What Hope for Henry Foundation does

Hope for Henry Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2003 by Laurie Strongin and Allen Goldberg in memory of their son Henry, who died at age seven following a bone marrow transplant. Headquartered in Glen Echo, Maryland (National Office at 6106 Harvard Ave #134), the foundation develops and deploys evidence-based pediatric patient experience programs designed to improve coping skills, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes for children undergoing serious medical treatment. Its core programs include Super Rewards for Super Kids — a procedure-based incentive program covering 17 medical procedures (MRIs, CT scans, IV placements, port access, vaccinations, etc.) that rewards children with the proprietary Hope for Henry Bucks virtual currency — and Super Path to Super Duper Better, targeting chronically ill children with lengthy hospitalizations. Supporting programs include Hope for Henry Reads (book delivery and author visits) and the Healthcare Hub, a bilingual (English/Spanish) online resource platform launched in 2024 that provides step-by-step medical procedure guides and family-facing educational content.

The foundation operates a donation-funded, non-pricing model: programs are provided to hospitals at no cost, funded through individual donations, recurring giving programs, corporate sponsorships (MERZ Aesthetics, LIDS Foundation, The Toy Foundation, Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation), foundation grants, and fundraising events. Distribution is via direct hospital partnerships under the "Bring Hope for Henry to Your Hospital" initiative, with child life specialists at partner hospitals implementing the programs. The organization has grown to reach 40+ top-tier pediatric hospitals nationwide (including NIH, MD Anderson, Cleveland Clinic Children's, Cincinnati Children's, Children's National, and MedStar Georgetown) and reports serving over 150,000 children since inception, with clinical outcomes including 70%+ reduction in MRI sedation rates and 95%+ hospital staff satisfaction. In December 2025, the foundation was acquired by MedStar Health, which plans to integrate its programs as a standard of care across MedStar's pediatric service lines.

Name

Hope for Henry Foundation

Legal name

Hope for Henry Foundation

Website

https://hopeforhenry.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hope for Henry Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops evidence-based incentive programs to improve pediatric patient experiences at hospitals nationwide. Its Super Rewards programs and Healthcare Hub support children undergoing serious medical procedures across 40+ partner hospitals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Patient Experience Programs

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Pediatric patient experience
• Hospital incentive programs
• Child life services
• Healthcare nonprofit programs
• Behavioral economics healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts donations from individuals through its website, with options for one-time, monthly, and quarterly giving. Donors can make gifts in honor or memory of someone.
2. Corporate Sponsorships and Event Revenue: Corporate partners like MERZ Aesthetics contribute substantial donations alongside event ticket sales. Charity events including benefit concerts and art exhibitions generate revenue while raising awareness.
3. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including LIDS Foundation funding hospital program expansions and The Toy Foundation supporting play therapy programs and events.
4. Pharmacy Partnerships: Partnership with Giant Pharmacy for Super Rewards for Vaccinations program, bringing the program to over 100 pharmacies across DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hope for Henry Foundation delivers evidence-based pediatric patient experience programs to hospitals, applying behavioral economics-based incentive systems to help children complete challenging medical procedures and cope with lengthy hospitalizations. Its core programs—Super Rewards for Super Kids and Super Path to Super Duper Better—use a virtual currency called Hope for Henry Bucks that children earn for meeting medical milestones and redeem for rewards. The foundation partners directly with hospitals and child life specialists to integrate these programs into standard pediatric care at no cost to the institutions.

Product overview

Hope for Henry Foundation offers a suite of pediatric patient experience programs built around evidence-based incentive systems. The core offerings include Super Rewards for Super Kids (a procedure-based incentive program for 17 medical procedures) and Super Path to Super Duper Better (a comprehensive program for chronically ill children requiring lengthy hospitalizations). Both programs use the Hope for Henry Bucks reward currency system. The organization also operates the Healthcare Hub, a bilingual (English/Spanish) online resource platform providing medical procedure guides and kid-friendly activities. Hope for Henry Reads delivers books to hospitalized children. In December 2025, the organization was acquired by MedStar Health to integrate its programs as a standard of care across pediatric service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Super Rewards for Super Kids: Procedure-based incentive program that helps kids successfully complete challenging medical procedures like MRIs, proton beam therapy, dressing changes, and port access.
• Super Path to Super Duper Better
• Hope for Henry Bucks
• Hope for Henry Healthcare Hub

