What Hourchildren does

Hour Children is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1986 by Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, CSJ, and incorporated in 1992, headquartered in Long Island City, New York. The organization provides gender-responsive wraparound services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children in New York State, addressing a gap left by the predominantly male-focused reentry services market. Its service portfolio spans prison-based family services at three correctional facilities (Bedford Hills, Taconic, and the Rose M. Singer Center at Rikers Island), community-based programming including supportive housing, the Hour Working Women Program for job training, childcare and teen services, mentoring programs for both women and children, and a community food pantry.

The organization also operates two thrift shops (Hour Children's Shop in Astoria and Fancy Thrift in Long Island City) as a social enterprise that delivers job training and revenue. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations are supported by the Kindful donation processing system and standard website infrastructure. Revenue is generated through individual donations, foundation grants (e.g., $30,000 Morgan Stanley 2026 Strategy Challenge grant, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation), corporate volunteer contributions (minimum $5,000), and thrift shop sales, augmented by event-based fundraising such as the annual Mother's Day virtual auction.

Go-to-market is community-led, relying on referrals from the criminal justice system, word-of-mouth among program participants, corporate volunteer engagement, and partnerships with advocacy coalitions including RAPP and the Jails Action Coalition. Leadership transitioned from founder Sister Tesa Fitzgerald to Dr. Alethea Taylor in January 2022, supported by a board that includes representatives from Blackstone, Webster Bank, John Wiley & Sons, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and other major institutions.

Name

Hourchildren

Legal name

Hour Children Inc.

Website

https://hourchildren.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hour Children is a New York-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1986, providing gender-responsive reentry and wraparound services (housing, childcare, job training, prison-based family programs) to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children across New York State.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Island City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Hour Children generates revenue primarily through individual donations, corporate grants (such as the $30,000 Morgan Stanley 2026 Strategy Challenge grant), and foundation support. They are a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity.
2. Thrift Shop Revenue: Hour Children operates two thrift shops (Hour Children's Shop in Astoria and Fancy Thrift in Long Island City) that provide job training for program participants while generating revenue to support programs.
3. Event Fundraising: The organization hosts fundraising events including virtual auctions, Mother's Day campaigns, benefit concerts, and luncheons. The 2021 Mother's Day virtual auction raised $106,000.
4. Volunteer and Corporate Contributions: Corporate volunteer programs (minimum $5,000 contribution) and employee giving matching programs contribute to organizational funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hour Children provides direct social services to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children in New York State. Its offerings span prison-based family services (infant nursery, transportation, visiting programs, parenting education), supportive housing, job training through the Hour Working Women Program, childcare, mentoring, a community food pantry, and a Host Family Program, supplemented by thrift shop retail that generates revenue and provides job training.

Product overview

Hour Children is a nonprofit social services organization (not a technology company) offering a comprehensive suite of programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children in New York State. The core offering includes Prison-Based Family Services (infant nursery, visiting programs, parenting education), Community Programming (supportive housing, job training, childcare, mentoring, food pantry), and Hour Thrift Shops as a social enterprise providing job training and revenue. Key named programs include the Hour Working Women Program, Hour Host Family Program, and various mentoring initiatives. Hour Children does not offer a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hour Thrift Shops: Thrift shops offering household goods, jewelry, clothing, and children's items while providing job training for women in Hour Children programs. Locations include Hour Children's Shop at 31-24 Steinway Street in Astoria and Fancy Thrift at 12-10 36th Avenue in Long Island City.
• Hour Working Women Program
• Hour Host Family Program

