Circle of Friends
Circle of Friends for Mental Health is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, volunteer-led weekly arts classes in drawing, painting, music, writing, drama, and movement to people with mental illness, addiction, or homelessness challenges across King County, Washington.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Circle of Friends does
Circle of Friends for Mental Health is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2001, that provides free community-based arts programming to individuals with mental illness, addiction, or homelessness challenges in King County, Washington. The organization delivers weekly classes in drawing, painting, animation, creative writing, drama, photography, music, pottery, guitar, and movement at community partner facilities and public spaces, using a "Healing through the Arts" methodology designed to address social isolation and stigma through creative self-expression and relationship building. Participants come from diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds and access all programs free of charge.
The organization operates a volunteer-driven service model: Community Programs Leaders facilitate 1-2 hour weekly sessions under the support of staff, site coordinators, and co-leaders, while Community Outreach volunteers handle grant writing, event planning, donor/sponsor coordination, and marketing. Its digital stack consists entirely of commodity tools — Monday.com for project coordination, MailChimp for email outreach, Buffer for social scheduling, plus Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for community engagement. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile application, no API, and no AI/ML component to the offering.
Revenue is sourced exclusively from donations and philanthropic support, with no disclosed corporate sponsors, grant pipeline, or financial statements. The organization has 11-50 employees, operates from a single mailing address in Seattle, and shows no evidence of geographic expansion, mergers, acquisitions, or external funding rounds. The website is built on Squarespace, and class/gallery content is the principal public-facing evidence of program activity.
Circle of Friends firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Circle of Friends
- Legal name
- Circle of Friends for Mental Health
- Website
- https://circleformentalhealth.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Circle of Friends for Mental Health is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free, volunteer-led weekly arts classes in drawing, painting, music, writing, drama, and movement to people with mental illness, addiction, or homelessness challenges across King County, Washington.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Circle of Friends industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mental Health Community Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations (BPAGAHAD)
Keywords
Where Circle of Friends is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Circle of Friends business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Support: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Circle of Friends relies on donations from individuals and organizations to fund its free mental health programming through the arts.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Circle of Friends product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Circle of Friends for Mental Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free, volunteer-led weekly art classes — including drama, music, painting, creative writing/poetry, movement, photography, pottery, and guitar — for individuals with mental illness, addiction, or those experiencing homelessness. Programs are delivered at community partner facilities and public spaces around King County, Washington, using creative self-expression as a natural, enduring catalyst for mental health recovery and community connection.
Product overview
Circle of Friends for Mental Health operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides community arts programming focused on mental health recovery. The organization offers two core service lines: Community Programs (weekly art classes including drama, music, painting, creative writing/poetry, movement, photography, pottery, and guitar at partner facilities and King County locations) and Community Outreach (connecting with organizations and coordinating donations). The Visual Arts Classes component supports the core mission of healing through artistic expression for people with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Community Art Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- Participant testimonial indicates significant life impact - 'helped me get out of my apartment and meet new people' and participant believes 'it kept me alive'
Companies that use Circle of Friends
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Circle of Friends technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Circle of Friends partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Community Partners (King County)coreCircle of Friends works with community organizations throughout King County that serve similar populations. These partnerships provide facilities for hosting weekly art classes and programming. The organization connects with these entities to sustain its work and develop lasting relationships in the community.
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Circle of Friends competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Arts of Life: Chicago-based nonprofit providing a working art studio and gallery for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Direct peer because it uses visual and performing arts programming as a vehicle for community and personal development for marginalized adults.
- Project Onward: Chicago-based nonprofit art studio and gallery for artists with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Direct peer because of its mission to support mental-health-affected adults through visual arts instruction, exhibition, and community.
- Creative Growth: Oakland-based nonprofit art studio and gallery that serves artists with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities. Direct peer because it pairs studio art practice with community/mental-health support for marginalized adults, mirroring Circle of Friends' arts-as-healing model.
- Path with Art: Seattle-based nonprofit that uses arts programming to support people living with mental health challenges, addiction, and homelessness. Direct peer because of the same Seattle geography, same dual mental-health-and-arts mission, and similar community-class delivery model.
- Gateway Arts (Vinfen): Massachusetts-based art studios operated by Vinfen that support artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health conditions. Direct peer because of its studio-based arts programming, exhibition opportunities, and focus on a similar participant population.
- National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill (NAEMI): National nonprofit dedicated to exhibiting and promoting artwork created by people with mental illness. Direct peer because of its overlapping focus on creative self-expression by individuals with mental health challenges and its nonprofit/community-arts structure.
- Fountain House: New York-based nonprofit that pioneered the "clubhouse" model of community-based mental health recovery, including arts, wellness, and education programming. Direct peer because of its community-driven model that uses creative and expressive programming to combat isolation for adults with mental illness.
Broad incumbents
- Clubhouse International: International nonprofit that accredits and supports a global network of mental health clubhouses, many of which include arts, music, and creative programming as part of their recovery model. Broad incumbent because it operates across many geographies and provides an umbrella framework rather than a single site of programming.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Circle of Friends social profiles
Digital presenceCircle of Friends financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Circle of Friends leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Circle of Friends funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Circle of Friends M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Circle of Friends
What does Circle of Friends do?
Circle of Friends for Mental Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides free, volunteer-led weekly art classes — including drama, music, painting, creative writing/poetry, movement, photography, pottery, and guitar — for individuals with mental illness, addiction, or those experiencing homelessness. Programs are delivered at community partner facilities and public spaces around King County, Washington, using creative self-expression as a natural, enduring catalyst for mental health recovery and community connection.
Is Circle of Friends a public or private company?
Circle of Friends is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Circle of Friends founded?
Circle of Friends was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Circle of Friends based?
Circle of Friends is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Circle of Friends make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Philanthropic Support.
Who are Circle of Friends's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Arts of Life, Project Onward, Creative Growth, Path with Art, Gateway Arts (Vinfen), National Art Exhibitions by the Mentally Ill (NAEMI) and Fountain House. Clubhouse International is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Circle of Friends have an API?
No public API is recorded for Circle of Friends.
What industry is Circle of Friends in?
Circle of Friends's product category is Mental Health Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAD, Cultural Centers & Community Cultural Organizations. Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 8300.