses the same beneficiary population as FRC but with a broader programmatic scope rather than lodging-only hospitality.
• The Osborne Association: NYC-based nonprofit serving individuals affected by the criminal justice system through reentry, advocacy, family services, and residential programs. Overlaps FRC's beneficiary population (prisoner families) with a broader, urban, multi-service approach.

Emerging players

• Angel Tree (Prison Fellowship): Prison Fellowship's program serving children of incarcerated parents with Christmas gifts and year-round family support. Targets the same beneficiary population as FRC (families of the incarcerated) with a narrower, child-focused lens.

Direct peers

• Joe's House: Nonprofit hospitality service helping families of cancer patients find affordable lodging near treatment centers. Mirrors FRC's mission of removing lodging-cost barriers to family presence during critical care/visitation events.
• Hope Lodge (American Cancer Society): American Cancer Society program offering free, temporary lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers near treatment centers. Same wraparound-support hospitality-house model as FRC, scaled across multiple U.S. cities.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Operates nonprofit hospitality houses providing free lodging to families of seriously ill children receiving treatment away from home. Closest operational analog to FRC's model — free overnight lodging for families visiting a loved one in a specialized facility, supported by donations and volunteers.
• Fisher House Foundation: Provides free lodging to military and veteran families while a loved one is receiving medical care. Same nonprofit hospitality-house operating model as FRC, targeted at a different beneficiary population (military families vs. families of the incarcerated).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ReconciliationTN
• Instagraminstagram.com/familyreconciliation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-reconciliation-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Family Reconciliation Center