Products and services

• Prison-Based Family Services Direct services delivered inside Bedford Hills and Taconic Correctional Facilities, including infant nursery care, transportation for prison visits, visiting programs, and parenting education for incarcerated mothers and their children.
• Supportive Housing Supportive housing for formerly incarcerated women and their families, delivered from the Long Island City headquarters as part of post-release community programming.
• Hour Working Women Program Job training and employment program for women in Hour Children programs, providing workforce skills and employment pathways as a core reentry service.
• Hour Host Family Program Places children of incarcerated mothers with carefully screened host families to provide stability, routine, and emotional support during a parent's incarceration, preventing foster care placement.
• Children & Teen Programs Childcare, after-school, and teen programming serving children of incarcerated mothers, including education support and youth engagement.
• Hour Children Food Pantry Community food pantry providing food assistance to families served by Hour Children.
• Mentoring Programs Mentoring services including the Hour Friend In Deed Mentoring Program for children and the Hour Woman to Woman Mentoring Program for women, delivered by trained volunteers.
• Hour Thrift Shops Retail thrift stores in Astoria (Hour Children's Shop) and Long Island City (Fancy Thrift) selling donated household goods, clothing, furniture, and children's items, providing job training and employment to program participants while generating revenue to support programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Women who receive support from Hour Children's programs are 5 times less likely to return to prison.
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Osborne AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2021Hour Children partnered with Osborne Association for See Us, Support Us Youth Listening Sessions for Educators, focusing on supporting children of incarcerated parents' educational success.
• Between the BarsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 October 2021Hour Children partnered with Between the Bars theatrical production. Using promo code BTBHOUR gave discounted tickets and 30% of purchases were donated back to Hour Children. Hour Children also participated in Community Conversations after performances.
• Jails Action Coalition and HALT Solitary CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2021Hour Children co-hosts advocacy events with Jails Action Coalition and HALT Solitary Campaign, including NYC Virtual Advocacy Day to End Solitary Confinement.
• Witness to Mass IncarcerationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2021Hour Children participated as a partner in the Suitcase Sunday event hosted by Witness to Mass Incarceration, celebrating formerly incarcerated-led services and businesses.
• Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2021Hour Children participates in RAPP-organized events and advocacy efforts including the March for Parole Justice and Elder Parole/Fair & Timely Parole bill campaigns.
• The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration ReformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Alethea Taylor serves on The Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform, influencing policy around incarceration and reentry.
• Correctional Association of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Alethea Taylor serves on the advisory council of the Correctional Association of New York, a nonprofit that monitors and advocates for reform in New York prisons.
• Bedford Hills Correctional FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHour Children operates The Children's Center at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, providing prison-based family services including infant nursery, transportation, visiting programs, and parenting education.
• Taconic Correctional FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHour Children operates programming at Taconic Correctional Facility, providing parenting and family support services.
• KindfulcoreTechnology or IntegrationKindful is Hour Children's payment processor for online donations. Hour Children uses Kindful's platform (hourchildren-bloom.kindful.com) for donation processing and management. Their privacy policy references this third-party payment processor relationship.
• Corporate Volunteer PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHour Children welcomes corporate volunteer groups, customizing volunteer opportunities based on group interests, experience, and size. Corporate partners must schedule at least one month in advance and provide a minimum contribution of $5,000.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP): NY advocacy coalition focused on parole reform and decarceration where Hour Children's leadership participates; thematically aligned but advocacy-oriented rather than service-delivery.

Direct peers

• Center for Community Alternatives: NY-based nonprofit offering alternatives to incarceration and reentry support with a strong focus on women and youth, overlapping with Hour Children's mission.
• Greenhope Services for Women: NYC nonprofit providing housing and comprehensive reentry services specifically for women involved in the criminal justice system — a directly comparable gender-responsive reentry provider.
• The Fortune Society: Long-standing NYC nonprofit offering reentry, housing, education, and alternatives to incarceration; comparable wraparound services model serving justice-involved individuals and families in the same NYC market.
• Osborne Association: New York-based reentry and criminal justice organization providing housing, education, and family services for people impacted by incarceration, including specific programming for children of incarcerated parents — overlapping directly with Hour Children's mission.
• Friends of Island Academy: NYC nonprofit supporting court-involved and incarcerated young people through education, mentoring, and reentry, operating in overlapping NYC correctional settings.
• A New Way of Life Reentry Project: Provides housing and reentry support to women returning from incarceration in multiple states; comparable population and wraparound service model to Hour Children.

Others

• Correctional Association of New York: Independent prison monitoring and policy advocacy organization in NY where Hour Children's Executive Director serves on the advisory council — adjacent peer in the same criminal justice ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Hudson Link for Justice: Provides higher education and post-release support to currently and formerly incarcerated individuals in NY; comparable mission pillar around reentry though focused more narrowly on education.

Broad incumbents

• Women in Need (WIN): Larger NYC organization providing shelter, housing, and support services — including to women involved in the criminal justice system — operating at greater scale in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HourChildreninc
• Facebookfacebook.com/HourChildrenInc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Hourchildren