Supplies for Success

What Supplies for Success does

Supplies for Success Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2002 by Mindy Richenstein and headquartered in Sagaponack, New York. The organization collects tax-deductible charitable donations and uses them—together with bulk purchasing at negotiated below-wholesale pricing—to assemble and distribute three core charitable products: (1) filled backpacks containing age-appropriate school supplies at $27 per child, (2) CareKits of art and educational supplies for young learners at $15 each, and (3) Mandala Kits under the Coloring a Better World mental health program at $10 each. The Better Collection, a women's luxury fashion resale social venture launched in 2019, donates 100% of profits to operations. A Board underwrites 100% of overhead costs, positioning the charity's dollar-to-mission conversion as a primary differentiator.

The go-to-market model is community-led and event-driven: corporate sponsors, individual donors, summer camps, schools, and sororities either fund minimum commitments of 24 backpacks or 36 CareKits or host volunteer packing events. Over its history the organization has scaled from 68 children in year one to 40,000+ in year 23 (2024), reaching 348,217 cumulative children served since founding and 50,000+ CareKits distributed since the 2020 pandemic launch. Distribution occurs through direct drop shipments and a network of 300+ nonprofit community partners including major hospital systems (Northwell Health, Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, Montefiore), school districts, homeless and domestic violence shelters, foster care agencies (JCCA, Lawyers for Children), and Feeding America food banks.

Revenue mechanics are donation-centric rather than transactional, supported by corporate sponsorship tiers ranging from $1,000 to $100,000+ (Schonfeld), unit-priced individual giving, and online peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns on GiveLively. The volunteer-led organization maintains a small named leadership team—Founder and President Mindy Richenstein, Vice President and Secretary Jill Bodian, Treasurer Lisa Goldman, and Communication Coordinator Laken Pomerantz—supported by a 30+ member Leadership Council. Geographic reach now spans NYC, NJ, CT, MD, FL, TN, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and additional metros via partner networks.

Name

Supplies for Success

Legal name

Supplies for Success Inc.

Website

https://suppliesforsuccess.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Supplies for Success is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides filled backpacks, CareKits, and Mandala Kits to disadvantaged children across the US through 300+ nonprofit partners, funded entirely by tax-deductible donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Charitable Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

School Supplies Distribution (CRAOALAK)

Keywords

• Charitable donations
• School supply distribution
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Educational supply charity
• Community-based charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Sagaponack

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Tax-Deductible Charitable Donations: Supplies for Success operates as a 501(c)(3) public charity. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Primary funding streams include: individual donations ($27 fills one backpack, $15 provides one CareKit, $10 provides a Mandala Kit), corporate sponsorships at various levels ($1,000 to $100,000+), and fundraising campaign events. The Better Collection, a curated women's luxury fashion and accessories collection, donates 100% of profits to support operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Supplies for Success is a 501(c)(3) public charity that provides backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies to children in need before the start of the school year, along with year-round distribution of CareKits (educational arts and crafts kits) and Mandala Kits (mental health-focused coloring books). The organization operates through a volunteer-driven model with bulk purchasing power and a network of 300+ nonprofit community distribution partners, ensuring 100% of donations convert directly into supplies because the Board underwrites overhead costs.

Product overview

Supplies for Success is a nonprofit charity organization operating as a single unified charitable program rather than a platform product. The organization provides three core charitable offerings: (1) Filled Backpacks containing age-appropriate school supplies for children in need before the school year, (2) CareKits which are art-filled educational kits with supplies for young learners, and (3) Mandala Kits as part of the Coloring a Better World program promoting mental health. The Eric Richenstein Memorial Fund is a special emergency response program that provides CareKits during crises. The organization also facilitates backpack assembly events and direct shipping of supplies to community partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CareKits: Art-filled activity kits distributed to children containing educational arts and crafts, modeling clay, coloring books, paper, glue, safety scissors, and more to promote learning, creativity, and reduce stress.
• Eric Richenstein Memorial Fund
• Coloring a Better World