Products and services

• Super Rewards for Super Kids An evidence-based, procedure-based incentive program that helps pediatric patients successfully complete challenging medical procedures including MRIs, CT scans, IV placements, proton beam therapy, dressing changes, and port access. The program applies behavioral economics principles, providing step-by-step procedure guides, gameboards with stickers, and Hope for Henry Bucks that children earn and redeem for rewards. Designed for implementation by hospital child life specialists as part of standard pediatric care.
• Super Path to Super Duper Better A groundbreaking pediatric patient incentive program that improves coping skills and medical outcomes for children with serious, chronic illnesses requiring lengthy hospitalizations. Children earn Hope for Henry Bucks for meeting treatment goals, which they can exchange for rewards like meeting athletes, attending concerts, or receiving gift cards and electronics. Designed for long-stay pediatric patients managing complex treatment regimens.
• Healthcare Hub A comprehensive bilingual (English/Spanish) online resource platform providing kid-centered empowerment tools including step-by-step guides for medical procedures, activities, and hospital-trusted resources to help children and families navigate healthcare from routine checkups to serious medical procedures. Available to families and hospitals as a free resource.
• Hope for Henry Reads A year-round book delivery program providing new books for hospitalized children, hosting in-hospital readings and book signings by children's authors. Provides therapeutic benefits including stress reduction and distraction from pain during hospitalization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% reduction in MRI sedation rates - more than 70% of patients scheduled for sedation before MRI no longer need to be sedated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MedStar HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2025MedStar Health completed acquisition of Hope for Henry Foundation on December 16, 2025. The partnership ensures Hope for Henry's evidence-based programs will become a standard of care across MedStar Health's pediatric service lines. MedStar Health plans to integrate Hope for Henry's programming into its pediatric care, building on the 20+ year relationship that began at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital where Henry was treated.
• Giant PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring Super Rewards vaccination program to over 100 Giant Pharmacy locations across DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. This marked Hope for Henry's first out-patient program expansion.
• LIDS FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor funder supporting Hope for Henry program expansions at multiple hospitals including Cincinnati Children's, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Maimonides Health, and Our Lady of the Lake Children's Health. Foundation provides grants enabling hospital partnerships.
• The Toy FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to host Winter Wonderland experience for children with sickle cell disease and their families, expanding play therapy programs and capacity.
• Washington Capitals (NHL)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing partnership for pediatric hospital visits, holiday events, and hockey-related activities. Capitals players visit MedStar Georgetown pediatric patients and participate in CapsFightCancer initiatives.
• Jeff Gordon Children's FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with four-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jeff Gordon for fundraising events and pediatric patient support. Jeff Gordon visited Washington DC to help raise funds for children's hospitals.
• Merlin EntertainmentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to bring LEGO Discovery Center Washington DC experiences to hospitalized children and their families, providing entertainment and normalcy during hospital stays.
• NakedMD, Deorro, and MERZ AestheticsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity benefit concert partnership on August 22, 2025, at Warehouse 215 in Phoenix. MERZ Aesthetics contributed substantial corporate donation alongside ticket sales proceeds benefiting Hope for Henry.
• World Champions for HopeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrganization founded by Salvador Briman focused on inspiring people to live like champions through service to others. Briman serves on Hope for Henry's board and connects the organization with boxing champions for pediatric patient experiences.
• Children's National HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing hospital partner serving children with serious illnesses. Hope for Henry has served thousands of patients at the hospital with parties, room customizations, and incentive programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Make-A-Wish Foundation: Large nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses. Comparable beneficiary population and hospital-referred referral flow, though its mechanism (wish granting) differs from Hope for Henry's procedural incentive model.
• CureSearch for Children's Cancer: Nonprofit accelerating children's cancer research and supporting affected families. Overlaps with Hope for Henry on the pediatric cancer beneficiary population and hospital partnerships.
• Starlight Children's Foundation: National nonprofit delivering pediatric programs and distraction/distress-relief tools in children's hospitals. Highly comparable to Hope for Henry in mission (improving the pediatric hospital experience) and hospital-channel distribution.
• National Children's Cancer Society: Nonprofit providing financial and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. Comparable in pediatric chronic-illness beneficiary segment and nonprofit/hospital-channel delivery.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities: Nonprofit supporting families of hospitalized children with lodging and resources. Comparable beneficiary (families of seriously ill children) and hospital-anchored distribution, though focused on family lodging rather than pediatric experience.
• Beads of Courage: Nonprofit providing arts-in-medicine and bead-based incentive programs for children coping with serious illness. Closely comparable to Hope for Henry's Super Rewards behaviorally reinforced pediatric program model.
• Children's Miracle Network Hospitals: Nonprofit that funds children's hospitals through corporate partnerships and peer-to-peer fundraising. Comparable in serving the same hospital partners, donor base, and pediatric patient population.
• Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation: Pediatric cancer nonprofit funding research and family support. Comparable pediatric chronic-illness beneficiary population and fundraising-driven nonprofit model.

Broad incumbents

• Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP): Professional association for child life specialists, the workforce through which Hope for Henry's programs are delivered in partner hospitals. Indirectly comparable as the broader industry body governing the specialty Hope for Henry serves.
• Children's Hospital Association: Industry association representing children's hospitals in the U.S. Comparable as the broader institutional ecosystem in which Hope for Henry's hospital partners operate and from which future partners are likely to emerge.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hopeforhenry
• Facebookfacebook.com/hopeforhenry
• Instagraminstagram.com/hopeforhenry
• TikToktiktok.com/@hopeforhenryfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-for-henry-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Hope for Henry Foundation