Products and services

• Filled Backpacks Backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies distributed to children in need before the first day of school. Every $27 donation fills one backpack; $540 can provide backpacks for an entire class and $1,500 can sponsor a whole grade.
• CareKits Art-filled educational kits containing arts and crafts supplies, modeling clay, coloring/activity books, paper, glue, and safety scissors distributed to young learners year-round to promote learning, creativity, and reduce stress. Each CareKit is provided by a $15 donation.
• Mandala Kit Mandala coloring book kit designed to combat bigotry and hatred while promoting mental health as part of the Coloring a Better World program. Each kit is provided by a $10 donation.
• The Better Collection A curated women's luxury fashion and accessories collection launched in 2019 that donates 100% of its profits to support Supplies for Success operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children served increased threefold annually since 2019
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• Northwell HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital partnership for book bag drives and CareKit distribution during COVID-19 and ongoing programs. Featured in Northwell Health 2024 press coverage. Northwell Health is a major healthcare system in New York.
• Johns Hopkins HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltimore-based hospital partnership for CareKit distribution during COVID response and ongoing health crisis support.
• Island HarvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeeding America food bank partner in Hauppauge, NY. Collaboration during COVID to distribute nearly 50,000 CareKits to food-insecure families.
• Feeding WestchestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeeding America food bank partner in Westchester County. Collaborated to distribute CareKits during COVID pandemic response.
• JCCA (Jewish Child Care Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoster care organization partnership. Raquette Lake Camps matched with JCCA to distribute 800 backpacks to foster children in metro NY.
• UJA-Federation of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal incubator of Supplies for Success from 2002-2018. Provided back office and marketing support. Organization branched out as independent nonprofit in December 2018.
• The Jewish BoardmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor nonprofit partner receiving 1,175 backpacks for 11 sites. Manager of Volunteer Services praised partnership for strengthening communities.
• Lawyers for ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal aid organization serving foster children. Executive Director Karen J. Freedman praised donation benefiting clients and staff.
• Raquette Lake CampsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSummer camp that sponsored 800 backpacks for foster children. Campers participated in packing assembly line. Owners Kathi and Ed Lapidus sponsored all supplies.
• Bank LeumimajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate employee volunteer program. Packed 400 backpacks in 2017, tripled to 1,200 in 2019 at midtown NYC office.
• My Little School TriBeCaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly childhood education center in NYC. Hosted backpack assembly event. Director of Community Programs praised partnership and scheduled for following year.
• Design DistributorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for trucking and warehousing services through the years.
• Sid Jacobson JCCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted 2019 backpack assembly in Nassau County and independent assemblies.
• Solomon Schechter SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted backpack assemblies in Nassau County for multiple years.
• Bridgehampton Community HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted 2019 backpack assembly in the Hamptons.
• Miss ChocolateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for trucking and warehousing through the years.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Toys for Tots: Marine Corps Reserve program that distributes toys to underprivileged children during the holidays. Comparable charity model of curated gift distribution to children in need via corporate sponsors and volunteer networks, but with different product and seasonal window.
• UJA-Federation of New York: Large Jewish philanthropic federation that incubated Supplies for Success from 2002–2018 before the org spun out as independent. Connected via founder lineage, overlapping NYC donor base, and shared educational/youth programming focus.

Direct peers

• Schoolhouse Supplies: Portland-based nonprofit that provides free school supplies to students in need through in-school 'Free Stores' and direct distribution. Closely comparable model combining donated supplies, volunteer engagement, and school-based distribution.
• Kids in Need Foundation: National 501(c)(3) that distributes free school supplies to under-resourced students and teachers across the US via a network of partner programs. Closest mission-aligned peer with a parallel backpack/supplies distribution model.
• Operation Backpack (Volunteers of America): Volunteers of America's Operation Backpack program delivers backpacks filled with school supplies to homeless and at-risk children before the start of the school year. Directly analogous mission, beneficiary population, and product (filled backpack).

Regional players

• Pencils of Promise: Education-focused nonprofit that builds schools and provides educational resources in developing countries. Comparable mission of expanding educational access for underserved children, but operates internationally rather than domestically.

Emerging players

• DonorsChoose: Crowdfunding platform that connects individual donors with public school teachers requesting classroom supplies and resources. Adjacent mission of funding school supplies for underserved students, but uses a marketplace model rather than direct distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Baby2Baby: Large-scale nonprofit that distributes diapers, clothing, and basic necessities to children in poverty across the US. Comparable donor base, volunteer-driven model, and corporate sponsorship structure, but operates at significantly larger scale with celebrity-driven fundraising.
• The Salvation Army: Major international charitable organization with back-to-school and children's services programs. Comparable donor base, corporate partnerships, and volunteer-driven distribution, but operates as a broad multi-program incumbent rather than a focused school-supply specialist.
• Cradles to Crayons: National nonprofit providing children from birth through age 12 with clothing, school supplies, and other essentials. Overlapping beneficiary segment, similar volunteer/give-away model, and similar donation-funded unit economics, but with broader scope and national footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=PMIOYQEIYgA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/suppliesforsuccessorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/supplies-for-success-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Supplies for Success